The same veteran with a 100% disability rating would receive $3,106.04. Regardless of the underlying cause, spinal stenosis leads to pressure on nerves running through the spinal canal. However, the VA still rates degenerative arthritis of the spine under the criteria listed for diagnostic code 5003. The VA disability rating system for spinal stenosis is the same general formula as for other similar spinal conditions, including: If the VA determines your spinal stenosis is service-connected, you will receive a disability rating between 0% and 100%. Appellant represented by: Disabled American Veterans. These cookies do not store any personal information. These ratings are added together using VA math for an overall VA disability rating for spinal stenosis. REPRESENTATION. You may also qualify for a 100% rating if your back injury renders you. Box 449, Deland, FL 32721, Orlando, FL: 605 E. Robinson Street Suite 635, Orlando, FL 32801 for incapacitating episodes totaling at least 6 weeks during the past 12 months; for incapacitating episodes totaling at least 4 weeks but less than 6 weeks during the past 12 months; for incapacitating episodes totaling at least 2 weeks but less than 4 weeks during the past 12 months; for incapacitating episodes having a total duration of at least one week but less than 2 weeks during the past 12 months. 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. It will also help if someone else in your division remembers what happened. However, it can also be caused by herniated discs, thickened ligaments in your spine, tumors, and spinal injuries. we represent clients nationwide. . You may qualify for VA disability compensation if you have an illness linked to Gulf War serviceoften called Gulf War Syndromein Southwest Asia, including Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia. You must have a positive imaging test (MRI, . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Lawyers 6940 O St, Suite 400 Lincoln, NE 68510. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter to stay updated on VA news, policy changes, and more. Berry Law gets Veterans the disability compensation they earned. The rating assigned under the rating criteria for degenerative arthritis depends on how many, Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that causes destruction of the joints in the body. You may also qualify for a 100% rating if your back injury renders you unemployable. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Do You Have Long-Term Disability Insurance Coverage? Some of the most common disabilities Veterans have are the result of injuries to their back, especially those related to the spine. 14K 1,344 9. Spinal muscles: Sacrospinalis (erector spinae and its prolongations in thoracic and cervical regions). These types of lawyers have experience dealing with the laws and rules that govern the VA and may have ideas and suggestions for increasing or challenging your VA disability rating. Houston, TX: 2925 Richmond Ave, 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77098 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. 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. Spinal Stenosis by itself means literally nothing, other than that you have a narrowing of the spinal canal at some point (which about 70% of adults have normally). To collect VA disability compensation benefits, you must show that your spinal stenosis disability claim was caused or aggravated by your military service. The VA not only makes, Both degenerative arthritis and traumatic arthritis, regardless of the joint affected, are rated under diagnostic code 5003. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); My name is [K.S]. A posterior spinal fusion of a segment of adjoining vertebra, prior to clinical onset only of Spondylolysis or Spondylolisthesis Posterior spinal fusion means a surgical procedure involving immobilization of the posterior elements of two or more vertebrae by the use of bone grafting, in the absence of immobilization of the lateral elements, of . 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. Flexion measures 15 degrees or less, OR entire cervical spine is frozen in a favorable position. Copyright 2023 Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD. All Rights Reserved. Lumbar IVDS accounts for 62% of all disc disease. Disability Benefits by Percentage Rating and Dependent Status (As of 2020). Background In 2017, 4.5 million veterans with medical conditions or injuries that occurred or worsened during active-duty service received disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Want to know if you qu. Ratings will fall between 0% and 100% disability. 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. Hill & Ponton P.A. But it can also be a result of a spinal injury. Your spinal stenosis may cause or contribute to other medical conditions, as well. An increase at this point for a spine disability requires additional loss of range of motion, ankylosis, or . The VA has a separate rating system for these conditions. For some veterans, the objective criteria in the disability rating schedule may not accurately reflect their true level of disability. To qualify for a 50 percent rating, a veteran would need to have "unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine." Flexion measures 30 degrees or less, OR entire thoracolumbar spine is frozen in a favorable position. Rheumatoid arthritis is rated under its own rating system. Under 38 CFR 4.73, injuries to neck muscles are compensated differently depending on the severity of the impairment and the muscles affected. According to Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit academic medical center, spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the space where the nerves run through your spine, causing pain by putting extra pressure on these spinal nerves. Seattle, WA: 506 2nd Ave,Suite 1400,Seattle, WA 98104. This data may be used to help optimize our websites and make them easier for you to navigate. This means that the effects of spinal stenosis are not limited to the back. Traumatic arthritis causes symptoms similar to other types of arthritis such as pain, inflammation, and build-up of fluid around the affected joint. 