Saturday, April 20, 2024

Va Disability Rating For Hepatitis C

It’s Time To Get The Benefits You Deserve

Social Security Disability Hepatitis C and a Path to Approval

Suze Orman shares how to get disability benefits in less timeâwith no out-of-pocket costs

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    Organic Diseases Of The Central Nervous System

    8000 Encephalitis, epidemic, chronic.

    8210 Tenth , paralysis.

    8211 Eleventh , paralysis.

    8212 Twelfth , paralysis.

    8305 Neuritis, fifth cranial nerve.

    8307 Neuritis, seventh cranial nerve.

    8309 Neuritis, ninth cranial nerve.

    8310 Neuritis, tenth cranial nerve.

    8311 Neuritis, eleventh cranial nerve.

    8312 Neuritis, twelfth cranial nerve.

    8405 Neuralgia, fifth cranial nerve.

    8407 Neuralgia, seventh cranial nerve.

    8409 Neuralgia, ninth cranial nerve.

    8410 Neuralgia, tenth cranial nerve.

    8411 Neuralgia, eleventh cranial nerve.

    8412 Neuralgia, twelfth cranial nerve.

    What Are Infectious Diseases Immune Disorders And Nutritional Deficiencies For Va Rating Purposes

    Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders, and Nutritional Deficiencies can display a vast range of symptoms throughout the human body. Infectious Diseases can spread through various means, and include bacterial, parasitic, and viral infections whereas Immune Disorders are conditions that attack the immune system and make the body more susceptible to infection. Nutritional Deficiencies happen when the body is not getting enough nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, etc.

    6300 Vibriosis .

    6302 Leprosy .

    6304 Malaria.

    6305 Lymphatic filariasis, to include elephantiasis.

    6306 Bartonellosis.

    7541 Renal involvement in diabetes mellitus type I or II.

    7542 Neurogenic bladder.

    7544 Renal disease caused by viral infection such as HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C.

    7545 Bladder, diverticulum of.

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    Va Disability Claim List By Body System

    Did you know there are more than 900 conditions eligible for compensation in the official VA disability claim list?

    In this post, we reveal and explain the complete VA disability conditions list by body system and diagnostic code.

    Dont forget that to be eligible for VA disability compensation, you must first have:

    • An honorable or other than honorable discharge
    • Medical diagnosis of a disability condition
    • Nexus for service connection either directly related to military service, secondary to another condition, or a presumptive disability, and
    • Current symptoms of the condition that negatively affect your work, life, and/or social functioning

    Va Service Connection For Nerve Damage

    Hepatitis C Disability Benefits for Vietnam Veterans and ...

    Service connection for nerve damage can be established in a number of ways however, arguably the most common way to do so is on a secondary basis. Secondary service connection can occur in the event that a veterans already service-connected condition causes or aggravates a non-service-connected condition. Conditions that are service-connected on a secondary basis are rated the same way as other service-connected conditions. Obtaining secondary service connection for nerve damage would mean that a veteran would have to first be service-connected for a condition such as diabetes or cancer . If a veteran is service-connected for their diabetes or cancer, and subsequently develops nerve damage, they should get secondary service connection for their nerve damage.

    However, veterans can also establish service connection for nerve damage on a direct basis. Doing so entails the following: providing evidence of a current diagnosis of nerve damage providing evidence of an in-service event, injury, or illness and providing a medical nexus opinion linking the diagnosed nerve damage to the in-service incurrence.

