Post Comp & Pen Exam Statement

The examiner must make a determination as to how pain could affect the functional use of your orthopedic condition. This is because if something hurts to bend a certain way, you are not likely to bend that way very often. This degree of functional loss must be considered when the VA assigns a rating for each service-connected condition.

Generally, if there is pain on movement for a service-connected condition, the VA will assign at least a 10% rating for that condition. 

A flare-up is a sudden worsening of symptoms. For example, someone with asthma may experience a flare-up of their symptoms when exposed to a trigger such as pollen or smoke, causing them to have difficulty breathing. Someone with a chronic pain condition may experience a flare-up of pain when they engage in certain activities or when their condition worsens for other reasons.