Ankylosing Spondylitis/Reactive Arthritis

DPC Jake

PEB Forum Regular Member
Registered Member
Hello all,

I'm about three years into some systemic problems that pulled me from special duties to a desk and now is leading back to a MEB. The rheumatologist said I have inflammatory back pain (seronegative spondyloarthropathy), but we're still performing tests and exploring which inflammatory process she feels fits most as a diagnosis. I understand that TNF inhibitors have done wonders for others' quality of life improvement and the notion of not being constantly in pain and exhausting is incredibly appealing. However, I'm concerned at the macroscopic view of how this may pan out. I have a special needs son that requires extensive medical insurance and I find the prospect of losing that coverage daunting if I were separated as opposed to retired. I have eight years in with another two on contract. Does anyone know what became of the confusion and discrepancy associated with Ankylosing Spondylitis ratings? I've read the letter by Mr. Parker and obviously the ratings schedules, but I was hoping to find someone who has gone through the process since AS became its own code and the use of RA as the analogous code ceased being a practice. What types of outcomes are falling with the 5240 vice 5002 code and what can I do to make the process more streamlined? I understand that this will be a slow process, but I'd like to front load my situation with knowledge gained through others' experiences.

Thank you,
Jake
 
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