VA Musculoskeletal conditions (V3T-TALK)
Channel: V3T(VET)-TALK
Date: 2023-06-21

As a veteran, you may be entitled to disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for service-connected medical conditions. While the process of applying for benefits can be daunting, it’s important to know that some conditions are easier to get approved than others.

Here are five service-connected medical conditions that are relatively easy to get approved for VA disability benefits:

1. Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a common condition among veterans, often caused by exposure to loud noises during military service. It is characterized by a persistent ringing in the ears that can be debilitating and affect the quality of life.

While the VA may pay benefits for tinnitus, the highest rating you can receive for tinnitus alone is 10%. However, if you have other service-connected medical issues, you may qualify for a higher disability rating, as VA doctors combine your tinnitus rating with other ratings.

If you have an existing condition that has been proven to be service-connected, tinnitus can help to increase your total disability rating, granting you additional compensation.

2. Mental Health Conditions

Mental health conditions such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, and military sexual trauma are common among veterans and are generally regarded as “high-value” claims.

Disabling mental health conditions is much more likely than neurological, skin, auditory, or most musculoskeletal conditions to receive a disability rating of 30% or higher. In fact, more than 90 percent of disabled veterans rated for a mental health condition are rated at 30% or higher.

If you have a service-related medical condition that causes or aggravates a mental health condition, consider filing a claim for the accompanying mental health issue. This could result in a more significant disability rating than your primary issue.

3. Musculoskeletal Conditions

Musculoskeletal conditions such as strains, sprains, arthritis, reduced flexion, and reduced functionality in arms, legs, back, and neck are common among veterans.

To be considered for disability benefits for a musculoskeletal disorder or injury, you’ll want to be able to show some persistent and recurring symptoms. Musculoskeletal issues can be aggravated by other conditions such as TBI, medication side effects, PTSD, depression, and injuries in other areas of the body.

If you are rated for any of these issues as a primary medical condition, you may be able to put in a VA disability application for a musculoskeletal issue. Depending on the circumstances, this could get you another 10% to 20% added to your disability rating.

4. Scars

The VA assigns a disability rating for scars, from 10% up to 80%. While the scarring has to be quite significant in order to get rated for VA disability compensation, it’s usually a simple matter to get qualifying scars approved.

There’s usually little doubt about a military service nexus. Injuries incurred on active duty that is significant enough to rate disability compensation are almost always documented in the military service record.

Additionally, scar tissue can occasionally result in the reduced arm, leg, back, or neck mobility, resulting in a qualifying secondary condition under the musculoskeletal heading.

5. Presumptive Disorders

A presumptive disorder is one that the VA presumes to be service-connected, even if there’s no specific evidence or chain of causation that they normally require to form a nexus with military service.

For example, if you served in Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, and you are diagnosed with AL amyloidosis, B-cell leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, type 2 diabetes, Hodgkin’s disease, ischemic heart disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Parkinson’s disease, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers, soft-tissue sarcoma (not including osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or mesothelioma), chloracne or another similar acneform disease, or porphyria cutanea tarda, you don’t have to show a service connection.


Presumption Condition FACT Sheet:

https://www.benefits.va.gov/BENEFITS/factsheets/serviceconnected/presumption.pdf

VA Website:

https://www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/



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