Under Diagnostic Code 5002, the VA rates your rheumatoid arthritis case based on the following:100%: The veterans rheumatoid arthritis results in incapacitation. 60%: The veteran has severe incapacitating episodes four or more times per year. 40%: The veteran has three or more incapacitating episodes per year or a medically diagnosed health condition and day-to-day impairment.More items Weve been adding staff and lawyers during the Covid pandemic to serve disabled veterans better in difficult times. Confidential or time-sensitive information should not be sent through this form. Another example is if you were diagnosed with high blood pressure while on active duty and later developed complications from it, you may be entitled to further review and/or compensation. Some of the causes include joint injuries or repeated stress on the joint(s) from sports or job duties. Now, if you dont have limited motion, then your condition is rated as. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, degenerative arthritis is the primary reason for discharge from active duty military service. No matter how many ranges of motion are impacted! Here one of our VA disability lawyers goes over the questions Woods and Woods, The Veterans Firm, is often asked about veterans disability claims and appeals. Arthritis is the most common disability and affects 52.5 million adults in the United States, or one in every five. Also my ankle hurts when I move it so can I apply the painful motion principle to my already existing ankle rating to get an increase? It is medically indicated that the ankle would cause this condition, so it makes sense that the VA denied it. If only one major or minor jointgroup is affected, you may only receive a rating higher than 0% under diagnostic code 5003 if there is also evidence of painful motion. If possible, the examiner should also test your unaffected joint for an accurate evaluation of your range of motion. Fill out the short form below to contact us. How the VA Determines Benefits for Arthritis - VA Claims Insider But arthritis can also be presumptively service-connected. The result was Ive not felt like other people since & I mean that in a nuerological way not a mental way. 203, San Jose, CA 95134 Unless you also have instability, the only way to increase your rating is for your range of motion to significantly decrease. I had earlier x-rays of my neck, that a neurologist told me I had arthritis in my neck. Ok thank you I had a visit with my Primary Care Doctor and she mention my Sleep Apnea maybe the cause. THE CONTRACTOR CHECKED 4 THINGS PROPERLY & the rest eas Covid delayed. So what Im pointing out is that I managed to stubbornly function because well meaning people refused to look past the surface mearly based on my lack of documentation which could refute their layers of partial Dont post your vaccination card photo on social media, VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD), infectious diseases, immune disorders and nutritional deficiencies, VA releases dashboard to measure the PACT Acts impact on Veterans and survivors, 100 years of advancing health care for women Veterans, You can request a VA home loan Certificate of Eligibility through VA.gov, Call TTY if you Would the VA even consider this? Would I have a chance for additional disability rating if I filed the arthritis as a secondary cause of the Chondromalacia Patella? Learn more aboutVA benefits. Only one. You can file a Notice of Disagreement, take the higher review lane, orsubmit a supplemental claim. Kirsten has since transitioned to focus on her legal education and has been attending law school full time. I called my parents doctor -got a referral and paid for a workup with xrays that were better than the sectionals at LBRMC. Hello Dr. Johnson. I have been self medicating for 15 years with Ibprophen (about 1600mg a day) and the Corpsmen documented the white and red patches for years. This communication with the firm or any member of the firm does not establish an attorney-client relationship. I am overseas working and at a loss how to communicate with the doctors here. Thus, you would ultimately only receive an increased evaluation. You may be owed compensation. I received a 10% disability at separation for on one knee. San Jose, CA: 2880 Zanker Road, Ste. As with all VAdisability claims, proving service connection is the first important step. I recently had a full spine MRI with these findings. Because most of the people are complaining about their system. Check out our range of motion rating info on our website. At most, 20% for 1-2 incapacitating episodes/year. Also, what is an "incapacitating episode"? Section A. Musculoskeletal Conditions - Veterans Affairs Call us today to discuss your VA disability appeal or your first application. Knowing how the VA determines benefits for arthritis can also help Veterans get their condition service-connected. When the bones no longer align properly, they may scrape on one another and cause inflammation and pain; this condition can also lead to rheumatoid arthritis. Presumptive service connection is possible because the VA characterizes arthritis as a chronic disease under 38 CFR 3.309. My question is, did my DDD cause my arthritis in my neck- is there any kind of connection there? Thanks for all the help and advice you are giving us. Rheumatoid arthritis, in terms of chronic residuals, will be rated under the appropriatediagnostic code for the group of minor joints involved, major joints, etc. Chondromalacia patella is rated on either limited motion of the knee or a minimum 10% analogously under arthritis. Moreover, if there is pain (without limited motion), then the VAs painful motion principle kicks in. Is range of motion the only thing VA considers or do they actually look at what you can and cannot do for daily living purposes? I did some research online and read headaches can sometimes arise from problems in the neck, and degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis in the neck. WebWhen there is an award based on pain with motion with movement of the shoulder. VA Disability Compensation The painful motion principle does apply. I earned my honorable and other good notes that only served to make people doubt that sensory challenged people can still attempt to complete any mission when others are helping alleviate the heavy lifting. I also have a question about Administrative Decision For Cue. Thank you for your time! Major joints include the shoulder, wrist, elbow, hip, knee, and ankle while minor joints include toes, fingers, spine, and sacroiliac. The VSOs work directly with the VA and not for the individual (me the veteran). The presence of sleep issues while in service does not directly mean sleep apnea. