Linking Back Pain To Military Service For VA Claims
Are you a veteran with unexplained back pain, or have you been denied for a known, military-related back pain problem? Military service is full of rough and damaging situations in almost every job code, but for compensation from the VA, you'll need some fairly convincing and details paperwork. Here are a few ways to get the evidence you need for pain that doesn't have obvious, surface-level signs.
What Does The VA Consider As Proof?
When you file for a VA claim, you'll be asked to submit evidence showing that your problem exists. The VA will only accept information from medical professionals, official military documentation showing that the injuring incident happened, or a public report that can be verified with multiple sources.
For pain, this usually means a medical professional's notes. If you haven't been to a doctor already, the VA will schedule you for a fact-finding appointment as part of its compensation and pension (C&P) examination process. The quality of C&P exams can be wildly different at single VA hospitals, let alone at the state or national level, so don't consider their answer the end to your troubles.
The VA understand that some C&P processes have issues, and will allow outside medical documentation to be submitted. Even if you know that your local C&P process is less than acceptable, be sure to go to the appointment and treat it at least as free medical care. If you have a cold or some other condition unrelated to your claim, there's no problem with bringing it up and hoping for a little extra care to be added on the side.
Back And Joint Pain Can Be Hard To Pinpoint
Pain is difficult to document as a confirmed, concise medical condition. The easiest pain types to confirm are those that have some sort of skin, nerve, muscle, bone, or other bodily damage that can be picked up with a scan or detected in a blood test.
Don't be discouraged if doctors can't tell what's wrong with you, even after testing in X-Ray or CT scan machines. Some types of pain are caused by reactions to body systems that don't have obvious connections, such as shoulder pain being connected to a herniated disc or other spinal issue.
The shoulder example is notable because it shows how the human body can protect itself from a consciously unknown, but severe, problem. The shoulder may constantly tense up in order to provide protection to the spine, but it can be hard to figure out why the tensing action is happening. Such tense reactions can be misdiagnosed as psychological stress, which is an unfortunate byproduct of psychological conditions becoming more available to the public without proper context.
Contact a chiropractor to discuss both your condition and your claim. With a chiropractor's help, you can get the documentation needed for a successful claim and bring the chiropractor in as your preferred, third party provider through the VA's referral system.
Share