Question:
I am currently receiving 10% disability for my left ankle and have been told by the VA my ankle is severely unstable and will require surgery. The question I have is....I would like to file for an increase but my VSO is new to the job and told me he is unsure how to proceed other than to just ask for a reevaluation. Should I just ask for a reevaluation or ask the VSO to list out issues with my ankle?
I will be getting the following things done to my ankle... They will remove a growth that is pressing on one of the nerves in my ankle. They will repair a damaged tendon on the outside of my ankle. They will also be placing internal braces on my ankle to limit ankle roll. They are also going to scope the joint and clear out the debris that is there.
I have looked the individual items up online, but the answers found seem to give me more questions. I'm just looking for suggestions on how to proceed. Thank you for your time.
Jim's Reply:
Any time you have surgery or other invasive therapy for a service connected condition, once you've notified VA of the situation, you'll come out of the operation with a temporary 100% rating that lasts while you recuperate, usually 6 months or so. Then you'll be scheduled for a post-surgery C & P exam to determine how successful the corrective surgery has been.
That's when you make the decision to tell the examiner all the mobility, pain, flexion and any other issues you're having. All that information will be passed on to a rater who will eventually assign you a new rating that should include all you told the examiner.
You'll eventually get a USPS letter or Ebenefits notice of the new post-surgery rating. It's at that point that if you feel like they left out a rating, etc., that you can appeal and tell VA what you think.
In other words, you don't need to do anything right now, wait until you've healed and tackle those life-long ratings. Good luck!