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VA Disability Ratings for Spinal Stenosis | CCK Law Full eligibility requirements Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. Finally, we invite you to contact us and we welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. means your spine is locked but more or less vertical, so you can still sit at a desk chair, for example. This can severely affect your movement and eventually takes a toll on your ability to move. Claims involving both the cervical spine and the thoracolumbar spine are rated under the same general rating formula. All the disabilities stemming from spinal stenosis should be accounted for in a fair VA disability rating. Foraminal stenosis is the narrowing or the tightening of the openings located between the bones of your spine. . Whether it manifests itself in your back or through nerve pain throughout your extremities, a VA attorney can help you to obtain the medical examination and collect the records to support your VA disability claim. Your VA doctor may conclude that your spinal stenosis is service-connected because of this pre-existing whiplash and disk herniation. This includes the shoulder, wrist, elbow, hip, knee ankle, fingers, toes, spine, and the sacroiliac joint. A 40% VA Rating for the Lumbar Spine - YouTube The spine is considered as a minor joint. VA physicians will measure your range of motion in six places, using a goniometer. This will effectively increase your VA disability rating. How to Appeal a Denied Veterans Disability Claim While we still have our home base in Florida, Box 449, Deland, FL 32721, Orlando, FL: 605 E. Robinson Street Suite 635, Orlando, FL 32801 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. Unlike a back injury that is caused by muscle, ligament, or bone damage, the effects of spinal stenosis are felt primarily in the nerves of the spinal cord. Spinal Stenosis Disability Claim Attorney | Filing for Disability All rights reserved. Getting Veterans (VA) Disability for Spinal Injuries, Radiculopathy VA Disability Ratings and Benefits, VA Disability Ratings for Neck Pain Explained. Disability Benefits for Spinal Stenosis | Nolo VA Disability Ratings for Back Pain and Spinal Arthritis Lumbar spinal stenosis results in low back pain, as well as weakness, numbness, pain and abnormal sensations in the buttocks, thighs, legs, calves, and feet. A veteran's Degenerative Disc Disease VA disability can be rated at 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, or 100%. For example, if a Veteran has degenerative arthritis of the spine with no other joints affected, and he experiences pain when bending over he will receive a 10% rating. Woods and Woods, LLC, Veterans Disability Lawyer, Veterans Disability Benefits Attorneys Helping Veterans Nationwide, Published on January 13, 2020 by Mike Woods Last Updated on December 30, 2022. To qualify for the total unemployability disability benefit, you must meet two distinct criteria: Note that theres a significant difference in monthly disability benefits between a 40% disability rating and a 100% disability rating. 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. Under the VAs rules, you can challenge a VA disability rating by asserting that the VA misapplied its schedule. Some joints are referred to as major joints, while others are referred to as minor joints. The ROM measurement is the maximum angle that you can move in each direction before reaching your physical limits or experiencing severe pain. This means that the effects of spinal stenosis are not limited to the back. VA Disability Rating for Degenerative Disc Disease Explained (The Given this variety of symptoms, it is easy to understand how spinal stenosis can be misdiagnosed. Some of the most common disabilities Veterans have are the result of injuries to their back, especially those related to the spine. The rating will largely depend on whether you have lost range of motion as a result of stenosis. QUALIFYING STATEMENTS . 38 CFR 4.71a - Schedule of ratings - LII / Legal Information Institute There are two types of arthritis that are rated under the same rating system; degenerative arthritis, and traumatic arthritis. I bought a home. I suffer from many health issues due to the trauma that happened to me in 1980. A TDIU is an award of increased compensation. We have updated our Privacy Policy. In most cases, the medical listing will be insufficient. The VA rating for degenerative disc disease typically is 20%, despite how much pain the condition may cause. Surgery can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $150,000 with a microdiscectomy or discectomy being the least expensive and spinal fusion costing the most. AVVO 10/10 Superb Rating, BBB A+ Rated. Oftentimes, spinal conditions will cause other conditions, and these conditions qualify a Veteran for another rating. Your spinal stenosis may be accompanied by other back conditions, including degenerative disc disease, arthritis, ankylosis or ankylosing spondylitis. Both of these must be true: You have a health condition that's caused by exposure to Agent Orange, and You served in a location that exposed you to Agent Orange Keep reading for the full eligibility requirements. Stenosis is most common in the cervical area (the neck) and the lower back (lumbar) area, with lumbar stenosis being the most common form of this condition. . Want to know if you qu. At these exams, you can expect your doctor to ask you questions about your background and medical history, evaluate your symptoms and range of motion. Your final VA rating for Degenerative Disc Disease depends upon the Frequency, Severity, and Duration of symptoms, including Painful Motion, Limitation of Range of Motion (ROM), and Functional Loss or Impairment. These cookies collect information about how you use our website. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. Lumbar spinal stenosis . The general rating formula for spinal stenosis and the other spinal conditions listed above is as follows: General Rating Formula Spinal Stenosis and Select Spinal Conditions. I served during peace timein theArmy. Chicago, IL: 332 S. Michigan Avenue, Floors 8 and 9, Chicago, IL 60604 IVDS commonly includes back pain and sciatica (pain along the course of the sciatic nerve into the buttock and the leg) in the case of lumbar disc disease, and neck plus arm or hand pain in the case of cervical disc disease. VA Disability Rating for Spinal Stenosis Depends on Range of Motion 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. 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. Additional medical appliances may be required. 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. 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%. Williamsburg, VA 23185. This information is not a substitute for legal advice. Do You Have Long-Term Disability Insurance Coverage? These two types of spinal stenosis can be summarized as follows: Some people with spinal stenosis do not exhibit symptoms. These cookies are essential so that you can move around the website and use its features. Houston, TX: 2925 Richmond Ave, 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77098 Phone: (757) 220-4529. Spinal stenosis caused by IVDS qualifies for a separate IVDS disability rating and you are entitled to the higher of the two ratings. If your spine is locked in an unfavorable position, you may qualify for a relatively high disability rating as high as 100%. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter to stay updated on VA news, policy changes, and more. Deland, FL: 1607 South State Road 15A Suite 12 Deland, FL 32720, Satellite Offices A 2019 Inspector General report found that the VA processed the majority of the 62,500 spinal injury claims decided in the first half of 2018. In order to ensure that youre getting the most out of your disability claim, you need to understand how the VA rates your condition. To qualify for a 100% rating for stenosis, you would have to have severe ankylosis across your entire spine, locking your spine in an unfavorable condition, unless you have one or more severe secondary conditions. The VA will use a series of diagnostic codes for areas of the spine. 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. Back Pain VA Rating: A Guide to Spinal Injuries - Hill & Ponton, P.A. Typically, this would be established by medical records from your time in the military showing that your condition worsened. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. To collect VA disability compensation benefits, you must show that your spinal stenosis disability claim was caused or aggravated by your military service. Please call for an appointment before visiting: Mail Processing Center: P.O. You may be eligible for VA disability benefits if you meet both of these requirements. Contact a VA attorney who can assist you wherever you live and without regard to whether you were deployed. Errors are frequently made when rating conditions. These cookies are also used to let affiliates know if you came to one of our websites from an affiliate and if your visit resulted in the use or purchase of a product or service from us, including details of the product or service purchased.