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[Music] five secondary service connection claims that could increase your VA disability rating
first it's important to understand how secondary claims work essentially if a veteran files for
and is granted service connection for more than one condition each condition receives its own
VA rating if you receive multiple ratings they will be added together using VA math to form a
combined disability rating allowing veterans to reach a higher level of disability compensation
so by filing for secondary conditions veterans may be able to increase their overall disability
rating and monthly compensation amount it's also important to note that veterans can file
multiple secondary claims thereby increasing their monthly disability payments even more
filing for secondary conditions may also qualify Veterans for other VA benefits such
as tdiu which can compensate veterans at the 100 disability level there are several commonly filed
secondary claims including the following mental health disorders are common secondary conditions
among Veterans as they can develop due to a wide range of conditions for example a veteran could
develop depression or anxiety as a result of a service-connected cancer Orthopedic condition
like a knee injury or a traumatic brain injury and many more often a veteran's physical condition can
lead to depression if it prevents the veteran from participating in activities they used to enjoy
finding a steady job or living their day-to-day life similarly an inability to perform certain
activities or fear of the condition worsening can also lead to anxiety mental health disorders are
rated under the general reading formula for mental health conditions at 0 10 30 50 70 or
100 percent based on the severity of the condition and the resulting level of Social and occupational
import impairment veterans will only receive one VA rating based on the severity of their symptoms
service connected diabetes or type 2 diabetes can lead to multiple other medical conditions
one of the most common is peripheral neuropathy which impacts a veteran's peripheral nerves and
can cause numbness weakness and tingling in the upper and lower extremities usually in the feet
and hands typically lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is rated analogous to paralysis of
the sciatic nerve under diagnostic code 8520 at either a 10 20 40 60 or 80 level upper peripheral
neuropathy may be rated analogous to a condition under diagnostic code 8616 additionally service
connected diabetes may also lead to diabetic retinopathy erectile dysfunction or kidney disease
which veterans can receive service connection for another common condition is erectile dysfunction
which can be secondary to prostate cancer erectile dysfunction is typically given a non-compensable
rating the veterans who are service connected for erectile dysfunction may be eligible to
receive special monthly compensation at the K rate which is a level of special monthly compensation
that is added to the veterans monthly disability compensation in addition to their combined rating
another common secondary condition is hypertension veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder
or PTSD May develop hypertension in other words high blood pressure secondary to their PTSD this
can be due to the increased stress and anxiety experience due to the underlying condition which
may cause them to develop high blood pressure hypertension is rated based on blood pressure
readings under diagnostic code 7101 out of 10 20 40 or 60 rating finally the last secondary
claim we'll be discussing today is radiculopathy secondary to back conditions such as a herniated
disc or spinal stenosis radiculopathy is a nerve condition that occurs when a veteran's
spinal nerve is pinched resulting in weakness tingling or numbness in their legs or arms
radiculopathy can incur occur in the cervical spine thoracic spine or lumbar spine depending
on the location of the back condition and VA rates radiculopathy depending on the type and severity
so that wraps up our video on secondary claims that could increase your VA disability rating more
information about applying for secondary service connection and VA ratings can be found on our
website at cck-law.com backslash blog and also be sure to like this video subscribe to our Channel
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