VA Math - bilateral in VA Disability Claims (General) Forum

0 Points

VA Math - bilateral

Author

Comment

SteamJockey

#41

[-]

Posts: 7750

May 22 08 7:28 AM

Maybe there is someone I could show the evidence to,

That person would be your VSO, in the alternative, I'd write it down and post it here. Someone with experience will be able to make an evaluation. No one knows who you are so privacy is protected.

Regards;
SteamJockey, resident curmudgeon
50 years service to the Navy and the nation.

Reply Quote

jhall552000

#42

[-]

Posts: 400

May 22 08 7:58 AM

I posted a new thread so maybe some experts will help. THANKS

Reply Quote

joejo42

#43

[-]

Posts: 10

Oct 30 08 1:03 AM

Sorry if this has already been covered, but how does the rating work if there are multiple disabilities on one extremity? For example I have:

30% bilateral pes planus
40% left hip
10% right hip
10% left knee
10% right knee
10% left foot hammertoes
10% right foot hammer toes

10% right elbow
10% back
10% tinnitus

hammer toes, knee, hip, and pes planus are all on each leg/foot, and I'm curious how the raters combine them.

Thanks for any info-

Edited 1 time by joejo42 Oct 30 08 1:15 AM.

Reply Quote

Vet10

#44

[-]

Posts: 1906

Oct 30 08 6:12 AM

Welcome to VBN; good people with great info. Someone will be along shortly to answer your question.

Reply Quote

joejo42

#45

[-]

Posts: 10

Oct 30 08 11:59 AM

Thanks alot-
I just found you guys yesterday when I was cruising around the web, and am definitely going to tell all my buddies!
There's alot of good information getting out to the people that need it.

Reply Quote

sonicbuffalo

#46

[-]

Posts: 1182

Oct 30 08 12:45 PM

joejo42:

Welcome to VBHN also....we hope you will find what you need here. There is a chart available. It will help you with the fuzzy VA math. I am sorry but I don't have the link to it. Someone else will come along I'm sure that can help you more.

sb

Reply Quote

SteamJockey

#47

[-]

Posts: 7750

Oct 30 08 3:23 PM

There is a chart available. It will help you with the fuzzy VA math.

Both the chart and spreadsheets are useless in this situation. Before you can use either one, you need to know how multiple bi-lats on a single extremity are combined.

I'm coming up with an answer I know is wrong but I don't know why it is wrong. Obviously, I'm missing something here. I was hoping Cruiser would weigh in with some help.

How would 3 LL 10% awards and 3 LR 10% awards? This does not combine properly for me.

Reply Quote

Vet10

#48

[-]

Posts: 1906

Oct 30 08 5:50 PM

As Steam said the chart won't help with bi-laterals. For what it is worth here is the link for non-bilateral VA math.

Web Link: VA Math

Reply Quote

SpectreBoy

#49

[-]

Posts: 107

Oct 30 08 6:11 PM

VA math calculator link from the sticky at the top of the forum....

Link

I am pretty new here and unsure as to how this works but at the top of that spreadsheet there is a section for "Bilateral".....I am not sure if this will help...

Wish you the best on your search...I am curious as to how it works out as I will most likely have a "bilateral" factor and am trying to understand it as well.....

Reply Quote

Cav1Sgt

#50

[-]

Posts: 4054

Oct 30 08 9:46 PM

Joejo - What is your end rating or is that what you are trying to figure out?

As Steam has indicated the major issue is how combined ratings for each leg are determined. Are they all combined? Is the most severe disability for each limb used?

§4.26 Bilateral factor.

When a partial disability results from disease or injury of both arms, or of both legs, or of paired skeletal muscles, the ratings for the disabilities of the right and left sides will be combined as usual, and 10 percent of this value will be added (i.e., not combined) before proceeding with further combinations, or converting to degree of disability. The bilateral factor will be applied to such bilateral disabilities before other combinations are carried out and the rating for such disabilities including the bilateral factor in this section will be treated as 1 disability for the purpose of arranging in order of severity and for all further combinations. For example, with disabilities evaluated at 60 percent, 20 percent, 10 percent and 10 percent (the two 10's representing bilateral disabilities), the order of severity would be 60, 21 and 20. The 60 and 21 combine to 68 percent and the 68 and 20 to 74 percent, converted to 70 percent as the final degree of disability.

