What started out as some mild lower back pain has consistently gotten worse. Now, you have pain shooting down your legs, making it difficult to sit for long periods, walk around, or even get comfortable enough to sleep. It feels like you hurt, no matter what. And you’re wondering if the pain could be related to your military service.
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Understanding how the VA evaluates back pain is vital because you may qualify for benefits, including a sacroiliitis VA disability rating.
Key Takeaways
- The VA rates sacroiliitis and SJD using the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine in the Schedule of Ratings.
- Possible sacroiliitis VA disability ratings are 100%, 50%, 40%, 20%, or 10%.
- If your sacroiliitis makes it difficult to keep steady work, you could be eligible for TDIU benefits.
In this article about the sacroiliitis VA disability rating:
What is sacroiliitis?
Sacroiliitis is pain and stiffness in the sacroiliac joints, which are found where your lower spine and pelvis meet. The pain is typically in your buttocks or lower back, and it can travel down one or both legs. Exercising or prolonged standing or sitting can make this pain worse.
Sacroiliitis can be caused by things like injury and arthritis, or in rare cases, infection of the joint.
Sacroiliitis and sacroiliac joint dysfunction (SJD) are related, but they aren’t necessarily the same thing. In sacroiliitis, the pain is from inflammation in the joint, while SJD could also be caused by abnormal movement. Both lead to pain in the sacroiliac joints, however.
Veterans are more prone to developing sacroiliitis because of the wear and tear on their joints from the physical demands of military service.
Sacroiliitis VA disability rating
The VA rates sacroiliitis and SJD using the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine in the Schedule of Ratings. The ratings consider ankylosis, which is stiffness or immobility of the joint.
Sacroiliitis can be rated at 10%, 20%, 40%, 50%, or 100%, depending on your mobility and pain.
Sacroiliitis is rated as follows, with or without symptoms such as pain, stiffness, or aching in the area of the spine affected by residuals of injury or disease, as follows:
Service connecting sacroiliitis
While all lower back pain is not sacroiliitis, issues with the sacroiliac joints are one possible source. There are several ways the condition could be related to your service, including an injury during training or combat.
It’s also possible for your sacroiliitis to be service-connected on a secondary basis if another illness or ailment causes it. Most notably, arthritis can cause sacroiliitis, so if you have service-connected arthritis, there could be a link to the condition.
Ultimately, if you want VA disability benefits for your sacroiliitis, you’ll need to provide evidence proving a connection. This may include documents and medical records from before and after you leave the military. A doctor can write a nexus letter establishing a link, and a C&P exam may also be done to gather helpful evidence about your condition.
C&P exams for low back pain
Compensation and pension exams (C&P exams) are meant to determine how severe your condition is and whether it is service connected.
The physician will measure your range of motion during this exam, monitor pain, and do various testing, depending on the condition.
Unfortunately, the VA commonly underrates service-connected back pain, said VA disability lawyer Lori Underwood.
“A common mistake made by veterans is not fully disclosing their pain and functional loss to the examiners in these C&P exams,” she said. “Don’t make that mistake.”
Downloadable C&P Exam Preparation Checklist
Click the image to download or print your own copy of our exam checklist or read more here.
Therefore, it’s essential to prepare for your C&P exam and think about what you want to say. Don’t forget the following:
- Be Honest. Tell the medical professional specific details about your symptoms and how they affect your daily life.
- Be Open. Tell the C&P examiner about anything you used to be able to do that you can’t do anymore and why.
- Don’t Exaggerate. Don’t exaggerate your concerns, but make sure they’re known and don’t hold back, either. Make it known why you believe your condition is connected to your service.
It may even help to keep a log of your symptoms before the exam, so you can remember the full impact of the condition on your life. This can help you explain patterns and recall your worst days, even if you feel alright the day of the exam.
Underwood said it’s important to discuss with the doctor any issues you may be experiencing secondary to your back pain, like radiculopathy, as you may be owed additional disability compensation.
“You should also be disclosing to your examiner any side effects you have from pain medications that you’re being prescribed for your back pain,” she said. “It is just as important to report these side effects as it is your functional loss to the examiner.”
TDIU for sacroiliitis
In some cases, a veteran may be awarded total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for chronic pain, including back pain. TDIU is also known as individual unemployability or simply IU. Veterans are eligible for these benefits if they can’t hold down “substantially gainful” employment due to their service-connected conditions.
Unfortunately, sacroiliitis can be worsened by sitting and standing for extended periods of time, making both sedentary and more physically demanding work challenging. The effects of sacroiliitis, especially in combination with symptoms of any other service-connected conditions, could keep a veteran from working.
Veterans who receive TDIU benefits are compensated at the same level as those with a 100% disability rating, even though their combined rating is below 100%.
Veterans will typically be eligible for TDIU if they have:
- At least one service-connected disability rated at 60% or more disabling OR
- Two or more service-connected disabilities with at least one rated at 40% or more disabling and a combined rating of 70% or more
Excellent, friendly and professional. Got me 100% P&T. Very grateful for how they have helped my family and I.
B.M., an Army veteran in Kentucky
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Frequently asked questions
The VA rates sacroiliitis 10%, 20%, 40%, 50%, or 100%, depending on your spinal mobility and pain.
The VA uses the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine to rate sacroiliitis.
Neil Woods
Neil Woods is a VA disability attorney and the owner and president of Woods & Woods. He received his law degree from Western Michigan University.
