Plantar Fasciitis VA Rating: How DC 5269 Works
VA rates plantar fasciitis under its own diagnostic code, 5269, at 10, 20, or 30 percent. A 40 percent rating applies if you lose the use of the foot. Which level applies depends on whether one or both feet are affected and whether non-surgical and surgical treatment have both failed to bring relief. Plantar fasciitis […]
Secondary Conditions to Lower Back Pain: VA Guide
A secondary condition to lower back pain is a health problem that was caused or made worse by a back condition VA has already connected to your military service. Common examples include nerve pain down the leg (radiculopathy or sciatica), depression, sleep problems, and some joint or medication-related conditions. Each can be claimed and rated […]
Tinnitus Secondary to Traumatic Brain Injury: VA Claims
Tinnitus can be service connected secondary to a traumatic brain injury (TBI) when medical evidence shows your service-connected TBI caused it or made it worse. VA’s own rating instructions list tinnitus among the possible physical effects of a TBI, but tinnitus isn’t one of the conditions VA presumes are caused by TBI, so the claim […]
Sleep Apnea Secondary to Tinnitus: What the Evidence Says
Sleep apnea can be service connected secondary to tinnitus only if medical evidence shows your service-connected tinnitus caused it or made it worse, and current research does not establish that tinnitus causes obstructive sleep apnea. That makes this one of the harder secondary claims to support, so the quality of the medical evidence matters a […]
Hypertension VA Rating: DC 7101 Levels and Evidence
A hypertension VA rating is the disability percentage the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) assigns to service-connected high blood pressure, and it ranges from 0 to 60 percent based mainly on your recorded blood pressure readings and whether you need daily medication to control them. The rating level is separate from service connection, which decides […]
GERD VA Rating: How VA Rates Acid Reflux
VA rates gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) under diagnostic code 7206, with ratings of 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, or 80%. Since May 19, 2024, the rating depends mainly on whether you have a documented esophageal stricture (a narrowing of the esophagus, often from scarring) and how it’s treated, rather than on reflux symptoms alone. If you’re […]
Meet the Physicians Behind HealthSource
HealthSource Medical Associates is a physician-owned virtual practice led by two board-certified family physicians, Dr. Aaron Sartin and Dr. Sally Sartin, who work alongside licensed physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Key takeaways HealthSource was co-founded by Dr. Aaron Sartin, MD, and Dr. Sally Sartin, MD. Both are board-certified in Family Medicine, graduated from Loma […]
VA Supplemental Claim Timeline: How Long It Takes
A Supplemental Claim is how you ask the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take another look at a decision when you have evidence it has not considered yet. VA states that its goal for completing Supplemental Claims not related to health care benefits is 125 days, and VA reported an average of 58.3 […]
Nexus Letter for Tinnitus: What Veterans Need to Know
A nexus letter for tinnitus is a medical opinion that explains whether the ringing, buzzing, or hissing you hear is at least as likely as not connected to noise you were exposed to in service. If your service records show loud noise but no ear complaints, or your symptoms started years later, a well-reasoned opinion […]
PTSD Secondary Conditions: A VA Claims Guide
A PTSD secondary condition is a health problem that your service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused or made worse. Veterans commonly claim conditions such as sleep apnea, high blood pressure, acid reflux, migraines, erectile dysfunction, and irritable bowel syndrome secondary to PTSD. Research links PTSD with several of these conditions, but the strength of that […]