Osteopenia and Osteoporosis VA Disability Ratings

Osteoporosis and osteopenia are conditions that cause our bones to thin and become more fragile with age. If you served in the military, you may qualify for a VA rating for osteoporosis.

We know as we get older that falling down becomes more dangerous and can leave us with broken bones. Breaking a hip is so common among older adults that it’s become something of a punch line. But why is it that our bones become so much more fragile as we age?

What Is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a condition that causes the dangerous thinning of the bones. Patients with osteoporosis can break bones doing something as simple as coughing or suffering a minor fall. Most of these fractures occur in the hips, wrists, or spine.

As we age, old cells die and new cells are created to take their place. But sometimes the regeneration of those new cells can’t keep up with the decay of the old ones. When cell decay outpaces cell growth in your bones, it causes osteoporosis.

What Is Osteopenia?

If osteoporosis is at the bottom of the scale of bone density and normal bone density is at the top, osteopenia falls somewhere in the middle. This condition isn’t considered a disease since it doesn’t pose any significant threat to your health. However, people with osteopenia do have a lower bone density than average.

We’ll talk more about how bone density is tested later, but the World Health Organization measures test results in standard deviations. If your bone density test comes back between +1 and -1, your bones are normal and healthy. However, if your results are between -1 and -2.5, it means you have low bone density or osteopenia.

What is the difference between osteopenia and osteoporosis?

The primary difference between osteopenia and osteoporosis is a matter of scale. Osteoporosis is severe enough that it can cause bones to break and make something as simple as bending over to tie your shoes dangerous. Osteopenia has no noticeable symptoms and will not impact your health directly.

On a bone density test scale, results between anything below -2.5 standard deviations qualify as osteoporosis. If you have osteopenia, your doctor may recommend you take extra steps, such as eating foods rich in calcium and vitamin D and doing weight-bearing exercises, to help prevent further bone loss. But if you have osteoporosis, those measures on their own may not be enough to help; you may need to start on medication to manage your condition.

Symptoms of Osteopenia and Osteoporosis

Because osteopenia is so mild, there are no real symptoms to speak of with this condition. Bone density loss doesn’t cause pain, so you may have no idea you have low bone density until you develop osteoporosis. 

One of the first signs you may notice of osteoporosis is pain in your back. This is caused by fractured or collapsed vertebra, which can also cause you to develop a stooped posture and lose height over time. If you have a bone that breaks much more easily than expected, that’s a definite sign that you should talk to your doctor about osteoporosis.

Causes of Bone Conditions in Veterans

Your body is in a constant state of recycling old cells and creating new ones to take their place. This process is at its peak during our younger years when we are growing and our bodies are still developing. But once you hit your 20s, that process begins to slow down as you reach adulthood.

By the time you’re 30, you’ll likely have reached your peak bone mass. The higher your bone mass at its peak, the less likely you are to lose too much of that mass as you age. But if you didn’t have enough bone mass “in the bank” to begin with, chances are your body won’t be able to generate enough new bone cells to maintain a healthy bone density.

Risk Factors

There are several factors that can leave you at greater risk for developing osteoporosis. The biggest of these is age; the older we get, the harder time our bodies have trying to keep up healthy cell regeneration levels. White and Asian women with small frames are especially at risk of developing osteoporosis, as are people with a family history of bone loss.

Lower sex hormone levels (estrogen and testosterone) are one of the contributing factors to bone loss and are part of the reason this condition is linked to aging. Thyroid problems and overactive parathyroid and adrenal glands can also increase your risk of osteoporosis. Low calcium intake, eating disorders, and gastrointestinal surgery are all considered risk factors, too.

Long-term use of corticosteroid medications such as prednisone and cortisone can increase your risk of bone loss, as can medications used to treat seizures, gastric reflux, transplant rejection, and gastric reflux. People with celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney and liver disease, cancer, lupus, multiple myeloma, and rheumatoid arthritis may all be at higher risk of developing osteoporosis. 

Finally, your lifestyle choices can have an impact on whether you develop osteoporosis or osteopenia. People who spend a lot of time sitting down are at higher risk than people who are active. Excessive alcohol consumption and tobacco use can also raise your risk.

VA Disability for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Complications from Osteopenia into Osteoporosis

The biggest complication osteopenia can have is that it raises your risk of developing osteoporosis. Making needed lifestyle and diet changes can help you avoid this risk.

With osteoporosis, the biggest complication arises from the broken bones the condition causes. Many people with osteoporosis suffer hip fractures, which can result in a permanent disability or even a risk of death within the first year after the injury. Spinal fractures can also occur even if you haven’t suffered a fall, or your vertebrae can weaken to the point of crumbling on their own.

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How Bone Weakness is Diagnosed 

Diagnosing osteoporosis and osteopenia is a painless, non-invasive process. Your doctor will use a machine that emits low levels of x-rays to measure the proportion of mineral in your bones. They will likely only check a few areas of your body most susceptible to bone loss: your hips and spine.

