Hello everyone, I just retired after 20 yrs AD Army, MSG. Thanks to some of the info on this forum and time/research/money spent on an IMO letter, I got my disability decision back from the VA, and I achieved a 90% rating, without using a VSO. All my claims were for physical injuries/ailments, I claimed no mental issues.
QUESTION: I put in a claim for back injury, but the VA only rated my 10% for this, lower lumbar sprain. However, I have two MRIs from 2016 and 2019, both of which show stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and the last one showed a bulging disc. I have documented left-leg & hip sciatica-type pain, of which I underwent physical therapy, and numbness in both arms and hands in the last year or so, which has gotten worse. My question is, should I claim this stuff in an appeal to my retirement decision rating from the VA, or file a new claim for these conditions? Either way, I was thinking of filing the claim like -
Primary - Spinal Stenosis, spondylolisthesis & Bulging Disc
Secondary Issues - Radiculopathy of the left leg, hip, and foot
- Numbness and tingling in the left arm and hand
- Numbness and tingling of the right arm and hand
Experts, please let me know what you think....thanks!