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Va Disability Rating For Knee Surgery

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Va Rating For Knee Pain: Va Knee Rating Chart And Va Secondary Conditions To Knee Pain

Many veterans who served in the military develop pain in their knees and lower legs due to their time in active service. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs handles compensation and military disability rating for knee pain. If you developed knee problems due to military service, you may be entitled to financial compensation from VA. Consult a legal representative to determine whether or not you are eligible for VA disability benefits.

Am I Eligible For Disability Benefits From Va

You may be eligible for disability benefits if youve had surgery or received other treatment at a VA hospital, approved hospital, or outpatient center for a disability related to your military service . You must meet one of these requirements.

If you had surgery, both of these must be true for you:

  • The surgery required a recovery time of at least one month or reports show that the surgery or treatment was for a service-connected disability, and
  • The surgery resulted in severe issues, like:
  • Surgical wounds that havent totally healed
  • Stumps of recent amputations
  • Being unable to move due to being put in splints or casts to help with healing
  • Being unable to leave your house
  • Being required to use a wheelchair or crutches

If you didnt have surgery, this must be true:

You had one or more major joints immobilized by a cast.

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Did Va Deny Your Claim For Knee Pain Cck Is Here To Help

If VA denied your disability claim for knee pain, Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD may be able to help.

The experienced veterans advocates at CCK have worked extensively on behalf of veteran clients for years. We know what it takes to put together a winning appeal, and we may be able to put our tools, resources, and successful history to work for you.

Reach out today for a free consultation.

How Can You Prove Service Connection For Knee Pain

â Va Disability Rating For Ankle Fracture

The first option for obtaining a VA disability rating for knee pain is to establish a direct service connection. The stronger the connection between your military service and the injury you sustained, the more likely you are to have a successful disability claim. However, this process can be complicated. One of the most common reasons claims fail is that they fail to include three essential factors:

1. A current diagnosis that includes the disability that is being claimed

In this case, you will need a diagnosis that accounts for the knee pain you are experiencing. If your diagnosis loosely explains your knee pain, it is unlikely that it will apply to your disability claim. It is important to persist until you receive a diagnosis that directly connects your knee pain to the illness or knee condition.

2. Documentation of an in-service occurrence or incident that caused the disability, or at the very least, aggravated the condition

3. A medical nexus that connects the current, diagnosed disability to the in-service occurrence, incident, or exposure

The medical nexus can make or break a disability claim. A medical nexus letter from a medical provider can establish strong ties between the condition and military service. This evidence can be critical when the condition developed over time.

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Establishing A Direct Service Connection For Knee Pain & Injuries

Establishing a direct service connection for VA disability for knee pain and injuries starts with having a current diagnosis. Then, you will need to:

  • Show documentation of a specific incident that led to your knee pain or injury, including a specific accident that caused chronic pain that has worsened over time or
  • Establish a medical nexus that shows a connection between military service and your knee pain or injury. For example, if your service led to or contributed to a repetitive stress injury, you might use a medical nexus, complete with evidence from your doctor, to establish that your service led to those injuries.

Instability Of The Knee Diagnostic Code 5257

Instability of the knee refers to when the knee has too much motion from side to side or dislocates regularly. This condition can occur when damaged tendons and cartilage can no longer support the knee joint properly.

VA assigns a 0, 10, 20, or 30 percent disability rating for this knee condition based on the amount of instability present in the knee. To get a 30 percent rating, the knee must be so unstable that it gives out or dislocates on a regular basis.

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What You Should Know Before Getting A Knee Replacement

The disability rating for a knee replacement is 100 percent, according to the text, after one year of wearing the prosthesis. After that, a minimum disability rating of 30% may be assigned for post-knee replacement. In 2020, the cost of a knee replacement in the United States is expected to be between $30,000 and $50,000. If you can no longer work as a result of knee replacement surgery, you may be eligible for SSD and SSI benefits. For those who have chronic pain and are unable to work for more than 12 months, pain relief is especially important. According to Social Security, many knee replacement claims are denied because they do not meet the 12-month duration requirement.

