Va Rating Nerve Pain

Rating nerve conditions also involves identifying the nerve involved.

Va rating nerve pain. The ratings under DC 8520 range from 80 to 10. Paralysis the most severe category Neuritis. Pain is one of the most common causes of disability in the United States. To receive VA disability benefits for chronic pain the symptoms resulting must be ratable.

Sharp pain due to an irritated or damaged nerve of the sciatic nerve. So when rating a nerve condition the VA looks at three things. The nerve functions however it is swollen irritated and painful. For example lets say a veteran has radiculopathy in his lower back.

1 the VA first decides whether the condition should be rated under paralysis neuritis or neuralgia. VA does not have a diagnostic code DC for peripheral neuropathy so it rates it analogous. Check out our Ratings of the Peripheral Nerves of the Low Back and Legs page for the exact codes and ratings. VA Disability Ratings for Knee Pain.

2 the VA will decide the corresponding level of severity. Paralysis of the sciatic nerve. Therefore neuralgia is generally the most common category that veterans fall into. Nerve issues such as sciatica are rated in three different categories based on the degree of severity of symptoms.

Typically lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is rated analogous to paralysis of the sciatic nerve under diagnostic code 8520. My nerve condition wasnt diagnosed until after I was discharged. How Does VA Rate Sciatica. What is the VA disability rating for Sciatica.

In other words VA assigns ratings based on the functional impact from the service-connected condition. If you are 40 but your body feels like its 65 then talk to your doctor about your possible va rating for neck pain. However it is possible that a veterans sciatica may present. Do You Qualify for Benefits.

This could offer a veteran a 60 percent disability rating for their sciatic nerve condition. For sciatica for example in radiculopathy of the lower back the VA applies rating criteria specific to the sciatic nerve diagnostic code 8720 and assigns a disability percent rating on whether the neuralgia is moderate or mild. And 3 the VA looks at the actual nerve affected. The accelerated aging process in your neck caused degeneration of discs and cartilage and the growth of osteophytes.

However it is often difficult to prove that pain is the cause of a persons service-connected disability. The VA uses the rules of the VASRD to rate nerve conditions based on the main symptoms that they cause like numbness pain muscle atrophy etc. This is because pain is not in itself a diagnosis. Pain from Sciatica can also be made much worse after sneezing or when one makes unexpected movements like coughing.

On the other hand if it has moderately severe moderate and mild symptoms a veteran. Symptoms including severe loss of reflexes loss of sensation muscle atrophy and severely reduced movement can be considered severe neuritis. When a nerve in your neck is pinched due to disc compression or osteophytes growth neck pain is the result. Tingling or weakness along the nerve.

Radiculopathy is when a nerve root in the spinal column is pinched and can become inflamed causing pain and discomfort. VA disability ratings for Sciatica fall under one of the following codes from eCFR Title 38 Part 4 Schedule for Rating Disabilities. Neuralgia Technically the term sciatica usually refers to neuralgia ie. VA does not have a specific diagnostic code or rating criteria for chronic pain.