Va Disability Secondary To Lower Back Pain

In April 2018 it was determined by the Federal Circuit that the VA must award disability benefits for pain due to military service.

Va disability secondary to lower back pain. Many veterans are taking medications to treat their service connected PTSD or manage the pain for their back ankle and knee conditions. Degenerative Disc Disease DDD. Radiculopathy is caused by compressed nerves in the spine and results in pain numbness tingling or weakness along the nerve. VA doctors will prescribe medications and discuss with veterans their side effects but most veterans are unaware that they may be entitled to compensation for these side effects.

If radiculopathy is caused by a low back condition the individuals will feel the symptoms in the lower extremities thigh calf foot. All this means is that the VA said she had no real disability there was no injury that qualified her for compensation. 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. These secondary conditions can be service-connected due to diabetes.

Secondary service connection for side effects of medications. This is a tougher claim because there are many causes for low back-pain. In order to be successful with your VA disability claim you have to know what the VA is looking for. One of the most common conditions secondary to spinal conditions is radiculopathy.

Which is to file VA Form 21-526EZ Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits. 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. Example of common secondary conditions include the following. However if you do not have evidence of your back pain and arthritis in service then you definitely need to establish them as secondary if the VA is going to consider them service-connected.

Next you will need to find the link to your time in service. To the VA pain in and of itself was not a disability. Veterans who are unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to their back pain may be eligible for total disability based on individual unemployability TDIU. Lets start with the good news about getting VA disability for back problems.

Updated 2020 Mar 25. Previously pain without an underlying diagnosis was not awarded compensation meaning that many many veterans with a back disability were not awarded benefits. After discharge VA will complete an assessment and reassign a rating that reflects the current severity of the veterans back pain. 1 Alexander CE Varacallo M.

Secondary claims can be submitted using the same methods as filing a direct-service connected claim. Three most common claims left on the side. First you must prove to the VA rater that your back pain has a clear NEXUS or service-connection. This condition occurs in the lower back or neck.

How to Submit a Secondary Claim. Brian Reese is a VA disability expert and founder of VA Claims Insider The Most Trusted Name in Education-Based Resources for Veterans He is an Air Force service-disabled veteran and his personal frustration with the VA claim process led him to found VA Claims Insider in 2016 which provides veterans with expert-level resources for successfully submitting a winning VA disability claim. In addition Back Pain is a common secondary VA disability claim especially Radiculopathy. Youll need sufficient medical records and probably a NEXUS letter to do this because if you are unsure the VA will be too.

Get a medical diagnosis or something to prove that you do have back pain. TDIU for Back Pain.