What Is The Va Disability Rating For Knee Pain
painAn individual can experience knee pain due to a number of reasons which may be medical or traumatic. 50 in flexion between 20 and 45 degrees.
Military Disability Ratings For Knee And Lower Leg Conditions It Band Syndrome Knee Exercises It Band
Chronic Pain VA Benefits Summary.
What is the va disability rating for knee pain. Even if your knee pain has NO impact on the knees range of motion you can get the minimum 10 VA disability rating for knee pain alone when accompanied with a diagnosis pain alone is a disability but it must relate to a functional impairment of earning capacity. While traumatic causes of knee pain may be a motor vehicle crash where the knee hits the steering wheel or the dashboard forcefully causing it to break. Pain like functional loss is measured by its impact on the range of motion.
A recent ruling by the US. Abnormal stiffening and immobility of the knee can be assigned a 30 40 50 or 60 percent disability rating depending on the limitation of flexion. As promised here are the additional rating tables for those seeking to rate intermediate residuals of a partial or total knee replacement for the purposes of VA Disability Compensation.
Arthritis degenerative hypertrophic or osteoarthritis. As you can see from the rating schedules below the highest possible schedular disability rating for any given lower leg condition is 40 percent and the highest possible schedular rating for a knee impairment is 60 percent. VA assigns a 0 10 20 or 30 percent disability rating for this knee pain condition based on the amount of instability present in the knee.
Some of the medical causes for knee pain are conditions like osteoarthritis rheumatoid arthritis a tear of a meniscus or a torn cartilage. As mentioned above the only time knee pain qualifies for a 100 disability rating is following total knee replacement surgery. Ankylosis of the Knee Diagnostic Code 5256.
However if you already have at least one service-connected disability rated at 60 or more or two or more disabilities for a combined total rating of 70 or more and you cant hold down a job due to knee pain you may qualify for TDIU. The VA will give some veterans disability benefits based on the area and impact of the pain on their daily life if they can prove it is service-connected. The Department of Veterans Affairs says of this condition that when established via X-rays the VA disability rating will be made on the basis of limitation of motion under the appropriate diagnostic codes for the specific joint or joints involved.
Ruling overturns nearly 20 years of VA rating decisions. Regrettably the rating for knee disability are outdated and have not been updated for many years. In order to get the highest evaluation the knee must be so unstable that it gives out or dislocates on a regular basis.
38 CFR 471 DC 5256 Ankylosis of the Knee 38 CFR 471 DC 5261 Limitation of Extension of the Knee 38 CFR 471 DC 5262 Impairment of the Tibia and Fibula. The VA rating for knee amputations is either 40 if there still some knee function or 60 if the knee is removed or unusable. 60 extremely unfavorable in flexion at an angle of 45 degrees or more.
For Reservists the condition must have occurred in or resulted from an injury in the Line of Duty to qualify. The VA awards disability compensation for each Knee and Lower Leg condition that is service-connectedThe DoD will also rate service-connected conditions as long as they also make the service member Unfit fo r Duty. The rating criteria is as follows.
But in cases where the limitation of motion of the specific joint or. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims may have a major effect on the outcome of many veterans disability claims. Many veterans are so disabled by their knee arthritis that they are unable to work.
These 40 and 60 ratings related only to the point of amputation. This is because of the so-called amputation rule. If you suffer from Phantom Limb Pain PLP you may try to get a higher rating.
As a result regional offices around the country provide rating of only 10 to 20. The VA has opened a way to give VA Disability Ratings based on pain without a cleaar cause of the pain. Knee and Lower Leg Overview.