Jeepgirl43

It is for radiculopathy

The 10's are for back and both legs. My ROM is worse than my first exam but who knows with the way they rate things now. I see that being rated at 80 does make it harder to get bumped. I just keep on pushing tho. Thank you

i went for a ratings increase for my back, looking for some help with the numbers and findings please. I have 3 diagnosis; DJD, DDD & Lumbar Radiculopathy. Yes was checked for "Does the Veteran report having any functional loss or functional impairment of the thoracolumbar spine. Abnormal or outside of normal range was marked. Forward Flexion-40 Extension-10 R Lateral Flex-20, L Lateral Flex-15,R lateral rotation-30, L lateral rotation-25 If abnormal, does range of motion itself contribute to a functional loss" YES Pain noted on all ROM, pain with weight bearing, Guarding resulting in abnormal gait or spinal contour Sensory Exam: decreased in L upper anterior thigh, decreased in L thigh/knee, decreased in R lower leg/ankle, decreased in R foot/toe Veteran does have radicular pain due to signs or symptoms due to radiculopathy-YES Pain/Numbness: all Mild Severity of radiculopathy & side affected: both MILD Veteran does have IVDS of spine Veteran does use assistive devices Veteran does have a thoracolumbar spine condition that impacts her ability to work I am currently at 10%, 10% & 10%, any chance I will get an increase? Thank you

I finally received my rating, but it wasnt until I went to my Congressman that things started to move. I work for the VA, I know how slow claims move, but mine was stuck in the same stage for way too long, a few days after I spoke to my Congressman, my claim miraculously moved through the process pretty fast. I hate to get help from outside sources, but there are those times when you just have to.

My ordeal happened in 1994, it wasnt even called an "MST", it wasnt until much later a title was actually given. Let me just say that it was not a quick process! I was initially rated at 10% for Anxiety which just made me furious, one for the crappy 10% & two, for not calling it PTSD. After several phone calles, visits, letters sent, I finally asked my Congressman to get involved-he made all of the difference in the world!!! I received a letter from the VA that said "we sympathize with you, but........", thats when i stopped reading and took other actions. I wanted to quote a line from Major Payne, telling them where they can find sympathy, "between shit and syphillus in the dictionary". Anyways, it took some time, but it finally worked out for me, i hope it does for you as well. Just don't stop, sometimes they bog you down w/paperwork and get you discouraged, don't let that get to you.

I had troubles filing for issues that resulted from an MST for years, it wasnt until i got my congressman involved that things started to happen. I think the higher ups thought i would just give rather than keep going, I refused to give up. My event happend in 1994, I didnt seek help until 2005 & the reason is that there was never any specific programs for MST victims. My ordeal was pretty big, involved a General Court Martial in Japan so there was plenty of evidence & paper trails, it was still a struggle to get rated. My advice is to keep going, find a good DAV rep and let them help you.

I am waiting on the decision from the Ratings board for my claim on low back pain & radiculopathy, I would like some help, opinions, anything that would shed some light on my results.