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VA Disability for Knee Conditions & Pain

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Va Dbq: Knee And Lower Leg Conditions

You will be expected to fill out a DBQ before attending a C& P exam. The DBQ gathers basic information about your condition, how it developed, and how it has impacted your ability to live and work. When you attend your C& P exam the doctor will ask you questions about your DBQ, so its important that you fill it out completely and honestly. The more information you can provide on a DBQ, the less time you need to spend discussing it at the C& P exam.

Knee Replacement At Va Hospital

If you need a knee replacement, the VA hospital can help. They have a team of doctors and nurses who are experienced in performing this type of surgery. They will work with you to make sure that you are comfortable and that the surgery goes as smoothly as possible.

It is not assumed that a knee injury is connected to service. A knee injury may qualify you for VA benefits. If you can demonstrate that your knee injury was caused by service, the VA may assign you a disability rating. Depending on how severely disabled you are, it can range from 50 to 100% disabling. Your VA will give you a permanent rating of 60 percent and 30 percent if your symptoms are minor. A 30 percent rating is the bare minimum for your experience following a full knee replacement. In order to assess the patients satisfaction, a partial knee replacement is rated on a scale of 1 to 5.

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Why Veterans Are Entitled To A 100% Disability Rating After Joint Replacements

VA regulation 38 C.F.R. sec. 4.71a states that a veteran shall receive a 100 percent rating for four months after a knee replacement, though this is essentially extended to five. This is a big change from prior to February 2021, where a knee replacement was rated at 100 percent disabling for one year after the surgery. VA indicated that they made this change because studies showed that individuals could return to work within this time frame. However, they also suggested that a veteran that is in need of more than four months of a temporary 100 percent rating should apply for an extension of the rating based on a need for convalescence. Furthermore, the regulations essentially provide for a five-month period of a 100 percent rating following discharge. That is because the four-month period begins after a one-month period of convalescence at the 100 percent rate.

Gerd And Ibs Secondary To Knee Pain

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At first glance, you might be wondering how Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be connected secondary to Knee Pain.

Heres the deal fellow veterans: If you take over-the-counter or prescription medications to manage symptoms of your service connected conditions, youre eligible for secondary service connection if those medications cause or make other conditions worse.

For example, you might be taking Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs to manage symptoms of your service connected Knee Pain.

Common side effects of long-term use of NSAIDsinclude GERD and IBS, and thus, you can be service connected for GERD secondary to Knee Pain or IBS secondary to Knee Pain.

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Secondary Service Connection For Knee Pain

A new disability that appears secondary to a service-connected injury or condition may allow veterans to prove secondary service connection. Secondary service connection can also be an aggravation of a non-service connected disability that is caused by a service-connected condition or incidence. In other words, your knee pain may not have happened while you were in the service, but it could be a symptom that shows up much later that is the result of a service-connected incident.

Knee pain can appear as a secondary service connection related to:

  • Additional orthopedic issues

If you are experiencing knee pain related to your time in service, you should be receiving veterans benefits. Getting a diagnosis and on the path to recovery from your doctor is helpful. Knee pain can lead to serious, life-altering injuries if left untreated!

How To Qualify For Disability Benefits For Surgery

Veterans may be able to get disability benefits if theyve had surgery or received other treatment at a VA hospital, approved hospital, or outpatient center for a disability related to their military service. If veterans had surgery, both of these must be true to receive benefits:

  • The surgery required a recovery time of at least one month or reports show that the surgery or treatment was for a service-connected condition, and
  • The surgery resulted in severe issues, such as:
  • Surgical wounds that havent totally healed
  • Stumps of recent amputations
  • Being unable to move due to being put in splints or casts to help with healing
  • Being unable to leave your house
  • Being required to use a wheelchair or crutches

Again, VA will often assign a temporary total disability rating if the above-mentioned criteria are met. The VA offers three forms of temporary 100 percent disability ratings: prestabilization, hospitalization, and convalescence.

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What Are The Va Ratings For Knee Conditions

Because many Veterans experience knee pain, the VA sees countless claims regarding knee pain. Unfortunately, this means that the VA can easily overlook crucial information.

Many Veterans have debilitating knee pain that affects their work and personal life. However, they may be confused when they see that their disability rating is only 10%.

