VA Disability Ratings for Spinal Stenosis - Hill & Ponton, P.A. At Hill & Ponton, we have helped thousands of veterans successfully resolve their disability claims with the VA. For a free, confidential, no-obligation evaluation of your case, contact us today. They may also be used to keep track of what [products, video, links, etc.] Spinal stenosis is a form of degenerative disc disease. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Spinal stenosis will cause pain in different areas of the body including the neck, lower and middle back, your buttocks and legs. Not necessarily, but its worth looking at your C-File to see if you had spinal stenosis during your service and it was incorrectly diagnosed. The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense guidelines are based upon the best information available at the time of publication. The ratings range from 10% to 60%.
Reduce VA's Disability Benefits to Veterans Who Are Older Than the Full We use your disability rating to determine how much disability compensation you'll receive each month, as well as your eligibility for other VA benefits. Lack of cartilage causes pain and limitation of motion. This makes sense because a spine frozen in an unfavorable position would place the greatest stress on the body and have the greatest impact on the veterans ability to work. However, these secondary service-connected disabilities are not cumulative. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. For a cervical spine that is frozen in a favorable position, the disability rating may be capped at 30%. If we can show that you had spinal stenosis while in the service but you were misdiagnosed, you might even get some substantial back pay. Entire cervical spine is frozen in an unfavorable position. Spinal stenosis is typically diagnosed with x-rays or MRIs of the spine showing a narrowing of the spinal canal. Thus, when a bulging or herniated disc in the cervical spine region causes six weeks of incapacitating episodes per year, you would be eligible for a 60% VA disability rating for neck pain. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. These are periods of acute pain severe enough for a doctor to proscribe bed rest. you have shown that there is was an incident in service and that you have a current disability, When the VA awards service-connection for a condition/disease, it has to determine how much to award for the condition/disease. Disability Evaluation Under Social Security 1.00 Musculoskeletal Disorders - Adult Section 1.01 Category of Impairments, Musculoskeletal . These cookies do not store any personal information. Because the vertebrae are closer together, they tend to compress the nerves that lie inside the spine, especially the spinal cord. The ROM measurement is the maximum angle that you can move in each direction before reaching your physical limits or experiencing severe pain. Fax: (757) 220-9451. It is possible to have your rating lowered if you happen to do better on another C&P exam, so discuss your case and your condition with a VA attorney first. This guide will break down how the VA rates back pain and spinal disabilities, so you can take the first steps toward making a claim. If the entire spine is frozen in an unfavorable position, the disability rating may be as high as 100%. So, spinal disabilities focus on the lack of mobility or range of motion. This can severely affect your movement and eventually takes a toll on your ability to move. If two or more major OR minor groups are affected a 20% rating will be assigned if the arthritis is occasionally incapacitating. Portland, OR: 650 N. E. Holladay Street, Suite 1600, Portland, OR, 97232 Pain, numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, and loss of motor control are some of the symptoms of the condition. If radiculopathy is caused by a neck condition, the symptoms will be felt in the shoulder and can travel down the arm and into the hand. In a February 2007 rating decision, the RO granted service connection for spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine.
Federal Register :: Schedule for Rating Disabilities; The Spine The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Spinal stenosis is a form of degenerative disc disease. If your MRIs dont show a significant stenosis, but you are experiencing severe back pain that still inhibits your ability to work, and you have. Most of the time, spinal stenosis occurs in the lower back and the neck. An unfavorable position means that the spine is frozen in a position other than the natural upright position. Please complete this form to send us your message. This can be demonstrated by muscular atrophy, poor blood circulation, and limited movement of the affected body part. If your spinal condition results in the development of a new disability or makes an existing disability worse, remember that you may be entitled to secondary service-connection for the new or aggravated disability. In fact, occasionally, the back pain associated with spinal stenosis may be dwarfed by the nerve pain experienced in the legs, feet, arms, and hands. Degenerative arthritis of the spine, sometimes referred to as facet joint osteoarthritis, causes a breakdown of the cartilage between the facet joints in the back of the spine. CCK Recognized for Donations to American Veterans Disabled For Life Memorial, CCK Successfully Argues for a Precedential Decision About Protected Work Environment, A Day in the Life of a Paralegal (Claims Advocate) at CCK. This data may be used to help optimize our websites and make them easier for you to navigate.
Find Out How To Qualify for Disability with Degenerative Disc Disease For example, if you receive a VA disability rating based on a general spinal injury but could have received a higher VA disability rating for IVDS, you can submit additional evidence showing that your spinal stenosis is caused by a bulging, herniated, or degenerated disc and request a re-calculation. Because the rating formula is almost entirely based on ROM measurements, its important to make sure that a doctor performs ROM testing as accurately as possible. Philadelphia, PA: 1 International Plaza, Suite 550, Philadelphia, PA, 19113 You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. Spinal stenosis is a type of back injury that a Veteran could develop after an in-service injury. Less frequently, stenosis can occur in the upper back (thoracic).