During this test, you will lie on a padded table and your doctor will pass a scanner over your body. The scanner will compare your bone density to an established standard and determine if it’s higher or lower and by how much. This is where the score measured in standard deviations comes from.

Preparing for Your Appointment 

If you believe you may have some degree of bone loss, the first step is to make an appointment with your family doctor. Even if you don’t have symptoms, screening is recommended for women over the age of 65 and men over the age of 70. If you have any of the risk factors we mentioned, you might want to arrange for that screening sooner.

Before your appointment, write down any unusual symptoms you may have noticed lately. You should also bring a complete family medical history, including any history of bone loss, and a list of medications and supplements you’re currently taking. Your doctor will likely ask you about any broken bones you’ve suffered, whether your height has changed, what your diet and exercise routines are like, and if you have any of the risk factors we discussed.

You’ll want to keep a copy of all of that information for yourself, too. It’s good to give your journal to the VA for your C-File, but as you work with us, our case managers will take down notes from interviewing you too. All of this can count as evidence in your case. If the VA loses something in the paper shuffle, we want to make sure we have a copy of it as a backup.

How to Qualify for VA Disability

If you get a diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis, there are a couple of more steps you’ll need to take to qualify for VA disability compensation. You may need to show proof of a specific event in your service record that could have led to your condition. Osteoporosis can be a presumptive condition, however, so we’ll discuss more later exceptions to this rule.

Once you have your diagnosis from a VA-approved medical professional and proof of a precipitating event in your service record, you’ll need a medical nexus linking the two. Your doctor may be able to provide this, so talk to them about any questions you may have. This link will prove that your condition is the result of your military service, and you’ll be entitled to VA disability compensation.

One of our VA disability lawyers answers common questions from our veterans.

VA Disability Ratings

Once you’re approved for VA disability compensation, your condition will be rated on the VA’s scale. The disability rating scale ranks conditions by severity, with ratings ranging from 10 percent to 100 percent disability. Stipulations are made for things like whether a dominant or non-dominant arm is affected or whether you have dependents who rely on you. 

Your disability rating will determine how much tax-free money you will receive from the VA each month. For instance, if you have a disability rating of 10 percent, you’ll receive $152.64 every month. However, if you have a rating of 100 percent and several dependents, you can receive more than $3,332.06 per month.

VA Rating for Osteoporosis

Oftentimes, the VA will rate certain conditions under other conditions that cause similar symptoms. For this reason, osteoporosis is rated under the degenerative arthritis code of 5003. However, osteoporosis also has its own individual code, 5013, making its final code 5013-5003. 

If your osteoporosis affects a major joint — your shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles — and is sometimes incapacitating, you will likely get a disability rating of 20 percent. This rating comes with a monthly payment of $301.74. If you don’t experience incapacitations as a result of osteoporosis, you’ll receive a disability rating of 10 percent.

Rating Schedule for Osteopenia

Like osteoporosis, osteopenia is rated under a different category — in this case, 5009 for all miscellaneous arthritis conditions. However, because it is a condition with no symptoms, it does not receive its own rating schedule code. 

If you only have osteopenia, it is unlikely you will be able to get compensation from the VA. The exception may be if your condition is ruled as a presumptive condition. But even in that case, you should only expect to get 10 percent at most.

This video is about the presumptive conditions from Agent Orange by one of our veterans disability attorneys.

Osteoporosis as a Presumptive Condition

Osteoporosis can sometimes qualify as what the VA calls a presumptive condition. These conditions are connected with certain service conditions, such as exposure to Agent Orange or being held as a POW. Because of this, you do not have to prove a connection with a specific event in your service record in order to qualify for compensation.

If you were held as a prisoner of war for any period of time, your osteoporosis will be covered as a presumptive condition. You will receive at least 10 percent disability compensation at any time after your discharge when your symptoms start manifesting. However, you must also have a diagnosis for PTSD in order for this to qualify as a presumptive condition.

Some veterans call us for one disability and actually have multiple service-connected disabilities that they didn’t realize carried ratings. One of our veterans lawyers talks about PTSD in this video.

What to Do If Your Claim Is Denied

In some cases, your application for VA disability compensation may be denied. Don’t worry if this happens to you. You can always appeal the decision, even taking it to the Board of Veteran Affairs in Washington, D.C. if needed. 

The first thing you should do if your disability claim is denied is to hire a lawyer who specializes in veteran disability cases. They’ll be able to help you review your application and brush up the weak points. They can also help you find all the points you may be entitled to compensation for so you get the maximum possible rating for your conditions.

Since everything is handled electronically, you don’t need a veterans lawyer that is nearby. We serve veterans from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and National Guard all over the country.

Get the Compensation You Deserve 

Osteoporosis can be a dangerous condition, and osteopenia might be a warning sign of worse things to come. If you believe you may be at risk for bone loss, talk to your doctor. And reach out to a veteran lawyer to help you get a VA rating for osteoporosis and get the compensation you deserve.

If you’d like help navigating the disability application or appeal process, reach out to us at Woods and Woods, LLC. We fight for veterans every day, and you don’t pay unless we win. Contact us today to start getting the compensation you’re entitled to.