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. So, they compensate them for the disability on a secondary basis. If left untreated, spinal stenosis may cause permanent numbness, weakness, balance problems, incontinence, and/or paralysis. If your spine is not frozen, the VA disability rating for spinal stenosis will depend on the ROM measurements using a goniometer. To facilitate this process, the VA has created a ratings table. In most cases, foraminal stenosis is caused by gradual degeneration of the spine that happens as you age. In order to ensure that youre getting the most out of your disability claim, you need to understand how the VA rates your condition. These only occur in extraordinary cases in which the VA ratings formula does not account for the effects or consequences of your disability. However, generally speaking, symptoms may include the following: Most often, spinal stenosis is caused by overuse or general wear-and-tear changes in the spine related to osteoarthritis. The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense guidelines are based upon the best information available at the time of publication. Spinal stenosis can cause symptoms throughout the body. Cleveland, OH: 600 Superior Ave. East, Fifth Third Building, Suite 1300, Cleveland, OH, 44114 The sum of all these degree measurements together is called the ROM (range of motion) measurement. We consistently provide experienced, compassionate and ethical representation to our clients. Registration is FREE of charge! The information these cookies collect will not personally identify you, and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites. The VA disability rating for spinal stenosis will be based on both individual ROM measurements and the total ROM measurement. An unfavorable position means that the spine is frozen in a position other than the natural upright position. San Jose, CA: 2880 Zanker Road, Ste. you viewed to avoid repetition. This impinges on the nerves themselves, which can cause pain, tingling numbness, and muscle weakness. The disabilities we propose to add are: spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the central spinal canal that causes pressure on the spinal cord and/or nerve roots, most commonly due to degenerative arthritis or degenerative disc disease) (diagnostic code 5238), spondylolisthesis or segmental instability (slipping of all or part of one vertebra forward . VA Disability Rating For Degenerative Disc Disease Posted by Berry Law on June 18, 2018 in Veterans Benefits Military service can place an incredible amount of stress on the body. Call (855) 873-2604 For a Free Evaluation of Your Spinal Stenosis Disability Case. Contact a VA attorney who can assist you wherever you live and without regard to whether you were deployed. Spinal stenosis is a type of back injury that a Veteran could develop after an in-service injury. To qualify for disability because of lumbar spinal stenosis under listing 1.16, you must show that you suffer from ALL of the following: Non-radiating pain in one or both legs, or non-radiating loss of feeling in one or both legs, or neurogenic claudication (pain or cramping caused by nerve compression) Congenital spinal stenosis is present at birth as a normal variant in the population or due to congenital conditions. 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. They fought hard for me and got me more than I ever could dream of. I bought a home. 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. As mentioned above, spinal stenosis is typically diagnosed with x-rays or MRIs that show a narrowing of the spinal canal. Depending on how severe your symptoms are, you may be able to file for a permanent spinal stenosis disability. I was injured in Iraq on Nov 19 ,2007, I filed my claims when I got home from Iraq, the V/A called me yesterday and told me that I got a 60% rating for. Chicago, IL: 332 S. Michigan Avenue, Floors 8 and 9, Chicago, IL 60604 If your back is not frozen, VA doctors will base their assessment on how much range of motion you have left, which they will measure with a goniometer. Have you been affected by Camp Lejeune water contamination? 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. 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. People with spinal conditions also often change how they walk to compensate for the pain which can lead to knee and hip problems. A veteran's Degenerative Disc Disease VA disability can be rated at 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, or 100%. In that case, a lumbar spine and cervical spine frozen in an unfavorable position is given a VA disability rating of 100%. SSA will consider disability claims for degenerative disc disease that are supported by medical evidence such as: Physical examination for type and location of pain, range of motion, nerve function, sensation, and muscle strength, with a full review of the entirety of symptoms Diagnostic imaging tests (such as MRI, CT scans, and x-rays) These are periods of acute pain severe enough for a doctor to proscribe bed rest. However, you may get a 100% VA disability rating for up to one year after serious back surgery, such as a spinal fusion.

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