Va Disability Rating For Neck Injury

As with most medical conditions the VA disability rating for back pain depends on a variety of factors.

Va disability rating for neck injury. It means that the entire spine is in flexion and a person cannot move his spine at all. We assign you a disability rating based on the severity of your service-connected condition. VA Rating for Back Pain Infographic. For Reservists the injury must have occurred in the Line of Duty to qualify.

Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims issued a decision last month that could make it easier for veterans with injuries to the back neck and joints to obtain higher. How VA Disability Ratings for Neck Injuries Work. We use your disability rating to determine how much disability compensation youll receive each month as well as your eligibility for other VA benefits. Because so much goes on inside of your neck the ratings for neck problems go up fast.

Biceps triceps and brachioradialis reflexes were normal 2 symmetrical and brisk. Technically the highest VA rating for a thoracolumbar spinal disability is 50 percent. Note that even if the Veteran is totally unemployable he cannot file for total unemployability because his rating is only 30. Common Shoulder and Arm Conditions Among Veterans Many activities in service such as lifting heavy objects transporting heavy supplies or forms of physical training can often cause shoulder and arm injuries.

The Veteran was diagnosed as having an old whiplash injury to the cervical spine The physician who conducted the January 2008 VA examination concluded that the Veterans neck disability remained symptomatic with minimal functional impairment. If the VA determines your spinal stenosis is service-connected you will receive a disability rating between 0 and 100. The VA awards disability compensation for injuries to the Torso and Neck Muscles that are service-connected. According to the VA flexibility must be fairly limited to even get a 20 percent disability rating.

The main determining factor is how much of a Range Of Motion ROM you have. Obtaining TDIU for Neck Pain. Meaning that if you are significantly limited in your ability to bend at the waist you might qualify for the 20 percent rating. Other neck impairments have maximum schedular ratings of 40 percent or lower.

The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims has said flare-ups must be accounted for in rating these types of injuries yet VA examiners rarely follow their guidance. The existence of flare-ups often causes musculoskeletal injuries to be underrated by the VA. Once service connection is granted VA will assign a disability rating based on the severity of the veterans condition. You can see in this picture from CFR 38 Section 471a that they are still measuring it the same way they were measuring it 20 years ago.

To qualify for a 50 percent rating a veteran would need to have unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine Because of that qualifying for a 50 percent rating for a thoracolumbar spine disability is very difficult. The DoD will also rate service-connected muscle injuries as long as they also make the service member Unfit for Duty. There are a wide variety of back and neck issues you could get a VA disability rating for. Using these ratings which are still commonly used will result in ratings no higher than 30.

The Back and Spine Overview. Veterans Benefits The US. Vertebral fractures and dislocations diagnostic code 5235. The Torso and Neck Muscles are divided into five groups for rating purposes.

As you can see by reading the rating schedules below the highest possible schedular rating for any single neck impairment is 60 percent for veterans with severe intervertebral disc syndrome IVDS. Veterans can download an image of the VA rating for back pain infographic below which describes the VA disability ratings for back pain from 0 to 100 with breaks at 10 20 40 and 50. However it is important to note that you can receive VA disability for flare-ups. While the highest rating for neck pain will typically be forty percent unless there are secondary conditions linked to the neck condition veterans can obtain a one hundred percent rating through TDIU or total disability based on individual unemployability.

This will be determined on whether there is forward flexion greater than 30 degrees but less than 60 degrees. The Musculoskeletal System is vast and. 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. The VA is interested in how your issues affect range of motion flexibility and other aspects related to your ability to bend sit stand work etc.

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. The rating will largely depend on whether you have lost range of motion as a result of stenosis. The tiers work there way up from 10 20 30 40 and 50 and then jump all of the way up to 100.