Many people wonder what are the most common disabilities for Veterans. A disability is any medical condition or problem that causes an impairment of your life or loss of function of some sort. By far, the most common VA disability claims are related to occupational hazards of military life.
This is a list of syndromes and disabilities to give you an idea of which claims are pursued (and won) with the most frequency.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is rated at 10%. There are over two million Veterans in the United States with a tinnitus rating of 10%.
Hearing Loss
The next most common by far is hearing loss. Almost 1.5 million veterans are service-connected for hearing loss. Many are rated at 0%.
PTSD
There are over a million veterans nationwide who are service-connected for PTSD. Believe it or not, most are non-combat related, because the VA’s definition of combat is very arbitrary. A soldier can be under fire and yet not considered to be in a combat situation.
Knee
Knee claims are usually rated at 10% for painful motion, though they can be higher if you have instability or knee replacement.
Lumbar or Cervical Strain
About a million Veterans fall into this category. This condition is not degenerative disc disease or arthritis because those conditions are not usually diagnosed until later in life after military service.
Ankles
Ankles are rated at about 10%. More than half a million Veterans are service-connected for ankles.
Sciatica
Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which branches from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg. Sciatica most commonly occurs when a herniated disk, bone spur on the spine or narrowing of the spine (spinal stenosis) compresses part of the nerve. This causes inflammation, pain and often some numbness in the affected leg. Almost 800,000 Veterans are service-connected for sciatica.
These are by far the most common disabilities related to occupational hazards of military life. However, any condition that causes loss of function or impairs a Veteran’s life in any way is considered a disability that can be rated by the VA.
Secondary Claims
Many Veterans are eligible for secondary claims. If you are suffering from disabilities in addition to your service-connected disability, there may be a relationship between the conditions that you are not aware of.
Because of our tenacity and our many years of experience, there is a great deal of value that Vet Comp & Pen brings to the Veterans we work with. If we can help you assemble medical evidence to increase your rating or file a secondary claim, it will be well worth your while because you could be looking at getting a higher monthly payout from the VA. Give us a call today to schedule a consultation. It’s absolutely free, and could be the best call you make to get the benefits you medically, legally and ethically qualify for.
