Lumbar spinal stenosis . The VA rates spinal stenosis disability claims according to its General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. It is rated under another diagnostic group. It results in chronic pain, numbness, and weakness in your body. 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. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Want to know if you qu. 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. Under 38 CFR 4.73, injuries to neck muscles are compensated differently depending on the severity of the impairment and the muscles affected. If radiculopathy is caused by a low back condition, the individuals will feel the symptoms in the lower extremities (thigh, calf, foot). In most cases, foraminal stenosis is caused by gradual degeneration of the spine that happens as you age. yet assertive representation for our clients. San Jose, CA: 2880 Zanker Road, Ste. Over time, you will attend additional annual exams at an area SCI Center. The attorneys at Berry Law Firm are dedicated to helping injured Veterans. This condition causes small bones in your spine to fuse in place to one another, sometimes resulting in significant range-of-motion loss. There must be x-ray evidence of arthritis in the cervical or thoracolumbar joints for the VA to rate a spinal condition under the code for degenerative arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is rated under its own rating system. For example, if your VA disability rating for spinal stenosis is based on total ROM but ignores a flexion ROM that would result in a higher VA disability rating, it can be challenged by pointing out the mistake and asking for a review at the same level or by a higher-level authority. 20% Spinal Stenosis VA Rating 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. Theres no presumptive benefit the burden is on the veteran to demonstrate a service connection to the stenosis. have the greatest impact on the veterans ability to work. . you may be able to get a higher rating due to incapacitating episodes. Causes can include herniated or bulging spinal discs. Favorable position means your spine is locked but more or less vertical, so you can still sit at a desk chair, for example. What is the diagnostic code for traumatic arthritis? It may also cause bladder and bowel issues. This storage is often necessary for basic functionality of the web site or the storage may be used for the purposes of marketing, analytics, and personalization of the web site such as storing your preferences. Spinal stenosis can cause a variety of symptoms depending on the location of the spinal stenosis and the compressed nerve. Abnormal growths can form inside the spinal cord, within the membranes that cover the spinal cord or in the space between the spinal cord and vertebrae. It will also help if someone else in your division remembers what happened. If a doctor doesnt use a goniometer to measure your ROM, In addition to the ROM measurements, the general rating criteria for spinal involves whether the cervical and/or thoracolumbar spine is frozen in a favorable vs. unfavorable position. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Lawyers 6940 O St, Suite 400 Lincoln, NE 68510. You should see a doctor if you are experiencing severe back pain, weakness, numbness or loss of control of an extremity, foot drop, bowel and/or bladder problems, or numbness in your saddle area. Spinal discs act as cushions between your vertebrae. Richmond, VA: 7400 Beaufont Springs Drive, Suite 300, Richmond, VA, 23225 To establish service connection, veterans must generally do the following: Evidence to support your VA disability claim may include military personnel and medical records, lay testimony, and medical opinions. 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 latter two will show whether soft tissue may be impinging or invading the spinal cord area. 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. Hill & Ponton P.A. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Because c-spine stenosis is a degenerative illness, a person's condition will continue to deteriorate . The spine is considered as a minor joint. 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. Back braces or corsets are $200 or more. Because the vertebrae are closer together, they tend to compress the nerves that lie inside the spine, especially the spinal cord. Brooklyn, NY: 300 Cadman Plaza West, One Pierrepont Plaza, 12th Floor, Brooklyn, NY, 11201 For example, if your disability requires frequent hospitalization or substantially interferes with your ability to earn a living, you may request a special disability rating from the VA. Our VA Disability Lawyers talk about SMC (Special Monthly Compensation). If the VA determines your spinal stenosis is service-connected, you will receive a disability rating between 0% and 100%. Spine Condition Ratings. Because there are technically, As mentioned above, many different joints are rated under the rating criteria for degenerative arthritis. If spinal stenosis is suspected, your doctor may order X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and/or CT or CT myelogram. If your spine is not frozen, the VA disability rating for spinal stenosis will depend on the ROM measurements using a goniometer. Without these cookies, services you have asked for cannot be provided. For example, a car accident or other trauma such as a back injury caused by service, can dislocate or fracture vertebrae, which could lead to spinal