Va Disability Knee Instability

As anyone with a trick knee or a troublesome shoulder knows musculoskeletal injuries dont always heal completely.

Va disability knee instability. Specifically the Veteran asserts that his right knee disability has increased in severity due to pain swelling and instability and that these symptoms necessitate the continuous use of a knee brace for stability and steroid injections for pain. VA reviewed the CP Examiners diagnosis and awarded me left and right knee instability secondary to my left knee condition 10 each knee and awarded me 20 for my right knee secondary to my left knee due to limited range of motion and degenerative joint disease DJD. According to the VA 2015 Annual Benefits Report limitation of knee flexion was the fourth most commonly-claimed disability during that fiscal year with over 80000 veterans receiving disability benefits for this issue. Knee injury is very common among servicemen.

Instability of the knee can occur when damaged tendons and cartilage can no longer support the knee joint properly. In VA disability terms this is commonly known as a flare-up. The VA awards disability compensation for each Knee and Lower Leg condition that is service-connected. In establishing VA disability ratings for knee pain instability range of motion limitation or functional loss the CP examiner should not do a once-and-done measurement.

Ankylosis of your joints. The November 2005 VA examiner reported Veterans pain at seven or eight out of ten along with weakness stiffness swelling instability locking popping fatigue and lack of endurance with right knee. When they leave the service they apply for disability compensation for their knee problems through the VA only to find their debilitating condition rated at 10 percent or lower. Instability this is rated by the VA as slight 10 moderate 20 or severe 30 under Diagnostic Code 5257 3.

Instability of the knee and limitation of motion of the knee are two separate disabilities. For Reservists the condition must have occurred in or resulted from an injury in the Line of Duty to qualify. If the ligaments within the knee become damaged the knee joint will be painful wobbly and unstable. Instability of the Knee.

If the VA rates you at 10 following a partial or total knee replacement they are wrong and you should consider challenging that rating with a Notice of Disagreement. Due to the high psychical demands of military service many veterans experience knee injuries or dysfunction. A proper VA disability rating for your knee based on functional loss will observe where in the range of motion the functional loss begins to occur 5. The examiner noted full range of motion for right knee flexion with a loss of 20 degrees after repetitive use 120 degrees.

The precise cause of flare-ups might not be easy to ascertain. Many veterans are so disabled by their knee arthritis that they are unable to work. Range of motion measurements are important in awarding percentages. May 26 2017 Of all the disabilities listed on the VAs Schedule for Rating Disabilities the ratings involving the knee are one of the most difficult for veterans to understand and for the VA to get right.

The pain might fade for a while only to return in spades. Decreased range of motion. Veterans disability for knee pain can cover a wide range of injuries and symptoms. Tendinitis or tendonitis Limitation of flexion.

A VA disability rating for knee joint pain can be determined by a reduced range of motion instability how much you can move your knee without feeling pain or whether you may require a total or partial knee replacement. It may feel as though it could give way at any moment while you are walking exercising or even just standing. VA assigns a 0 10 20 or 30 percent disability rating for this knee pain condition based on the amount of instability present in the knee. This diagnostic code is used with the knee has too much motion from side to side or dislocates regularly.

Ankylosis of the Knee Diagnostic Code 5256. The injury may be slight but years later many veterans develop severe knee arthritis attributed to their initial service injury. As such it is permissible to award separate ratings under both a range of motion code and an instability code DC 5257 without violating the prohibition on pyramiding. This Level of VA disability compensation for a Knee Replacement is ALWAYS Wrong.

The VA disability rating for knee tendonitis is also typically determined by range of motion testing. Pain pain is the most common manifestation of arthritis and though pain is not normally a disability in the VA Rating scheme when it comes to arthritis of the knee it can yield a larger rating. The DoD will also rate service-connected conditions as long as they also make the service member Unfit fo r Duty. Rating Knee Disabilities Instability Heather Staskiel Attorney Updated.

Knee Problems and Your VA Disability Claim June 15 2017 Knee problems are commonly-claimed conditions for VA benefits. Knee instability symptoms Ligaments are the tough fibrous bands that hold the bones together.