One thing on the Veterans side is that they can have multiple knee problems but still have the VA evaluate each separately. This is usually not allowed for other disabilities.

If a Veteran has pain in their knee, the VA will evaluate each part of the problem separately, ensuring that the Veteran gets the best overall rating possible. The VA will rate a Veterans knee depending on how much it can extend, which usually results in a rating between 0% and 50%.

How Do I Apply To Receive My Ratings

VA Disability Ratings for Joint Replacements

If you are still in the military, then you can request your military physician to refer you to the MEB and start the IDES process. If you are already a veteran, you can submit a VA Disability Claim along with evidence of service-connection and all medical records regarding the conditions on the claim.

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The Impact Of Knee Replacement Surgery

A total knee replacement is the surgical procedure that replaces the entire joint in one fell swoop. If you cant work due to a permanent injury, you may be eligible for SSD and SSI benefits. In certain cases, if you are suffering from chronic pain and cannot work for more than a year. In 2020, a knee replacement in the United States will cost between $30,000 and $50,000. The implantation of a knee prosthesis has the potential to result in a disability rating of 100% for one year after the surgery. To obtain a disability rating, you must be able to prove 30 percent disability after a year of post-knee replacement.

Va Disability Issues For Veterans In Need Of Knee Replacements

Feb 5, 2020 | VA Disability

Military service makes many demands on those who are willing to sacrifice for our country. But the service is downright brutal on service members joints. In 2011, Stripes reported that military deployment puts troops at risk of osteoarthritis at a higher rate and at a younger age than the general population. Military training and active duty assignments are especially hard on weight-bearing joints: hips, knees, spine, ankles, and even fingers. So, its no surprise that many veterans seek out knee replacements. If you are a veteran who has had, or is considering, a knee replacement, these facts are important to know:

There is no presumed service connection for a knee injury. This means you must prove with substantive evidence, including your medical records, doctors statements, and service history, that the injury stems from military service.

Disabling knee injuries can qualify you for VA benefits. If you can show that your knee injury is service related, the VA will give you a disability rating for the condition. Under 38 C.F.R. § 4.71a Code 5055, disability ratings range from 100 percent to 30 percent disabling.

If you get a full knee replacement, you are rated at 100 percent for your first year after surgery. After your first year, the VA will give you a permanent rating somewhere between 60 percent and 30 percent for lesser symptoms. The minimum rating you can receive after a full knee replacement is 30 percent.

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Veterans With Arthritis May Be Entitled To Benefits From The Va

It is critical that veterans with arthritis consult a doctor to determine the severity of their condition. In addition, the VA will be able to determine the severity of arthritis and the rating it should assign. It will be determined by how severe the arthritis is and whether it affects one or both knees in terms of severity. This can aid in the VAs ability to maximize benefits for veterans.

You Can Get A Va Disability Check For Knee Pain

Documents &  Worksheets

If you are working in a job now but can tell that your knees arent going to carry you to retirement, you should start planning ahead right now. If you are out of work right now because of your knee pain, you should call us today. Veterans disability for knee pain can cover a wide range of injuries and symptoms:

  • Ankylosis of your joints

Our VA Disability Calculator includes calculations for bilateral knee pain and other bilateral factors. Your best bet is to review and remember the various stresses on your knee and walk through the process with our case managers. Review your C-File and any medical records or complaints youve had either with the VA or with your family doctor.

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Does Surgery Increase Va Disability Rating

Can I receive VA disability benefits? In order to qualify for disability benefits, you must have had surgery or other treatment at a VA hospital, approved hospital, or outpatient center for a disability that is connected to your military service .

The VA offers three temporary 100 percent disability ratings: prestabilization, hospitalization, and convalescence. If the above-mentioned criteria are met, the VA is frequently able to assign a temporary total disability rating to a disabled person. To be considered for a temporary hospitalization rating, you must be receiving treatment at a VA medical center or another VA-approved hospital. Following an attack, surgery, or an injury, the patient undergoes convalescence. Veterans who have received treatment or surgery at a VA-approved facility for a service-connected condition have a temporary convalescence rating assigned to them. A convalescent rating is determined by the effective date of a hospital admission or outpatient treatment.

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