However, military doctors and corpsmen may be reluctant to order an x-ray or MRI if they think a diagnosis can be made without one. Spinal stenosis is a type of back injury that a Veteran could develop after an in-service injury. These two types of spinal stenosis can be summarized as follows: Some people with spinal stenosis do not exhibit symptoms. The sum of all these degree measurements together is called the ROM (range of motion) measurement. You can talk these problems over with your physician, as well. Pocket Card . Deland, FL: 1607 South State Road 15A Suite 12 Deland, FL 32720, Satellite Offices The rating will largely depend on whether you have lost range of motion as a result of stenosis. One of the most common conditions secondary to spinal conditions is radiculopathy. 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 intervertebral disc syndrome, you may be able to get a higher rating due to incapacitating episodes. Spinal stenosis Mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety And more. So, spinal disabilities focus on the lack of mobility or range of motion. These are periods of acute pain severe enough for a doctor to proscribe bed rest. Phoenix, AZ: One Renaissance Tower, Two North Center Avenue, 18th & 19th Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85004 However, Veterans can also receive disability compensation on a secondary basis. Seattle, WA: 506 2nd Ave,Suite 1400,Seattle, WA 98104. Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in New York, New York. If you believe you may have been wrongly denied benefits, you may benefit from the services of a VA disability lawyer. These cookies collect information about how you use our website. An unfavorable position means that the spine is frozen in a position other than the natural upright position. Traumatic arthritis occurs after an injury, excessive movement, or other physical trauma. While we still have our home base in Florida, As with most medical conditions, the VA disability rating for back pain depends on a variety of factors. For example, if the cervical spine ROM measurements are 15, 30, 0, 30, 45, and 45, the total ROM would be 165. Canes range from $25 to $100 and walkers can be more than $200. If your case of spinal stenosis does not result in limits on your ROM, you may receive a low VA disability rating even though your condition interferes with your quality of life and earning capacity. 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 . Any injuries or disabilities that are the result of military service are eligible for compensation by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Your spinal stenosis may force you to stop working before normal retirement age because you can't do certain things. If the arthritis does not cause any episodes of incapacitation, but 2 or more joint groups are involved, then a 10% rating will be assigned. This data may be used to help optimize our websites and make them easier for you to navigate. A 2023 Guide to VA Disability Rates & Pay Schedules, Individual Unemployability Rating Calculator, List of Blue Water Navy Ships Exposed to Agent Orange (Interactive Vietnam Map), Social Security Disability Benefits Guide, Stenosis can occur in the spinal column itself, or it can occur within the intervertebral foramen, which are the passages through which your nerve roots branch out laterally through the spine. You may not notice at the onset, but the pain will evolve slowly over time. Other causes of spinal stenosis may include: Arguably the most important part of the VA disability claims process is establishing service connection. For instance, which pages you go to most. So, if a Veteran has service connection for PTSD and later develops sleep apnea, they can argue that the sleep apnea was caused by their PTSD. 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. Acquired spinal stenosis is spinal stenosis due to cervical disc disease or cervical facet joint osteoarthritis. VA rates spinal stenosis according to 38 CFR 4.71a Schedule of Ratings, Musculoskeletal System, Diagnostic Code 5238. Your call is always free, and we wont charge you until after we have won your case. Foraminal stenosis is the narrowing or the tightening of the openings located between the bones of your spine. Veterans looking to receive VA disability for spinal stenosis often develop the disability due to an injury to the spine. In some cases, the VA may help veterans get surgery to treat spinal stenosis. Neck muscle injuries. Lumbar Stenosis Symptoms Numbness or tingling in your arm or leg, weakness in your arm or leg, pain or cramping in your legs when you walk, and back pain. Other causes include tumors and lesions, enlargement of facet joints, thickened ligaments, injuries that cause displacement of vertebrae, vertebral fractures, and rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause bone spurs. For example: Suppose you were diagnosed with whiplash as a result of a Humvee accident while you were in the service. 