By continuing to use our website, you agree to these updates. These are periods of acute pain severe enough for a doctor to proscribe bed rest. Rheumatoid arthritis of the spine leads to neck pain, back pain, and sometimes causes pain to radiate into the arms and legs. Basically, the SSA understands it's harder to go back to school, move for work or change careers after age 50. Trouble walking, and loss of bowel or bladder control may also result. When you visit web sites, they may store or retrieve data in your web browser. If you experienced a back injury during active duty, or an injury that later contributed to back pain, you may be eligible for disability benefits. Va rating of 60%. When the nerves are compressed, electrical signals passing along those nerves can become disrupted. The attorneys at Berry Law Firm are dedicated to helping injured Veterans. Please call for an appointment before visiting: Mail Processing Center: P.O. Failure to address the symptoms will lead to a lifestyle filled with numbness, pain, and muscle weakness. ATTORNEY FOR THE . We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. These cookies collect information about how you use our website. Box 449, Deland, FL 32721, Orlando, FL: 605 E. Robinson Street Suite 635, Orlando, FL 32801 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. The exact VA disability percentage for spinal stenosis that has caused a frozen spine depends on the position where the spine is frozen. Since that time, we have provided compassionate Yes, but you should talk to a VA Disability law attorney first. You must have a positive imaging test (MRI, . Depending on what joint is affected, there will be an identifying diagnostic code assigned to the condition. Some joints are referred to as major joints, while others are referred to as minor joints. Under the IVDS schedule, a VA disability rating can be obtained based on the number and frequency of incapacitated episodes in which bed rest is ordered by a physician. With extensive experience working with VA disability claims, Berry Law can help you with your disability appeals. 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. The VA rating for degenerative disc disease typically is 20%, despite how much pain the condition may cause. Find Out How To Qualify for Disability with Degenerative Disc Disease More importantly, when both the lumbar spine and cervical spine are affected by spinal stenosis, the two may be separately rated unless both are frozen in an unfavorable position. Call 800-544-9144 today for a free case evaluation or contact us here. When spinal stenosis manifests in the form of back pain and a frozen spine, obtaining a fair VA disability rating for spinal stenosis is primarily a matter of obtaining accurate ROM measurements of the cervical spine and lumbar spine. Both upper (cervical) and . Evidence of diagnosis of your spinal stenosis while you were in the military; Information about an occurrence or an incident that occurred while you were serving led to the injury or aggravation of this injury; Medical nexus a medical description that connects the diagnosed stenosis with the particular occurrence that is said to lead to it. When these lateral nerve roots become compressed, it can disrupt the signals passing from your brain and spinal column out through the nerve roots to your arms, legs, and other parts of your body a condition called foraminal stenosis, which can cause radiculopathy. . 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. The Truth About Spinal Stenosis: Causes Symptoms And Treatments For example, if the cervical spine ROM measurements are 15, 30, 0, 30, 45, and 45, the total ROM would be 165. If you believe your current spinal injuries are the result of military service, you could receive VA disability for spinal stenosis. When the spinal canal is obstructed due to spinal stenosis, abnormal narrowing occurs. Disability Benefits for Spinal Stenosis | Nolo Incomplete paralysis can be determined as severe, moderately severe, moderate, or mild with disability ratings as low as 10 percent. A TDIU is an award of increased compensation. Hill & Ponton P.A. If your spinal stenosis or foraminal stenosis is service-connected, or if your condition was aggravated because of your military service, you may qualify for VA disability compensation. Spinal stenosis is a disorder that affects your back. 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%. We have updated our Privacy Policy. I want to thank Woods & Woods for not letting me give up. Radiculopathy is caused by compressed nerves in the spine and results in pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness along the nerve. These cookies dont collect information that identifies you. For instance, which pages you go to most. VA Disability Ratings for Spinal Stenosis - Hill & Ponton, P.A. Spinal stenosis is a form of degenerative disc disease. If the condition is not severe enough to meet the above criteria, then the VA rating for back pain / arthritis will be based on specific symptoms. Ratings will fall between 0% and 100% disability. Keep in mind that arthritis will only be rated under diagnostic code 5003 when the condition does not result in severe enough limitation of motion to be rated under the general rating formula for the spine. The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense guidelines are based upon the best information available at the time of publication. Acute, Subacute, or Chronic Diseases Prosthetic Implants and Resurfacing 1 Also entitled to special monthly compensation. The RO assigned an initial 10 percent rating for the disability, effective June 13, 1994. 