VA Disability Ratings for Back Pain and Spinal Arthritis An unfavorable position means your spine is locked in a position that is something other than vertical. Also, the VA requires that all ROM measurements be taken with a goniometer. The amount of base compensation veterans receive . When symptoms are present, they usually start gradually and worsen over time. Call (855) 873-2604 For a Free Evaluation of Your Spinal Stenosis Disability Case. Typically, this would be established by medical records from your time in the military showing that your condition worsened. Spinal stenosis of the cervical and thoracic regions may contribute to neurologic injury, such as development of a central spinal cord syndrome following spinal trauma. Full eligibility requirements You can file a disability claim for any secondary symptoms or conditions caused by your service-connected degenerative disc disease. The RO also assigned an initial 40 percent rating for the disability effective November 8, 2006.
VA Disability Ratings for Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) General VA Disability Compensation Benefits Claims Forums . However, you may get a 100% VA disability rating for up to one year after serious back surgery, such as a spinal fusion. have been offered surgery and epidurals havent decided yet but if anyone can weigh in on this.. if you have spinal stenosis DDD DJD hypert,etc are you suppose to file a claim for each one separately? It is rated under another diagnostic group. Mayo Clinic notes that there are two different types of spinal stenosis: While occasionally a person suffering from spinal stenosis will show zero symptoms, often Veterans seeking VA disability compensation for spinal stenosis will display one or more of the following symptoms: Cervical Stenosis Symptoms Numbness or tingling in your arm or leg, weakness in your arm or leg, problems walking, neck pain, and bowel/bladder dysfunction. Veterans looking to receive VA disability for spinal stenosis often develop the disability due to an injury to the spine. If a doctor doesnt use a goniometer to measure your ROM, the VA will not consider the results.
Spinal Stenosis Disability Claim Attorney | Filing for Disability Sign up for our weekly email newsletter to stay updated on VA news, policy changes, and more. Your Condition Must be Connected to Your Service to Obtain a VA Disability Rating Spinal Stenosis, When it occurs in the cervical spine (the neck and upper section of the back). Berry Law is a team full of Veterans, with attorneys from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Some of the conditions included in this category are degenerative arthritis, traumatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. By using this information, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship created by you reading or using the information contained on this website or in this newsletter, article, or blog. Rather, they are added using VA math. The disability rating may be even lower depending on the segment of the spine that is frozen. We get emails all the time asking if certain health problems qualify for benefits. These only occur in extraordinary cases in which the VA ratings formula does not account for the effects or consequences of your disability. In many cases, symptoms resolve themselves with rest, physical therapy, exercise, and anti-inflammatories. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. You should know that it's impossible to get disability benefits if you aren't . All rights reserved. It is the problems that may be CAUSED by Spinal Stenosis that are rateable. For example, a cervical spine with forward flexion of 15 produces a VA disability percentage of 30% and a lumbar spine with a total ROM of 120 produces a VA disability percentage of 20%, for an overall VA disability rating of 40%. This means that a 10% VA disability rating for spinal stenosis plus 60% VA disability rating for peripheral nerve disability in an arm will produce an overall VA disability rating of 60%. These cookies collect information about how you use our website. Whether from the physical rigors of combat, from the psychosomatic effects of stress and anxiety on the body, or from other factors, many soldiers can leave their time in the military with a wide range of physical . This occurs when the soft tissue discs between segments of the spine become displaced and are squeezed into the spinal nerve canal or into the ventral nerve roots. These exams are called comprehensive preventive health evaluations (CPHE) or wellness checks., The VA routinely mishandles spinal injury claims. In most cases, the medical listing will be insufficient. Herniated Discs. If your MRIs dont show a significant stenosis, but you are experiencing severe back pain that still inhibits your ability to work, and you have intervertebral disc syndrome, you may be able to get a higher rating due to incapacitating episodes. Also, the VA requires that all ROM measurements be taken with a goniometer. To provide even more value to our veterans, this page is only available with an All-Access Membership.
Veterans & Spinal Stenosis Disability Rating 888.878.9350 Its possible for rheumatoid arthritis to be rated under diagnostic code 5003 like degenerative and traumatic arthritis. Richmond, VA: 7400 Beaufont Springs Drive, Suite 300, Richmond, VA, 23225 Spinal stenosis can arise from both degenerative conditions (such as arthritis, bulging discs, and herniated discs) and physical injury, such as bone fragments, dislocated vertebrae, or swollen tissues. Step 1: Make Sure You Pass All Technical Requirements for Disability Benefits.
VA Disability Ratings for Spinal Stenosis | CCK Law Since that time, we have provided compassionate Another way to connect your disability to your service is to show that you had been diagnosed with spinal stenosis prior to your service, and the condition worsened during your service.
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