stenosis. In most cases, the medical listing will be insufficient. Later you develop a spinal stenosis in your neck (cervical) area. A TDIU is an award of increased compensation. This test results in six measurements taken while moving the neck for the cervical spine and six measurements taken while moving the back for the lumbar spine. The information these cookies collect will not personally identify you, and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites. Secondary service connection occurs when a service-connected disability causes another disability. Muscle spasms are involuntary contractions or extensions of muscles. The diagnostic code for rheumatoid arthritis is 5002. Pocket Card . Acute, Subacute, or Chronic Diseases Prosthetic Implants and Resurfacing 1 Also entitled to special monthly compensation. You should know that it's impossible to get disability benefits if you aren't . To find out more, view our Privacy Policy. Entire cervical spine is frozen in an unfavorable position. To facilitate this process, the VA has created a ratings table. In order to ensure that youre getting the most out of your disability claim, you need to understand how the VA rates your condition. The VA routinely mishandles spinal injury claims. But it can also be a result of a spinal injury. You may also be able to show your spinal stenosis is service-related via a secondary service connection. If you are concerned that your VA disability percentage for spinal stenosis fails to account for the extent of your disability, you may wish to speak to a VA benefits lawyer. These complications of stenosis are called secondary conditions, which may qualify you for a higher rating. In extreme cases, spinal stenosis can cause incontinence or constipation if the compressed nerve controls the muscles surrounding the bladder or bowel, respectively. The disability rating may be even lower depending on the segment of the spine that is frozen. Other causes of spinal stenosis may include: Arguably the most important part of the VA disability claims process is establishing service connection. However, the VA still rates degenerative arthritis of the spine under the criteria listed for diagnostic code 5003. Markedly severe residual weakness, pain or limitation of motion following implantation of prosthesis 70 Moderately severe residuals of weakness, pain or limitation of motion 50 Minimum rating 30 5055 Knee replacement (prosthesis). 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) we represent clients nationwide. The VA awards disability ratings for incapacitating episodes as follows: You may be asked to take a compensation & pension exam (C&P exam). Get Directions. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. An unfavorable position means your spine is locked in a position that is something other than vertical. If these conservative options dont get results, your doctor may recommend injecting a corticosteroid into your spine, which can give you relief for a few days or weeks. 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. The disability rating is the highest rating produced by the rating tables. Tucson, AZ: One South Church Avenue, 12th Floor, Tucson, AZ, 85701 The spine is considered as a minor joint. We consistently provide experienced, compassionate and ethical representation to our clients. Phoenix, AZ: One Renaissance Tower, Two North Center Avenue, 18th & 19th Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85004 30 percent disability rating: $508.05 per month. The RO assigned an initial 10 percent rating for the disability, effective June 13, 1994. To provide even more value to our veterans, this page is only available with an All-Access Membership. This can severely affect your movement and eventually takes a toll on your ability to move. The small openings in your spine are called foramen, and nerves pass through the foramen from your spinal cord into the rest of your body. 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. Fill out the short form below to contact us. Congenital spinal stenosis is present at birth as a normal variant in the population or due to congenital conditions. Columbus, OH: 100 E. Campus View Boulevard, Suite #250, Columbus, OH, 43235 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. Pain, numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, and loss of motor control are some of the symptoms of the condition. A VA lawyer can run through all the scenarios with you for obtaining a fair VA disability rating that reflects the ways spinal stenosis affects you. Thus, if the flexion ROM measurement produces a 40% VA disability percentage and the total ROM measurement produces a 30% VA disability percentage, the VA disability percentage for spinal stenosis would be 40%. We advocate for the disabled. Step 1: Make Sure You Pass All Technical Requirements for Disability Benefits. Basically, the SSA understands it's harder to go back to school, move for work or change careers after age 50. The following percentages are available under the rating criteria for rheumatoid arthritis: Its possible for rheumatoid arthritis to be rated under diagnostic code 5003 like degenerative and traumatic arthritis. The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense guidelines are based upon the best information available at the time of publication. you viewed to avoid repetition. Less frequently, stenosis can occur in the upper back (thoracic). 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.