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. In severe cases, it can lead to myelopathy, paralysis, bladder and bowel incontinence or retention, headaches, and other debilitating symptoms. Appeals to the Board of Veterans Appeals, Appeal to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Increase Veterans Affairs Disability Rating, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU), VA Mental Health: Legal Help for Veterans, Veterans Affairs Compensation for Sleep Apnea, VA Rating for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Symptoms, 2023 Veterans Affairs Disability Rate Increase, Have a current medical diagnosis for the disability, Have an in-service event or experience that led to the disability, Get a medical nexus connecting the in-service event to the current medical diagnosis. If spinal stenosis causes involuntary muscle reactions like these, a doctor can note them in your records and the VA can use them to arrive at a VA disability rating. 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. Degenerative arthritis is the chronic breakdown of the cartilage surrounding the joints. It is rated under another diagnostic group. Rheumatoid arthritis of the spine leads to neck pain, back pain, and sometimes, 60% if there are severe incapacitating episodes that occur 4 or more times per year, 40% if there are incapacitating episodes that occur 3 or more times per year if there is a definite (but not necessarily significant) decrease in health, 20% if there are less than 3 incapacitating episodes per year. These ratings are added together using VA math for an overall VA disability rating for spinal stenosis. we represent clients nationwide. However, the VA still rates degenerative arthritis of the spine under the criteria listed for diagnostic code 5003. VA Disability Rating for Degenerative Disc Disease: A Guide - Berry Law 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. Oftentimes, spinal conditions will cause other conditions, and these conditions qualify a Veteran for another rating. You may not notice at the onset, but the pain will evolve slowly over time. Their testimony can mean the difference between an approval or a denial of your case. Does Spinal Stenosis Qualify for Disability Benefits? Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. It results in chronic pain, numbness, and weakness in your body. The VA not only makes mistakes in evaluation the severity of a condition, but sometimes they evaluate a condition according to the completely wrong rating criteria. VA Disability For Back Impairments - The Veterans Law Office When spinal stenosis causes additional disabilities, those problems may qualify as secondary service-connected disabilities. Depending on how severe your symptoms are, you may be able to file for a permanent spinal stenosis disability. That is, they get it wrong more than half the time. What Happens If You Don't Treat Spinal Stenosis? Our goal is to help all fellow Veterans get the disability benefits they deserve. The VA rates spinal stenosis disability claims according to its General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. Thank you so much Woods & Woods. To facilitate this process, the VA has created a ratings table. The Top 3 Spinal Stenosis VA Rating Tips Explained (Ultimate Guide) Call 512-454-4000 for help today. A very common impairment caused by this nerve compression is sciatica. 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. Cincinnati, OH: 300 E Business Way, Suite 200, Summit Woods Corporate Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45241 However, you may get a 100% VA disability rating for up to one year after serious back surgery, such as a spinal fusion. These measurements are taken while bending the neck and back forward and backward, tilting the neck and back from size to side, and rotating the neck and back to each side. Lumbar spinal stenosis resulting in compromise of the cauda equina 1.17 Reconstructive surgery or surgical arthrodesis of a major weight-bearing joint 1.18 Abnormality of a major joint(s) in any extremity . Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. 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. Numbness or tingling in a hand, arm, foot, or leg, Pain or cramping in one or both legs when you stand for long periods of time or when you walk, which usually eases when you bend forward or sit. Spinal stenosis caused by IVDS qualifies for a separate IVDS disability rating and you are entitled to the higher of the two ratings. Spinal stenosis can be a difficult disability to deal with because of the breadth and variety of symptoms you may experience. The cervical spine (neck) and the thoracolumbar spine (low back) are rated according to the following criteria: Flexion 45 degrees, OR combined ROM 340 degrees, Flexion 90 degrees, OR combined ROM 240 degrees, Flexion between 30 and 45 degrees, OR combined ROM between 175 and 340 degrees, Flexion between 60 and 90 degrees, OR combined ROM between 125 and 240 degrees, Flexion between 15 and 35 degrees, OR combined ROM 170 degrees, Flexion between 30 and 65 degrees, OR combined ROM 120 degrees, Flexion 15 degrees, OR entire cervical spine is frozen in a favorable position, Entire cervical spine is frozen in an unfavorable position, Flexion 30 degrees, OR entire thoracolumbar spine is frozen in a favorable position, Entire thoracolumbar spine is frozen in an unfavorable position, Entire spine is frozen in an unfavorable position.
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