Va Rating For Herniated Disc In Back
disc herniatedIf the condition is not severe enough to meet the above criteria then the VA rating for back. In this post we will be exploring the VA Disability Rating for Radiculopathy in great detail.
Sciatica And Your Va Disability Claim Cck Law
Wear and tear from carrying 100 pounds of the worlds lightest kit falling off of vehicles or down hills and other impacts can all contribute to DDD.
Va rating for herniated disc in back. The VA considers upper back pain in the same category as neck pain. The VA rates herniated discs by the number of incapacitating episodes it causes and the limitation to a Veterans range of motion. This is the term used to reference middle or lower back pain.
Typically VA uses the General Rating Formula for Disease and Injuries of the Spine which is largely based on a veterans range of motion. In 2020 VA ratings for Radiculopathy typically range from 0 to 70 depending upon the severity of your symptoms. VA rates bulging disc according to 38 CFR 471a Schedule of Ratings Musculoskeletal System.
The rating criteria for this diagnostic code is virtually the same as Diagnostic Code 5003 which is used to rate degenerative arthritis. Spinal surgery can also repair some herniated discs. If you go to a CP examination for your herniated disc the doctor will likely have you bend or twist in multiple directions to determine how limited your range of motion is.
They will use this information to assign you a VA disability rating for your herniated discs. For example a 60 VA disability rating is assigned if doctors prescribed at least six weeks of bed rest due to your damaged disc over the past year. For instance my spine is rated at 60 for IVDS incapacitating episodes They rolled my sciatica arthritis and other issues into that rating to achieve the 60.
Evaluate intervertebral disc syndrome preoperatively or postoperatively either under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine or under the Formula for Rating Intervertebral Disc Syndrome Based on Incapacitating Episodes whichever method results in the higher evaluation when all disabilities are combined under 425. So if your back is straight but you cannot bend your thoracolumbar spine at all then that is considered favorable ankylosis and would qualify you for a 40 percent VA disability rating. Whichever will result in the highest evaluation is the method you will receive.
Without these outside documents you are significantly decreasing your chance of winning your VA disability for back problems claim. How Does VA Rate Bulging Disc. The VA awards disability compensation for each Back and Spine condition that is service-connectedThe DoD will also rate service-connected conditions as long as they also make the service member Unfit for DutyFor Reservists the condition must have occurred in or resulted from an injury in the Line of Duty to qualify.
In severe cases a bulging disc can cause muscle weakness loss of reflexes and numbness and tingling. People with a herniated or bulging disc often suffer from debilitating pain in the back and hips either temporarily or chronically. The Back and Spine Overview.
VA rates degenerative disc disease under 38 CFR 471a Schedule of Ratings Musculoskeletal System Diagnostic Code 5242. If you are bent forward and cannot move your thoracolumbar spine at all then you should qualify for a 50 percent rating for unfavorable ankylosis. In determining benefits the VA refers to the back as the thoracolumbar spine.
The Musculoskeletal System is vast and. This form of back pain can show up first in your hands and feet as radiculopathy but as time goes on the pain intensifies in your back. Degenerative disc disease is a common VA disability claim.
For sciatica for example in radiculopathy of the lower back the VA applies rating criteria specific to the sciatic nerve diagnostic code 8720 and assigns a disability percent rating on whether the neuralgia is moderate or mild. Herniated Disc VA Disability Ratings. Disability Benefits for Herniated or Bulging Discs.
However a VA rating for Sciatica can range from 10 to 80 depending upon the severity of symptoms. The spine is rated by either ROM or incapacitating episodes. Under the IVDS rating formula the emphasis is placed on the number of incapacitating episodes that have resulted from the bulging or herniated disc.