What Disabilities are Considered by the VA for Benefits?
Many veterans considering applying for VA disability benefits ask whether their particular condition is covered. The truth is that any disabling condition may qualify a veteran for benefits, as long as the veteran can show that the medical condition is service-connected.
It’s not surprising that there is some confusion about this, though. Many conditions are listed in the VA Schedule of Ratings in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), but not all. And a smaller list of conditions are presumed to be service-connected–but often only for certain veterans. When a condition appears in the Schedule of Ratings, the VA uses the listed criteria to determine a veteran’s VA disability rating, but even that isn’t set in stone. When circumstances warrant it, the VA may assign an extraschedular rating, meaning a different rating than the schedule would assign.
In short, there’s a lot to consider when pursuing a VA disability claim. An experienced VA disability benefits advocate can be your best guide through the complex process of establishing a service connection for your disability, ensuring that you are claiming benefits for all service-connected and secondary-connected conditions, and putting together the right medical documentation to secure the highest appropriate disability rating.
At Disabled Vets, helping veterans and their families get the benefits they deserve is all we do. To learn more about how we can put our experience to work for you, call 888-373-4722 or fill out our contact form.
Scheduled Conditions for VA Disability
The schedules for VA disability ratings are broken out into several broad categories, including:
- The musculoskeletal system
- Organs of special sense, such as hearing, vision and smell
- Infectious diseases, immune disorders and nutritional deficiencies
- The respiratory system
- The cardiovascular system
- The digestive system
- The genitourinary system
- Gynecological conditions and disorders of the breast
- The hematological and lymphatic systems
- The skin
- The endocrine system
- Neurological conditions and convulsive disorders
- Mental disorders
- Dental and oral
Within each of those categories is a wide range of sub-categories. Some disorders within a larger category have their own VA disability rating systems, while others are rated on a general schedule for the category or a sub-category.
For example, the vast majority of mental health disorders are rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. But, eating disorders have their own rating schedule. Some categories are far more complicated. For instance, there are dozens of different rating schedules within the musculoskeletal system section, based on both the type of injury or condition and the body part affected.
What if Your Condition Isn’t Listed?
It’s important to note that the hundreds of conditions and diagnostic codes included in the rating schedules do not represent an exhaustive list of conditions a veteran may receive VA disability benefits for. It would be impossible for us or the VA to list every possible medical condition or combination of medical conditions that could lead to an award of VA disability benefits.
While the process of establishing a service connection and a VA disability rating may be more complicated for less common conditions, you should ever assume that your condition won’t qualify simply because it doesn’t appear in the CFR. The best way to get more information about your possible claim is to talk to an experienced veterans benefits advocate as early in the process as possible.
How Does the VA Consider Medical Conditions?
For the VA to consider a medical condition as a basis for awarding or increasing VA disability benefits, the veteran must:
- Have a documented medical condition, and
- Show that the condition is service-connected either through evidence or a presumption
The VA will also consider secondary-connected conditions. To establish a claim for a secondary-connected condition, the veteran must have an established service-connected condition, and show that the secondary condition is likely caused by either the service-connected condition or treatment for the service-connected condition.
What If You Have Multiple Service-Connected Conditions?
It’s common for disabled veterans to have more than one service-connected or secondary-connected medical condition. When you are applying for VA disability benefits, you should include every condition you have reason to believe is service-connected or caused or aggravated by a service-connected condition. If you haven’t already done so, you should consult your physician about possible connections between your service-connected conditions and other medical conditions you have. You should also make sure to get any issues you haven’t been treated for diagnosed.
All connected conditions will be considered in assigning your VA disability rating. However, the way they are considered may differ depending on the relationship between the conditions.
In most cases, a separate disability rating is assigned for each condition. Then, those ratings are combined using a formula. The formula applies the second and subsequent disability ratings to the remaining percentage of capacity. For example, if a veteran has a 70% VA disability rating for one condition and a 50% rating for a second condition, the calculation works like this:
Step one: determine the remaining capacity after the first disability rating–in this case, 30% (100% – the 70% rating for the first condition)
Step two: apply the second rating to that remaining capacity–in this case, 30% x 50% = 15%
Step three: add the result to the original disability rating–in this case, 70% + 15% = 85%
Step four: round to the nearest 10%–in this case, 90%
However, some conditions are combined differently, mostly due to overlap in symptoms. The VA generally won’t consider the same symptoms as part of two different conditions. So, for example, the mental health rating formula considers the full impact of all mental disorders collectively to assign a single rating rather than assigning one rating for anxiety and a separate one for depression.
Talk to a VA Disability Benefits Advocate Today
As you can see, understanding the benefits that may be available to you based on one or more service-connected conditions and knowing what information and documentation to provide can be complicated and confusing. Simple mistakes could delay your claim, reduce your benefits, or even result in a denial.
The experienced advocates at Disabled Vets can help ensure that you submit the strongest, best-supported VA disability claim possible. Click here to fill out our contact form or call us today at 888-373-4722.