Based on that it would appear as though all the ratings would be combined and a single combined rating obtained. Using the numbers provided, I get a combined rating of 75 and a bilateral factor of 7.5 for a net of 83. This assumes that all the top listed disabilities are considered lower extremity bi-laterals. Then using the table for the three remain 10's, I get 88 or an end rating of 90%.

Taking only the lowest two bilats, the rating is an 80%, which is what you would also get with no bilaterals.

Taking only the two highest bilaterals, it is at 90%.

IMHO, the first solution is the proper one, but I could be wrong.

Cav

Reply Quote

SpectreBoy

#51

[-]

Posts: 107

Oct 30 08 10:16 PM

Cav,

Thanks for highlighting that portion......it really helped me out in attempting to understand this!

Regards,

Spectre

Reply Quote

AFRet

#52

[-]

Posts: 686

Oct 30 08 10:56 PM

retiredVArater wrote:
Let me add one more tidbit on the bilateral factors:

The newest version of the VA rating software, called RBA2000, computes bilateral factors automatically as well as, so far as I can tell, without error.

When it was first introduced in late '99, we often had VSRs come back to us arguing that the bilateral computation was not working when they tried to promulgate the rating into the system. In every single instance, the error was a human one, i.e., the rater either did not enter the correct bilateral (bl, rl, ll, bu, ru, or lu), usually by repeating the previous limb's designation (two left uppers instead of one for each side) or by forgetting to designate the bilateral in the first place.

Thankfully, the software that promulgates the award action along with a sharp VSR eye will ensure that the combined bilateral factor is probably correct virtually every single time. I NEVER saw an RBA2000 bilateral factor that was caused by the software itself, and that includes eye tables which can be intimidating at times. It is one of the more useful components of RBA2000 IMHO.

bl - bilateral lower
ll - left lower
rl - right lower
bu - bilateral upper
lu - left upper
ru - right upper

Hope this helps,
rVr

My decision made not even six months ago, the VA miscalculated my bilateral factor and gave me a 90% with individual unemployability, however, when I ran the figures and used the chart I came up with 95%.

I did an IRIS inquiry and about two weeks later I received a new rating of 100% P&T.

This is not the first mistake but one of many that the VA has made on my claims...one going back 18 years.

I NEVER trust them on any rating or communication I receive, experience has taught me to question them all the time.

Just my experience.

Reply Quote

joejo42

#53

[-]

Posts: 10

Oct 31 08 2:47 AM

Thanks for all the input guys. The VA did give me a combined rating of 90%; suppose I probably should have told you that from the beginning..

I'm curious what actual percentage i'm at so I can know how far off that elusive 95% is.

Reply Quote

Cav1Sgt

#54

[-]

Posts: 4054

Oct 31 08 8:29 PM

Joejo -

As stated above, I came up with - 88 or an end rating of 90%.

Cav

Reply Quote

JohnD

Need help with Math and questions...

#55

[-]

Posts: 2

Apr 23 10 12:36 AM

I am new to the VA system and trying to receive a fair rating. The local office has repeatedly erred on my claims, including sending me a notice stating that I had not appealed a decision that I filed a timely letter of disagreement. I have a few questions and need help with the math because I cannot find 10% on the scale.

First, I applied for Agent Orange and was DENIED. No testing was completed to diagnose or rule out Diabetes Mellitus. I also asked for ratings related to a number of diseases that are Diabetes related but lacked the Medical Nexus at the time. A few months after being denied, I was diagnosed with Diabetes Type II and prescribed Metformin. Pursuant to § 4.42 "Complete medical examination of injury cases.", the VA should have completed a proper exaamination for the Agent Orange presumptive conditions, including Diabetes- Type II. I brought the new diagnosis to the VA's attention and asked for an effective date of the original exposure exam. The effective date (06/19/2009) given was based upon when I provided proof of the diagnosis to support a prior claim, not the date (2007) of the original AO claim and exam (06/2008).

