VA Compensation Appeals for Symblepharon – Everything You Need to Know
Service-connected symblepharon can entitle you to veterans’ disability benefits. Unfortunately, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) denies — often wrongly — many of the claims it receives. You have the right to appeal the VA’s decision. A veterans’ disability advocate can help you obtain the symblepharon veterans benefits you deserve.
Call (888) 373-4722 for your free consultation.
Getting VA Benefits for Symblepharon
Symblepharon, a condition in which the bulbar conjunctiva and the palpebral conjunctiva stick together, can include the following symptoms:
- Entropion (when the eyelid rolls in against the eyeball)
- An inability to close the eyelids
- Abnormal eye alignment/difficulty controlling eye movements
- Diplopia
Any of these symptoms can make it difficult to sleep, work, or engage in social activities.
Filing a Successful Appeal
To obtain VA disability benefits for symblepharon, you can appeal the VA’s denial. A successful appeal requires you to prove three things:
- A current diagnosis of symblepharon: You must have a current, valid diagnosis of symblepharon. If you do not have a diagnosis, you may not get benefits.
- An event that occurred during service: Symblepharon can be the result of trauma, a chemical injury, or the complications of a chemical burn. You must establish that a specific event occurred that could have caused your symblepharon or that your condition began while you were in the service.
- A nexus between your diagnosis and the in-service event: You must establish a nexus (a link) between your symblepharon and your in-service event. For example, you suffered trauma to the eye during a training exercise and a few months after the training exercise you received a diagnosis of symblepharon, these records can help prove the nexus.
A veterans’ disability advocate can help you establish all the necessary components of an appeal. See how a VA disability advocate can help you obtain symblepharon veterans benefits. Call today for a free consultation: (888) 373-4722.
Note: If you cannot establish a direct service connection for your symblepharon, you may be able to establish a secondary service connection. For example, symblepharon can result from scleroderma, keratoconjunctivitis, and other conditions listed in the VA’s schedule of disability ratings. If you established service connection for one of those conditions and it caused your symblepharon, you may be entitled to benefits. The same applies if you have a condition such as entropion or diplopia that stemmed from your symblepharon.
How VA Rates Symblepharon
Symblepharon has its listing in the VA’s schedule for rating disabilities. According to the listing, there are several ways VA can rate your condition: general rating formula for diseases of the eye, lagophthalmos, disfigurement, and more, depending on the particular findings. The ratings may be combined as discussed in 38 CFR §4.25.
General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Eye
Rating is evaluated on the basis of either visual impairment due to the particular condition or incapacitating episodes, whichever results in a higher rating:
- 60% rating: With documented incapacitating episodes requiring seven or more treatment visits for an eye condition during the past 12 months
- 40% rating: With documented incapacitating episodes requiring at least five but less than seven treatment visits for an eye condition during the past 12 months
- 20% rating: With documented incapacitating episodes requiring at least three but less than five treatment visits for an eye condition during the past 12 months
- 10% rating: With documented incapacitating episodes requiring at least one but less than three treatment visits for an eye condition during the past 12 months
Lagophthalmos
Lagophthalmos ratings include:
- 20% rating: “Bilateral”
- 10% rating: “Unilateral”
Disfigurement
The schedule of ratings for skin disfigurement are as follows:
- 80% rating: “With visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of three or more features or paired sets of features (nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips), or; with six or more characteristics of disfigurement”
- 50% rating: “With visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of two features or paired sets of features (nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips), or; with four or five characteristics of disfigurement”
- 30% rating: “With visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of one feature or paired set of features (nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips), or; with two or three characteristics of disfigurement”
- 10% rating: “With one characteristic of disfigurement”
The characteristics of disfigurement are as follows:
- Scar five or more inches (13 or more cm.) in length.
- Scar at least one-quarter inch (0.6 cm.) wide at the widest part.
- Surface contour of scar elevated or depressed on palpation.
- Scar adherent to underlying tissue.
- Skin hypo or hyper-pigmented in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.).
- Skin texture abnormal (irregular, atrophic, shiny, scaly, etc.) in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.).
- Underlying soft tissue missing in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.).
- Skin indurated and inflexible in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.).
VA can also combine this rating with other related disorders.
Your Monthly VA Disability Amount
The rating you receive for your symblepharon determines the compensation you can receive each month. The rating is in increments of 10% to 100% depending on the condition. Below are the monthly disability rates as of December 2019 for a single veteran with no dependents:
- 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
- 8%: $1,657.80 per month
- 90%: $1,862.96 per month
- 100%: $3,106.04 per month
A veteran’s disability advocate can help you determine the compensation to which you might be entitled. An advocate can also determine whether you might also be eligible to obtain compensation for any related conditions.
Call a VA Disability Advocate for Help Getting the Symblepharon Veterans Benefits You Deserve: (888) 373-4722
You do not need to handle your appeal alone. You fought for our country now let a veterans’ disability advocacy group fight for you. A VA disability advocate can help ensure you get the benefits you deserve. And because VA disability advocacy groups handle claims on a contingency basis, you do not pay anything unless and until you win your benefits. *
Call (888) 373-4722 today for a free consultation.
