VA just updated its disability rating schedule for these health concerns

VA
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The Department of Veterans Affairs just updated parts of its Schedule for Rating Disabilities for infectious diseases, immune disorders and nutritional deficiencies, VA announced this week.

“VA is in the process of updating all 15 body systems of the VASRD (rating schedule) to more accurately reflect modern medicine and provide veterans with clearer rating decisions,” VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in a statement. “By updating the rating schedule, veterans receive decisions based on the most current medical knowledge of their condition.”

Those health concerns include:

  • Asiatic cholera
  • Visceral Leishmaniasis
  • Leprosy
  • Malaria
  • Lymphatic Filariasis
  • Bartonellosis
  • Plague
  • Relapsing fever
  • Rheumatic fever
  • Syphilis
  • Military tuberculosis
  • Avitaminosis
  • Beriberi
  • Pellagra
  • Brucellosis
  • Typhus
  • Melioidosis
  • Lyme disease
  • Other parasitic diseases
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • HIV-related illness
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome

Many of those illnesses, if currently active, now carry a 100 rating, under specific conditions. 

Claims pending before Aug. 11 "will be considered under both the old and new rating criteria, whichever is more favorable to a veteran will be applied." 

Claims filed after Aug. 11 will be rated under the new schedule. 

Updating the rating schedule for conditions related to these issues helps VA claims processors "make more consistent decisions with greater ease and ensure veterans understand these decisions," VA said in an announcement about the ratings update. 

Since 2017, VA said it has updated schedules for:

  • Dental and oral health concerns
  • Endocrine system conditions
  • Gynecological conditions
  • Breast disorders
  • Eye diseases
  • Skin conditions
  • Hematologic and lymphatic system issues

For more information, see the VA disability rating schedule. For information about your specific disability rating, claims or health concerns, please contact your local VA. 

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Reach Abbie Bennett: abbie@connectingvets.com or @AbbieRBennett

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