Va Disability Back Secondary To Knee

The VA considers upper back pain in the same category as neck pain.

Va disability back secondary to knee. Filing Is Easy But Winning May Be Harder. If that knee problem causes a limp that makes the back condition worse than it otherwise would have been VA should service-connect the low back aggravation on a secondary basis. In that way the veterans back pain is due to their service-connected knee condition and therefore warrants secondary service connection. Secondary service connection can also be an aggravation of a non-service connected disability that is caused by a service-connected condition or incidence.

I was also granted secondary connection for both hips and low back due to a service connected left knee injury. I didnt have a nexus letter but my VA medical records had several different doctors firm opinions that my antalgic or abnormal gait caused the osteoarthritis in my hips and low back. Claiming Secondary Conditions for VA Disability For a condition to be eligible for VA Disability you must be able to prove that it is service-connected. This is a tougher claim because there are many causes for low back-pain.

This starts first with medical evidence. As you compensate for your knee pain your opposite hip might be doing extra work. A right ankle injury and a left knee injury change the calculation of your rating. Importantly back pain can also cause secondary conditions for which service connection may be possible.

The minimum rating following knee joint replacement surgery is 30. For example a veteran with non-service-connected low back problems may also have a service-connected knee problem. This is the term used to reference middle or lower back pain. A veteran cannot submit just symptoms alone.

Updated 2020 Mar 25. 1 Alexander CE Varacallo M. You can file for all of them at the same time but list them individually. A year after the knee replacement surgery your knee condition will be re-evaluated by the VA and receive a new rating.

How VA Rates Back Pain VA rates back conditions under 38 CFR 471a Schedule of Ratings Musculoskeletal System and the criteria is based largely on a veterans range of motion. In determining benefits the VA refers to the back as the thoracolumbar spine. If you have an opinion from a private medical expert you may be able to establish that the second injury the low back pain is connected to the original knee problem. Without these outside documents you are significantly decreasing your chance of winning your VA disability for back problems claim.

Secondary Disabilities can also be amplified by a knee injury so if you are already working on your VA Disability claim make sure you include your knee pain in the application. In that way the veterans back pain is due to their service-connected knee condition and therefore warrants secondary service connection. I assume you have an abnormal gait causing this. For example if the veteran was looking to tie a knee problem to a service-connected back condition that knee problem must be diagnosed.

If you have a direct service connection for your back condition and have developed any of these conditions or symptoms of these conditions you may be entitled to VA benefits due to secondary disability and are entitled to a VA disability rating for the same. 1110 permits a veteran to receive compensation for an alcohol abuse or drug abuse disability acquired as secondary to or as a symptom of a veterans service-connected disability although according to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals it precludes compensation for secondary disabilities such as cirrhosis of. A 60 disability rating is given for one year following the surgery if motion in the knee continues to be painful. One of the requirements when filing a secondary claim is that the secondary conditions must have a diagnosis.

Secondary Service Connection for Knee Pain A new disability that appears secondary to a service-connected injury or condition may allow veterans to prove secondary service connection.