What Next? Need Advice!

[david walker]

The brown envelope came back. Service connection for and cervical radiculopathy left upper extremity 0% and cervical radiculopathy right upper extremity 0%. Right elbow tendonitis SC stayed at 0% and Right carpal tunnel syndrome denied.

May total is 60%

Cervical DDD 20%

Lumbar DDD 10%

Cervical headaches 10%

Aniexty 10%

Wrist (arthritis) 10%

Shoulder (trauma) 10%

Stomach (med side effects) 10%

What should I do next? or should I do anything. I really don't want to endanger my 60% rating as I am not sure how much longer I can keep working. My lower back has gotten terribly worse. I am scheduled next month for injections. This helped my upper back and I hope it will my lower. If I do not get the same results, I may have to hang it up and live on what I've gotten.

I have been on hydrocodone for almost 4 years and my doctor just changed me to oxycodone. Plus an whole list of other meds. I know I'm dependant on the pain meds, even my doc does (he's great about helping me)and I worry so much about the damage I'm doing to my liver and kidneys. I stay so stressed about the side effects and more so about how unfair this is to my child.

I really thought I deserved a rating for the radiculopathy, if I could have gotten to 70%. Three hundred dollars doesn't sound like alot, but I have a 5 year old and have to worry about providing for him. If it were me and my wife I would go home now, but its not that way.

Please guys any advice?? I really need it now. I feel like my family would be better of if I were gone. Help please?

[Pete53]

Appealing a rating should not endanger what you already have unless they made a mistake.

As far as how they rated I am not sure.

Good Luck

[Berta]

David- if this award did generate some retro- maybe you should consider getting an Independent Medical Opinion-

as an investment -

Did the VA give a logical complete medical rationale for giving "0" for the

cervical radiculopathy ?

What I see is that they did service connect it-a foot in the door there-

but it baffles me why they did not rate it at a monetary %.

Your family is MUCH better off with you here!

If these conditions cause you to become totally unable to work- this decision even as it stands-will help you get TDIU at the 100% rate eventually-if the day comes that you can no longer work.

I would NOD this but I sure feel an IMO could possibly help you-

unless the VA came up with a real good medical reason for the "0".