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    Va Ratings For Hepatitis C

    The VA uses 38 CFR § 4.114, Schedule of Ratings Digestive System, to rate Hepatitis C. They break down the ratings as follows:

    • 100%: Near-constant debilitating symptoms
    • 60%: Daily fatigue, malaise, and anorexia, with substantial weight loss , and hepatomegaly, or incapacitating episodes having a total duration of at least six weeks during the past 12-month period, but not occurring constantly
    • 40%: Daily fatigue, malaise, and anorexia, with minor weight loss and hepatomegaly, or incapacitating episodes having a total duration of at least four weeks, but less than six weeks, during the past 12-month period
    • 20%: Daily fatigue, malaise, and anorexia , requiring dietary restriction or continuous medication, or incapacitating episodes having a total duration of at least two weeks, but less than four weeks, during the past 12-month period
    • 10%: Intermittent fatigue, malaise, and anorexia, or incapacitating episodes having a total duration of at least one week, but less than two weeks, during the past 12-month period
    • 0%: Nonsymptomatic

    This is the same ratings schedule that the VA uses for other chronic liver diseases like Hepatitis B.

    What Is Hepatitis C

    Hepatitis C virus is a condition marked by inflammation of the liver and sometimes leads to serious liver damage. The hepatitis C virus spreads through contact with infected blood or contaminated IV needles, razors, tattoo equipment, or other similar items. The early symptoms of this condition are often very mild, including: vague abdominal discomfort, fatigue, and joint pains. People can carry the virus for years without knowing. Over time, the virus can cause more serious health problems such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. VA officials report an unusually high rate of hepatitis C in United States soldiers and veterans.

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    Ready To Get The Va Rating And Compensation You Deserve

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    Can I Obtain Va Disability Benefits For Hepatitis Or Other Chronic Liver Disease

    VA Disability Rating Re-Examination: Items to Consider

    Yes, VA disability benefits for hepatitis or liver disease may be available.

    You will need to prove that you were in the military, your hepatitis or liver disease originated or was aggravated while you were on active duty, you were continuously treated for your hepatitis or liver disease since leaving the service , and you are currently disabled by your hepatitis or liver disease.

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    Alcohol/drug Use And Cancer

    Excessive alcohol use can cause cancers in many places, such as the mouth, esophagus, breast and digestive system.

    There are many other complications from alcohol and drug abuse, from diabetes to even orthopedic problems caused by intoxication. Infectious diseases, such as HIV or Hepatitis C may be the result of intravenous drug use, and veterans with drug problems have gotten these disabilities service-connected in the past.

    It is important for the VA to recognize that alcohol and substance abuse are NOT moral problems in those with mental illness, but are as much a part of the disease process as any other symptom. It is even more important for veterans with substance abuse problems to receive the treatment and care that they need and deserve.

    Compensation For Vets With Intestinal Tract And Liver Problems

    At The Rep For Vets, our highly qualified VA-accredited claims agents help military veterans with diseases related to the stomach, intestinal tract and liver. Our claims agents help these veterans get the disability compensation they deserve for a broad range of problems, including the ones listed below:

    • Peptic ulcer disease
    • Viral infections of the liver, like hepatitis C and hepatitis B
    • Inflammatory bowel disease
    • Intestinal and liver complications of AIDS
    • Chronic abdominal pain
    • Chronic constipation

    Our VA-accredited claims agents represent veterans throughout the United States with injuries and disabilities that keep them from doing the things they once enjoyed. Claims agents offer effective advocacy that helps vets beat the red tape.

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    Hepatitis C And Vietnam Veterans

    Hepatitis C has been linked to improperly administered air inoculation guns. Some veterans who received inoculations were exposed to bloodborne pathogens when guns were not properly sterilized and cleaned.

    A blood test will indicate if there are any levels of the HCV antibody. Once infected, a person may not immediately show symptoms of the disease. Instead, they can appear later on in the form of fatigue, nausea, flu-like symptoms, jaundice and even depression. If you are noticing these symptoms, please consult with a licensed physician as soon as possible.

    Va Disability Ratings For Diabetes

    SHOCK

    Like other VA disabilities, to receive disability compensation, a veterans diabetes type II diagnosis must be proven to be connected to his or her service in the Armed Forces, via a letter or nexus from an expert or physician citing that the condition is more likely than not connected to military service. If the diabetes is diagnosed while on active duty, or within a year of his or her Expiration of Term of Service , it may be easier to make the connection.

