What To Do With Increasing Disablitiy

[bigoc]

I am rated for arthritis.  My doctor has prescribed several different disease modifying drugs over the past year.  And I need to contact the VA to try to increase my rating.  

How would I do this and what supporting documentation is helpful for doing this?

Thanks for the help

[bigoc]

I am currently being treated by a private rheumatologist and have a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis.  My VA C&P examiner also diagnosed me with the same.  I am also diagnosed with psoriasis.  These are two separate service connections.  

What is weird is that the VA decision letter states: "Service connection for psoriatic arthritis, right hand (claimed as arthritis) has been established as directly related to military service."

Now I only see the length of time medication use for psoriasis as a cause for an increase in rating but I do not see the same listed under the arthritis code.  

The Va decision letter further states: "The examiner opined that your arthritis was at least as likely as not due to your psoriasis." Does this mean I can assume that treatment of my arthritis is also treating my psoriasis since the two conditions are connected by the VA's statement in the decision letter?

[Pete53]

Yes the hard part is done. Now you have to ask for a higher rating based on the rating criteria being used as written. In your case the medications and possibly your problems physically including spread of it should get you a much higher rating.

Good Luck

[bigoc]

Thanks again.  It is comforting just to know that someone else thinks I am at least in the right ball park with anything that relates to the VA.  

[donnieragsdale]

Big,

I was doing some reading on psoriatic arthritis a while back and understand from the reading that it starts with psoriasis first then causes a type of arthritis that can effect most all joints and more. Very progressive and hard to treat.

So......don't be bashfull.....about the claim...

and remember a tough guy, when he attends a C&P, later wishes he would have leveled with the doc with respect to pain during the ROM portion of the exam.

best to ya

don

[diablogun]

If you have been on medication of an immunosuppressive drug on a constant basis for a long time(I think 6 months), it is a 60% rating for that alone(psoriasis), outside of the psoriatic arhtritis. I am currently waiting for them to increase the rating for psoriasis as they rated me at 0% but it should be 60%. It is unbelievable that they could miss something so obvious but they did. You need to make sure you are rated separately under psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. :-)

You would think they would at least read 38 CFR.

[Pete53]

For those who should be 60% but are rated 10% for psoriasis and 10% for arthritis do they make the arthritis bilateral or do they combine both into one?

I think one of the problems is VA Doctors are treating properly but not giving a proper diagnosis