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). Furthermore, as to case summaries, reports of past results, individual lawyer biographies, news posts and other information pertaining to past and present cases, these descriptions are meant only to provide information to the public about the activities and experience of our law firm. 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. NOTE: Entitlement of a spinal condition includes spinal stenosis. The VA awards disability ratings for incapacitating episodes as follows: You may be asked to take a compensation & pension exam (C&P exam). Experienced Social Security Disability Lawyer. They are not intended as a guarantee that we will obtain the same or similar results in every case we undertake. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. ATTORNEY FOR THE . If your spine is frozen due to spinal stenosis, meaning that you have no Range Of Motion, you may qualify for a relatively high VA disability rating. This is particularly true because nerve pain in the extremities can severely impact your earning ability. Examples of secondary conditions that may arise as complications of stenosis include radiculopathy, neurogenic bladder, and knee and hip problems caused by walking difficulties due to stenosis. . I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction with spinal issues and VA ratings. Do You Qualify for Long Term Disability Benefits? Stenosis can occur in the spinal column itself, or it can occur within the intervertebral foramen, which are the passages through which your nerve roots branch out laterally through the spine. How to Appeal a Denied Veterans Disability Claim Since that time, we have provided compassionate 100% VA disability rating for spinal cancer. You can get disability benefits for your illness or condition if you have a disability rating of 10% or more and you have one of these presumptive diseases: The spine is considered as a minor joint. Lumbar spinal stenosis results in low back pain, as well as weakness, numbness, pain and abnormal sensations in the buttocks, thighs, legs, calves, and feet. This can sometimes be difficult to establish. Thank you so much Woods & Woods. However, the VA disability rating for spinal stenosis is calculated exactly the same as other spinal diseases and injuries. Disability Evaluation Under Social Security 1.00 Musculoskeletal Disorders - Adult Section 1.01 Category of Impairments, Musculoskeletal . However, these secondary service-connected disabilities are not cumulative. Trouble walking, and loss of bowel or bladder control may also result. The RO assigned an initial 10 percent rating for the disability, effective June 13, 1994. Under the VA regulations, you may request an extra-schedular rating for your disability. If your service-related stenosis causes a secondary condition, that condition would be rated separately by the VA. That is, they get it wrong more than half the time. Finally, the general VA disability ratings table for spinal injuries and diseases allows ratings based on muscle guarding, muscle spasm, or tenderness in your back. Table II - Ratings for Multiple Losses of Extremities With Dictator's Rating Code and 38 CFR Citation Note. 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. At Hill & Ponton, we have helped thousands of veterans successfully resolve their disability claims with the VA. For a free, confidential, no-obligation evaluation of your case, total disability individual unemployability, Extraschedular Ratings for VA Disability Claims, VA Disability Ratings for Spinal Stenosis, Total Disability Based On Individual Unemployability, Why you may need a veterans disability attorney. It is the problems that may be CAUSED by Spinal Stenosis that are rateable. The diagnostic code for traumatic arthritis is 5010. It is rated under another diagnostic group. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Without these cookies, services you have asked for cannot be provided. Philadelphia, PA: 1 International Plaza, Suite 550, Philadelphia, PA, 19113 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. So, they compensate them for the disability on a secondary basis. A veteran's Degenerative Disc Disease VA disability can be rated at 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, or 100%. These cookies dont collect information that identifies you. These mistakes cost veterans at least $5.9 million in payments over the period studied. It results in chronic pain, numbness, and weakness in your body. The VA has a separate rating system for these conditions. Have you been affected by Camp Lejeune water contamination? 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%. Also, the VA requires that all ROM measurements be taken with a goniometer. Does Spinal Stenosis Qualify for Disability Benefits? 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) 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, Your spinal stenosis may be accompanied by other back conditions, including, Lumbosacral or cervical strain (diagnostic code 5237) used to refer to neck or, Spondylolisthesis/segmental instability (, Ankylosing spondylitis (diagnostic code 5240) a painful type of spinal arthritis.