QUESTION ONE: When should the effective date be for back pay of this claim?

I think that my current ratings are erroneously calculated. Will someone please tell me how to figure the following with the "BILATERAL FACTOR" being applied to the four (4) extremities as they are a direct result of the diabetes?

Medical Description

Percent (%) Assigned

Effective Date

Median neuropathy (carpal tunnel syndrome), LEFT UPPER EXTREMITY (Major) associated with diabetes mellitus, Type II

50%

June 29, 2009

Median neuropathy (carpal tunnel syndrome), RIGHT UPPER EXTREMITY (MINOR) associated with diabetes mellitus, Type II

40%

June 29, 2009

Polyneuropathy- RIGHT Lower Extremity

10%

June 29, 2009

Polyneuropathy- LEFT Lower Extremity

10%

June 29, 2009

Diabetes mellitus, Type II associated with (Agent Orange) herbicide exposure

20%

June 29, 2009

Please explain how you got to the results, especially with the bilateral factor being applied to all 4 extremities.

Thank you for your help!

John's Wife (Partne)

Reply Quote

SteamJockey

#56

[-]

Posts: 7750

Apr 23 10 3:10 AM

You can use Miltstar's ne VA calculator. There's a link here: http://vets.yuku.com/topic/36441?page=1

...but that page seems to be refusing access at the moment.

In the alternative you can learn how to calculate it yourself. Go here: http://vets.yuku.com/sreply/90767/t/Do-Disability-Percentages-Round-Up-Down-.html

You should know the VA uses the computer to automatically generate the combined rating and there have been no known instances of incorrect combined ratings.

Regards;
SteamJockey, resident curmudgeon
50 years service to the Navy and the nation.

Reply Quote

MiltStar

#57

[-]

Posts: 6832

Apr 23 10 6:00 AM

ENTER BILATERAL FACTORS
Bilateral Name	Rating, %	Combined %
Neuropathy LT	50	50
Neuropathy RT	40	70
Polyneuropathy LT	10	73
Polyneuropathy RT	10	76









Combined Bilaterals		76
Combined + 10%		83.6
Rounded Bilateral,%		84

Disability Name	Rating, %	Combined %
Bilaterals	84	84
DM II	20	87














Combined %		87
Rating, %		90

Note: Current link to calculator is no longer working. The server I had it posted to has discontinued service (Att Worldnet). I have secured a new site and should have it back on line over this week end.

Reply Quote

Dale Rumans

#58

[-]

Posts: 474

Apr 23 10 7:29 AM

SteamJockey would you please check on something for me. Bi laterals are added for left and right sides then X 10%. So you would have 10% + 10 % + 10 % + 10 % = 40 % x 10 % = 44 % then add your other things to this afterward s. Please let me know. This is how it was explained to me. There is no combined ratings first on Bi laterals.

Reply Quote

cruiser

#59

[-]

Posts: 17457

Apr 23 10 7:41 AM

Dale Rumans wrote:
SteamJockey would you please check on something for me. Bi laterals are added for left and right sides then X 10%. So you would have 10% + 10 % + 10 % + 10 % = 40 % x 10 % = 44 % then add your other things to this afterward s. Please let me know. This is how it was explained to me. There is no combined ratings first on Bi laterals.

I'm not Steamjockey, but let me assure you that the calculations he provided are corrrect. You "combine" not "add" the bilateral percentages and then you "add" the 10 percent bilateral factor to the combined percentage. You then "combine" this number with the other non-bilateral conditions, starting with the highest and working down to the lowest.

Cruiser

Reply Quote

JohnD

#60

[-]

Posts: 2

Apr 23 10 9:21 AM

Please explain this to me:

How did a combined rating of 84% only increase 3% to 87% when a 20% diabetes disability was added?

Are the ratings increased based upon the remaining ability rather than the disability total. For example:

84% means 16% ability
20% diabetes rating X 16% ability =3.2, thus:

84% + 3.2% = 87.2 % rounding to 90%

Is this correct?

Reply Quote

Yuku free message boards

Link to VBN User Agreement. By Using VBN, You agree to ALL TERMS.

VA Math - bilateral

VBN User Agreement

About VBN