KMac1181

I'm in California. So funny enough, the DoD just informed me today that they are willing to work around my issues and found me fit for continued service, which I'm genuinely shocked about. I guess it's in-part because I'm within 12 months of my EAOS and I'm eligible for retirement (currently over 20 years active service). Back pay through 1977 seems like an astronomical amount of money..?

If RAD = Retire from Active Duty, then yep, that’s what the IDES version of the MEDBOARD does; you submit all of your VA claims while still active duty. DoD reviews your referred MEDBOARD conditions in tandem with the VA claims you submit, and then you get both ratings at the same time. I’m at the step where I’m waiting for those ratings to come back. All I have right now are copies of the DBQs from QTC. Ratings are expected mid-December.

Hello. Yep, that's my intention should the need arise. I've heard of both VARR and HLR; are those the same thing? Shaun

Hey Broncovet, Thank you, this is more or less what I was looking for. I've seen on various forums, posts, social media, etc, folks who have similar conditions to me, similar C&P findings as me, yet their ratings for each disability seem to vary wildly, which makes no sense to me. I was assuming the VA raters, in general, use some form of ambiguous rating system not known to everyone else, otherwise the findings on the DQB SHOULD dictate exactly what rating is assigned, but that does not seem to be the case, as you said. For what it's worth, all of my C&P exams were conducted at a QTC location in southern CA, and honestly, I would say that each of them are filled out in a way that is favorable to me, but I guess we'll see. Ultimately, I know that once my rating comes back from the MEDBOARD, if anything is unfavorable, I can submit a VARR. I'm wondering if a personal statement would be beneficial to go along with that? In any case, looking forward to your post regarding the C&P exams. Thank you again for the info! Shaun

Hey Broncovet, Yep, I'm somewhat familiar with the VA'a rating schedule. I did read over them, which is actually what ultimately brought me here. Just wondering if the VA actually uses its own documentation. Since the radiculopathy rating schedule shows percentages for arbitrary symptoms "Mild/Moderate/Severe." ^^^ Those aren't very concise. So on a DBQ, if the C&P doc checks boxes for "Moderate", does the VA give it a "moderate" rating? Or are the boxes on DBQ's irrelevant? And I haven't been able to figure out if each impacted nerve group gets its own rating. Shaun

Hey Rattler, Thank you for the reply and information. Yes, I am currently going through the MEDBOARD process. All of my C&P exams are complete, and my PEBLO gave me copies of each of them about a week ago. Shaun

Hi Broncovet, Thank you for the reply. As far as service connection goes, everything I'm in the process of claiming is in my medial record. In fact, when I filled out the 21-526EZ form and submitted it to my MSC, I copied/pasted everything directly from my record into the form, so there was no room for ambiguity, at least, in theory. With that said, these are all initial claims; I have no VA rating whatsoever, in the process of waiting for my MEDBOARD results to come back, hopefully in the next 2 months or so. For the radiculopathy, I know it stems from having pinched nerves in my lower back. I have several issues that are diagnosed in my lower back (DDD, spinal stenosis, others). XRays and MRIs confirm this, and the Doc who did my C&P exam also noted in the DBQ that evidence is in my record. He then marked the boxes as I explained in the OP, as "Moderate" and "Incomplete Paralysis" for both Sciatic nerve and Femoral nerve. I just don't know if the VA actually goes by their own black-and-white rating schedule, that a 'moderate' radiculopathy is good for 20% per side. For my shoulders, it was the same Doc, and on that DBQ he checked two boxes on there that I had been diagnosed with "shoulder strain" as well as "rotator cuff tendonitis", in both shoulders for each issue. I don't recall ever receiving official diagnoses for either of those, but that's what's on the DBQ. My medical record does have instances of me bringing up shoulder pain over several years. And then again, I'm trying to determine what the minimum rating would be for 'painful joints' as it pertains to shoulders. Some say it's 10%, others say it's 20%. Again, thank you for the reply, and for any further insight! Shaun

Hello, Please forgive me if this is not the correct location; I'm admittedly a bit lost in navigating the forums. I discovered this site during hours of Googling and Reddit perusing, but still have not found what I'm looking for. The first item I have a question about is how the VA *actually* rates shoulder pain, when there is no LOM. Based on what I've read, the VA will grant the veteran the minimum compensation for a specific joint, but how do you determine the DC or minimum rating? If it's painful to laterally raise your arms both in front of you and out to the side, but you have essentially full ROM still, how will the VA actually rate that? Is the minimum per side for shoulders 10% or 20%? The internet is full of conflicting information, and the VA's documentation doesn't specify this exact question (or I'm just an idiot). The second question I have is IRT a DBQ for lumbar radiculopathy. In this case, the VA's Rating Schedule is ambiguous; terms like "mild", "moderate", and "severe" are on the DBQ, but the schedule of ratings does nothing to expound on what symptoms classify each descriptor. Will the VA rate radiculopathy based on the boxes that are checked in the DBQ? If the Veteran's Peripheral Nerves Conditions DBQ has all symptoms checked as "Moderate" and "Incomplete Paralysis", will the VA actually award a 20% rating for each side? Finally, on the same Peripheral Nerves Conditions DBQ, does the VA assign ratings for each nerve group that is affected? If both the Sciatic nerve and Femoral Nerve are marked as having "Moderate incomplete paralysis", will each nerve receive it's own rating, or are they bunched together as mental health conditions? Please forgive the lack of brevity. I'm currently going through a MEDBOARD with 21 years of active service, and I want to have the most accurate information moving forward in the event I need to appeal. These specific outcomes will likely be the determining factor in whether I receive a 90% overall rating vs. a 100% rating, so I'm really stressing it. I'm hoping one of them is actually 20% per side. Any and all insight on the above questions is *greatly* appreciated. Thank you for your time, Shaun