VARR question

3

3E3Cripple

Well-Known Member
PEB Forum Veteran
Registered Member
Hey everyone,

Got my results back. 50%DoD and 90% VA. Referred condition was lumbar spondylosis. I got 40% for main back issue and 10% each leg for radiculopathy. My ODC lawyer mentioned I could try to get 40% each leg if I get a letter confirming severity by my neurosurgeon. Has anyone successfully appealed with a VARR? Anyone have advice on whether to just accept the 90% & 50% DoD and do a supplemental claim on the outside immediately after medically retiring? Or try my shot at the VARR? I know I can only go after the referred condition through the VARR. I have other conditions I can add if I do supplemental. Thanks in advance!
 
3E3Cripple said:
Hey everyone,

Got my results back. 50%DoD and 90% VA. Referred condition was lumbar spondylosis. I got 40% for main back issue and 10% each leg for radiculopathy. My ODC lawyer mentioned I could try to get 40% each leg if I get a letter confirming severity by my neurosurgeon. Has anyone successfully appealed with a VARR? Anyone have advice on whether to just accept the 90% & 50% DoD and do a supplemental claim on the outside immediately after medically retiring? Or try my shot at the VARR? I know I can only go after the referred condition through the VARR. I have other conditions I can add if I do supplemental. Thanks in advance!
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Very little risk to submit a VARR. Either your ratings will stay the same or go up. Will getting higher % on the legs get your total VA to 100%. My wife maxed out here DOD% and still did a VARR because she was 90% so getting one condition raised helped her go to 100% Total VA which helped her qualify for CRSC compensation after she retired.
 
ThePEBmakesMeMiserable said:
What was your range of motion for the spondylosis?
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Less than 30. Paid my physical therapy doc to do a proper ROM since the C&P examiner didn’t. My PT doc went off the VA ROM verbatim for lumbar and cervical. Tested 3xs for each movement.

*I paid my PT doc because I no longer had an active referral. I did not pay them to fudge numbers in my favor.
 
Do you think I’ll get medical retirement for spondylosis with radiculopathy? My ROM for spondylosis was 45 degrees. I believe that should be 20%. I believe that I should get 20% or more for radiculopathy. Would they add the two percents since the referred condition was spondylosis with radiculopathy? I get my VA ratings tomorrow.
 
I got 10% rad for each leg. 40 for spondylosis. And I got 50% DoD. The 40 included degenerative disc disease, vergebenic pain syndrome, S1, L4, and L5 discs rupture/prolapse.

It’s a toss up for back issues. The VA took my C&P examiner word for word and didn’t even rate my back. It was the DoD that got me the 50%. Then the VA realized they f-ed up. I just got my neuro to write in that I have moderate/severe radicolopathy. That can pull 20-40 per leg.
 
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You have the evidence to file.
 
chaplaincharlie said:
You have the evidence to file.
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I went ahead and accepted the retirement. I’ve done nothing but see specialists the last few months to ensure everything I claimed that the VA did not rate, has a diagnosis, imaging, etc. Even though I already had all that in my records, I now have it updated and in some cases I have more things diagnosed. My neuro wrote up more for my back, I was just diagnosed with C5-6/C6-7 disc ruptures with DDD, compressed nerves, and radicolopathy down right arm, and impingement syndrome. My left wrist had proximal row carpectomy surgery 4 years ago, now it has secondary issues like atrophy, degeneration, cartilage deterioration, loss of grip etc. I’m gonna hire a civilian attorney to submit the supplemental. I’m in talks with them now, to ensure I have everything I need before my official retirement date 23May.
 
Provis said:
Very little risk to submit a VARR. Either your ratings will stay the same or go up. Will getting higher % on the legs get your total VA to 100%. My wife maxed out here DOD% and still did a VARR because she was 90% so getting one condition raised helped her go to 100% Total VA which helped her qualify for CRSC compensation after she retired.
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How long did your wife's VARR take to process?
 
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