Neck / cervical spine — all decisions

The Board granted an increased initial rating of 10 percent for dyspnea and denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for rhinitis. The claims for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, cervical spine disability, and lumbar spine disability were remanded.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disability, finding that the evidence did not support an in-service injury or disease and that there was no chronicity of symptoms during service. The Veteran's current condition is not related to his service-connected left shoulder disability.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings due to ongoing deficiencies in VA examinations.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left shoulder strain and tendinosis, as well as cervical spine strain (claimed as neck pain), to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board granted and denied various ratings for the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a 10 percent rating for left knee disability with recurrent lateral instability, a 20 percent rating for cervical spine disability from July 20, 2017, to September 18, 2022, and a 30 percent rating from September 19, 2022. The Board also granted ratings of 20 percent or less for the Veteran's upper and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including a low back disability, neck disability, nerve damage of the neck, back, and hip, liver cirrhosis, stroke, migraines, ovarian disability, heart disability, seizure disorder, and right ear disability.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings and service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, requiring updated VA records.

The claims for service connection for a right arm condition and a right wrist condition were dismissed as the Veteran did not file a Notice of Disagreement within one year of the February 2019 rating decision which denied these conditions.

The Board granted restoration of the 30% rating for IVDS with degenerative arthritis, spondylosis, and cervical strain, as well as the 30% and 40% ratings for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy, respectively. Service connection for a lumbar spine disorder was denied.

The appeal for service connection for a right shoulder strain was denied, while the appeals for service connection for left ankle strain, right ankle strain, lumbar strain, cervical strain, and bilateral pes planus were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II. The remaining claims for service connection were remanded.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for TBI and service connection for cervical spine strain with degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease, as well as remanded a claim for service connection for GERD.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and remanded the claims for other conditions due to insufficient evidence.

The Board denied readjudication of the claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability and sinusitis as new and relevant evidence was not received.

The Board granted ratings of 30 percent or higher for the Veteran's cervical spine degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine osteoarthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome, right shoulder strain, left elbow olecranon bursitis, right elbow olecranon bursitis, and headaches. Service connection was also granted for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) under the PACT Act.

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a neck disability due to an inadequate VA examination and the need for additional medical records.

The Board granted an initial 70 percent evaluation for the service-connected psychiatric disability and a TDIU, but denied other claims related to earlier effective dates and burial expenses.

The Board remands the case for an additional medical opinion to determine the etiology of the Veteran's cervical spine disorder, specifically whether it was caused by or resulted from his service-connected right shoulder, right hip, right knee, and right ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's neck disability was granted an initial rating of 20 percent prior to March 12, 2021. The other issues are remanded for further development.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for migraines, cervical spinal stenosis, a scar on neck, and right ankle disability, as well as increased ratings for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. The appeal for service connection for PTSD was denied due to insufficient evidence of a current diagnosis of PTSD.