VA Compensation Appeals for Aphakia — Everything You Need to Know
When you experience an accident or another injury to your face, it can cause your lens to detach inside your eye — a condition called Aphakia.
If your service in the U.S. military caused you to develop Aphakia you deserve to receive benefits for your condition.
Sometimes the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) denies an initial claim or might underrate a condition, but you still have the right to appeal your VA decision and try to get the veterans benefits you have earned.
A VA disability advocate can review your Aphakia veterans’ benefits claim and check for a possible explanation of why the VA denied your claim or underrated your condition. The problem can be fixed in the appeal, and you could be well on your way to receiving benefits. Call (888) 373-4722 for more information.
Symptoms and Treatment of Aphakia
When Aphakia (the lack of a lens in your eye) presents itself, the inability to focus results in a blurry vision that can hinder your ability to engage in life fully.
Some common symptoms of the condition include:
- You might find it difficult to focus on objects
- Your vision is blurry
- You develop farsightedness
- As an object’s distance from you changes, you find it difficult to focus on the object
- You might experience fading colors or other changes in how you see colors
Having surgery to replace the missing or detached lens and replacing it with an artificial lens can help with your symptoms. Appealing your denied VA claim can help you toward that end. Here is how it works.
How VA Rates Your Aphakia Condition
VA rates your Aphakia condition using its general rating formula for diseases of the eye. VA categorizes Aphakia as code 6029: “Aphakia or dislocation of crystalline lens”, under 38 CFR § 4.79 – Schedule of ratings – eye. Within this schedule, VA evaluates your condition as follows:
The minimum rating for either unilateral and bilateral Aphakia or dislocation of the crystalline lens is 30%.
Veterans Benefits if Cataracts Caused Your Aphakia
Cataracts are a common cause of Aphakia. If this condition led to your Aphakia, and you developed your cataracts while serving in the U.S. military, you might be able to file an appeal for this condition under diagnostic code 6027 for Cataracts.
Calculating Your Monthly Pay for Cataract Veterans Benefits Based on Your Rating
Using the rating VA links with your VA disability, you can figure your monthly benefits per the following compensation rates schedule:
VA Benefits Pay Schedule for a single veteran with no dependents (as of December 2019)
- 10%: $142.29 per month
- 20%: $281.27 per month
- 30%: $435.69 per month
- 40%: $627.61 per month
- 50%: $893.43 per month
- 60%: $1,131.68 per month
- 70%: $1,426.17 per month
- 80%: $1,657.80 per month
- 90%: $1,862.96 per month
- 100%: $3,106.04 per month
Confirm That Your VA Benefits Appeal Contains These Three Required Elements
Possibly, VA denied your Aphakia veterans benefits claim — or underrated your condition — because the claim was incomplete by VA standards. VA requires that all veterans’ benefits claims and appeals to establish service connection contain three fundamental components.
Do not make the same mistake twice. Make sure your appeal for service connection contains all the required pieces:
Three Elements VA Requires in Every Aphakia Veterans Benefits Appeal
- A current diagnosis of Aphakia
- A specific event you experienced while serving in the U.S. military that resulted in injury or trauma
- A “nexus” that connects this specific event with your Aphakia diagnosis
Having a veterans’ disability advocate in your corner to complete and submit your appeal and champion your rights for benefits can be a tremendous help. This type of specialty counsel has traversed this tricky process many times before, and they know how to present your appeal to the VA.
Appealing Your Denied Claim or Underrated Condition for Aphakia Veterans Benefits
Consider taking your first step for a successful Aphakia VA Appeal by hiring a veterans’ disability advocacy group today. You have suffered for your country. You have earned these benefits. Call (888) 373-4722 for more information.