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_4" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_5" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Were you stationed at Camp Lejeune before 1987? VA requires that limitation of Since you have multiple disc conditions, you could qualify for a rating under Intervertebral Disc Syndrome instead if that offers higher rating under incapacitating episodes. This article covers rotator cuffs, shoulder blades, and other general shoulder injuries that qualify for VA disability. Since it has been so many years, it is just as likely that the sleep apnea developed on its own and isn't connected. Since that time, we have provided compassionate No facet arthropathy. If you experience weakness and severe pain with motion, your injury is rated 60% for the dominant arm and 50% for the non-dominant arm. Given this information, do you believe I will be rated under 5002 for wrist arthralgia (claimed as bilateral proliferative synovium/synovial hypertrophy) or will I be rated for limited ROM? Many of In contrast torheumatoid arthritis a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disorder that can affect more than your joints degenerative arthritis results from the wearing down of the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones. Dr. Johnson, I currently have a service connected disability rating for a lateral collateral ligament sprain with degenerative arthritis of the left ankle. Mild to moderate neural foraminal narrowing is present at L4-S1 levels 3. We even pay for the postage for all of the documentation you send to our office. During Marchs Womens History Month, we celebrate 100 years of advancing women Veterans health care at VA. Are you planning to buy a home with your VA home loan benefits? All of these falling under VASRD code 5200. The report then lists general degenerative arthritis and traumatic arthritis with 268,882 and 258,135 recipients, respectively. ). And I have the new neck problems. Most often CUE claims are used to prove that the VA made a definite error that harmed the veteran's case that must be remedied. All FOBs had Burn Pits inside the wire! We assign a disability rating based on Many with identified surgeries which made me understand staying to fight a person intent on ridding U more than helping U even have a chance was beyond my capacities right then. 100%- Completely incapacitated and bedridden, regardless of how many joints are affected. This shoulder disability diagnostic code is 38 C.F.R. Excellent question, and a tricky situation. I was at Three FOBs ( Forward Operations Bases) in Iraq Camp Anaconda Balad, Camp Cooke Taji and Q-West Qayyarrah, between 2004 and 2008. Only one rating per joint. When examining my wrist the examiner also notated abnormal results for ROM. Considering that you have not been medically separated because of the condition, it is unlikely that you have had many incapacitating episodes. WebThe VA rating system works more or less the same regardless of the type of injury, but the nature of neck arthritis can cause some unexpected challenges. Degenerative arthritis leads to symptoms including pain, stiffness, limitation of motion, limitation of flexion, grating sensation or clicking with joint use (known as crepitus or crepitation), swelling, and joint instability or buckling (i.e., knee giving out). We also connect veterans with independent medical professionals in our referral network for medical examinations, disability evaluations, and credible independent medical opinions and nexus statements (medical nexus letters) for a wide range of disability conditions. Would this condition fall under diagnostic code 5024: Tenosynovitis (swelling of the tissues that surround the tendons) or would the VA group the Arthritis (diagnostic code 5003) and Achilles Tendonitis/Tenosynovitis together for final codes of 5024-5003? VA My question to you is can I get a rating increase to my cervical spine degenerative disc disease rating due to the facet arthropathy in my cervical vertebrae? I claimed synovial hypertrophy/proliferative synovium of bilateral wrists and also arthritis of bilateral fingers, hands, and wrists all secondary to amyopathic dermatomyositis (for which I am SC). Contact us today, and lets get started building your case. Havent filed a claim yet or know that you are underrated? Side Note: Because limited motion is so vital to rating arthritis, it is essential that your physicians record the exact range of motion measurements for your affected joints. A 20% is the highest you can receive for a significantly limited ROM. I went to have the swelling checked and a large Baker's cyst was found behind my left knee as well as arthritis. They will simply include it in your overall cervical spine condition. Hello, I was awarded service connection at 0% for both my left and right knee in 2011. The author of my 2nd board did try by sending me to Nuclear med for imaging. Except for traumatic arthritis, the VA regulations state it is essential for your exam to cover all major joints. Thankfully, the in-service injury does not need to be traumatic to be considered connected. In order to strengthen your case that your spine is the cause of the headaches, you'll need to get a NEXUS letter from your physician linking the conditions. I was an Air Force parachute specialist for 8 years and this job required a lot of standing at a table with my neck bent/hunched over looking down at the parachute equipment when packing. The VA Ratings Schedule for Rheumatoid Arthritis One or two painful flare-ups a year: 20% Rating Clear impairments to daily living and health diagnosed by a doctor or 3