VA Secondary Conditions - Claiming and Rating Benefits
with PTSD, Depression, TBI, Pain, Anxiety...
It is important for veterans to understand what secondary conditions are with respect to VA benefits.
Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury, TBI, may also have depression, anxiety, headaches, and insomnia.
These are labeled as ‘secondary conditions’ by the VA.
And YES, they can be service connected and rated.
When veterans are able to get a secondary condition service related it can add to monthly VA benefits, and adds to a combined total rating. Veterans deserve compensation due to secondary conditions.
This can also include the diagnosis of PTSD.
Secondary conditions due to PTSD may include:
Conditions of depression.
Anxiety.
Insomnia.
Sleep Apnea.
Headaches.
Substance abuse.
Hypertension.
Irritable bowel syndrome, IBS.
Even health complications from cigarette smoking. All of these may be secondary conditions that can be proved and supported by a good Independent Medical Opinion or Nexus Letter.
These are secondary conditions, and can be diagnosed as such. But most doctors and evaluators do not know how to effectively use the VA guidelines to connect them to a service connected condition and rate them.
These diagnosis’ only become compensated secondary conditions if the symptoms and impairments can be ‘linked’ to an existing service connected disability.
There are many secondary conditions that can be rated and may apply to current service connected disabilities. These are non-service connected conditions that are produced by a service connected condition.
Here are just a few examples. First are listed the current service connected disability, what follows may be the secondary conditions.
Depression, and memory loss.
Depression, and insomnia
Chronic Pain, and depression
Chronic pain, migraines, and PTSD
Chronic pain, and insomnia
Chronic pain, and anxiety
PTSD, and migraines
PTSD, and hypertension
PTSD, and sleep apnea
PTSD, and IBS
PTSD, and COPD
Anxiety, and hypertension
(Chronic pain could be any physical injury that is service connected).
The above are actual secondary conditions that the VA has awarded benefits for.
There is documentation of the research and case law.
The VA has specific criteria for non service connected secondary conditions. If you want to read about the case that started this, it is Allen v. Brown, 1995.
Here is the VA criteria:
Secondary Service Connection Criteria
For secondary service connection to be granted, generally there must be (1) medical evidence of a current disability; (2) evidence of a service-connected disability; and (3) medical nexus evidence establishing a connection between the service-connected disability and the current disability. Wallin v. West, 11 Vet. App. 509, 512 (1998). When service connection is thus established for a secondary condition, the secondary condition shall be considered a part of the original condition. 38 C.F.R. § 3.310 (2012); Harder v. Brown, 5 Vet. App. 183, 187 (1993). Additional disability resulting from the aggravation of a nonservice-connected condition by a service-connected condition is also compensable under 38 C.F.R. § 3.310(a). Allen v. Brown, 7 Vet. App. 439, 448 (1995).
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Veterans deserve compensation for everything they have given to military service.

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