


Once your service-connected condition is established, the VA then assigns you a disability rating based on the severity level of your condition. The VA disability attorneys at HNB know all the rules, links, exceptions and options to get you the support that your country owes you.Ĭontact Us Today! Veterans’ Disability Ratings and Autoimmune Diseases

You may have a lot of questions about what all of this means for you. With multiple sclerosis, you have seven years to show that presumptive service connection. If you develop lupus severe enough to qualify for benefits within a year of your military discharge, for example, the VA may conclude that your impairment is “presumptively” service-connected-and award you benefits. While the studies don’t directly prove that your autoimmune disorder was caused by your military service, the VA only needs to see a 50 percent probability that your disease is service-related.Ģ) Showing how the timing of certain autoimmune disorders connect to your serviceĪnother way to qualify for veterans’ disability benefits for some autoimmune diseases is to show close timing of your military service and the onset of your condition. More studies continue to reinforce these connections. If you are among those veterans, you may also have Gulf War-related impairments, such as exposure to burn pits. In 2015, results of a study of more than 666,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan showed that veterans with PTSD are twice as likely to have an autoimmune disease. If the VA denied your disability claim, saying your autoimmune disorder was not service-related, you might be able to submit a new claim that links your autoimmune disorder to a disability that was proven to be service-related, such as PTSD. Here are two ways to establish the links you need to get benefits:ġ) Tying your autoimmune disease to another, more easily recognized condition Researchers have developed many theories, each supported by some evidence, but they have not established definitive causes. Unlike a missing limb or PTSD, it can be tricky to establish the cause of an autoimmune disease. Getting veterans’ disability benefits (VA benefits) for autoimmune diseases can be difficult because you have to demonstrate that your condition is service-related.
BURN PIT DISABILITY PERCENTAGE HOW TO
How to Link Military Service Experiences to Autoimmune Disorders You have a disability related to your active-duty service that didn’t appear until after you ended your service (called a post-service disability claim)Ī veterans’ disability lawyer from HNB can take a look at your situation and let you know your best course of action for getting financial relief.You had an illness or injury before you joined the military-and serving made it worse (called a preservice disability claim), OR.You got sick or injured while serving in the military-and can link this condition to your illness or injury (called an in-service disability claim), OR.In addition, at least one of the following must be true: You must have a current illness or injury (known as a condition) that affects your mind or body, AND you must have served on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training. The basic eligibility requirements for VA disability compensation also apply to autoimmune diseases. The law for veterans’ disability also treats arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis. Examples of autoimmune disease include rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, thyroid inflammation and inflammatory bowel disease. When the immune system malfunctions, as in autoimmune disease, it attacks the body’s healthy cells, tissues or organs. It also attacks disease-causing changes inside the body, such as cancer cells. When the immune system is working correctly, it fights off foreign invaders-like viruses, bacteria or fungi-to keep you from getting sick. Getting VA benefits for an Autoimmune Disease