    Personal records may be sufficient to determine the diagnosis of diabetes otherwise, It may require a VA examination. It is important, when making a claim, that a veteran provide detailed records or evidence of the ongoing condition, symptoms, required treatments, hospitalizations and physical complications related to the diabetes. You will also be required to include dates and details on your service periods, as they relate to your diagnosis.

    The one major exception to having to prove that diabetes mellitus is service-connected is if the veteran served in Vietnam and was exposed to Agent Orange. In this case, the VA automatically presumes an existing connection between this service and the diagnosis. To be eligible for diabetes mellitus disability benefits in this situation, the veteran must have physically served or visited the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975 and have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

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    Alcohol Use And Cardiovascular Effects

    Chronic alcohol abuse is terrible for your cardiovascular system. Drinking can elevate triglycerides in the blood, and cause hypertension, anemia, stroke, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, and even sudden cardiac death. Drinking also tends to lead to obesity, which can aggravate cardiac problems further. Many other drugs of abuse, such as stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamines, can cause severe heart problems as well.

    Tropical Diseases Service Connection Is Presumed With A Time Limit

    The veteran must have 90 continuous days or more of service. The disorder or disease must manifest disability to a degree of 10% or more within one year from date of separation or at the end of the standard incubation period. Disorders or diseases caused by treatment may also be considered service-connected. Because service connection is presumed, it is not required to produce evidence for service connection only evidence of the manifestation of the disorder or disease. Manifesting does not necessarily mean medical diagnosis, only that evidence shows the existence.

    • Amebiasis.
    • West Nile virus.

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    Va Disability For Your Hepatitis C Claim

    The VA includes hepatitis C in its disability ratings schedule, listing it under the Digestive System section. However, because the disease can be silent in the body for a long period of time, many soldiers who have contracted the virus dont know it and arent diagnosed with the disease until years after being discharged. Because of this, veterans find it more difficult to demonstrate what the VA calls continuity of symptomatology. This is a pattern of treatment that would have started for a soldier during active service and then continued after they returned home. Consequently, veterans have had a harder time with their disability claims for hepatitis C.

    What Are Disabilities Of The Skin For Va Rating Purposes

    Hepatitis C: Maurice’s Story

    The Skin is the largest of the bodys organs and its primary purpose is protection. Skin conditions for VA rating purposes can vary immensely in size and severity. VA disabilities of the Skin include burns, scars, eczema, infections, and cancers, among others.

    7800 Burn scar of the head, face, or neck scar of the head, face, or neck due to other causes or other disfigurement of the head, face, or neck.

    7801 Burn scar or scar due to other causes, not of the head, face, or neck that are associated with underlying soft tissue damage.

    7802 Burn scar or scar due to other causes, not of the head, face, or neck that are not associated with underlying soft tissue damage.

    7804 Scar, unstable or painful.

    7805 Scars, other and other effects of scars evaluated under diagnostic codes 7800, 7801, 7802, or 7804.

    7806 Dermatitis or eczema.

    7807 Leishmaniasis, American .

    7808 Leishmaniasis, Old World.

    7811 Tuberculosis luposa .

    7813 Dermatophytosis.

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    Request For Reevaluation Or Change For An Existing Benefit

    Changes to an existing benefit represent about 63% of all claims pending for approval. Veterans already on claim are getting older and in many cases their disabilities are increasing in severity. If they have legitimate medical or work-related evidence of an increase in disability, there is a possibility for an increased rating and more monthly income.

    It can also work in the opposite direction. Sometimes, a request for reevaluation of a rating can result in downgrading that rating or even reevaluating whether a service connection exists. We have heard of veterans not only losing the rating but losing the service connection and the entire award. You should always be careful in requesting a change that you have a legitimate increase in disability and that a reevaluation won’t reduce your existing award. If you have been service-connected for at least 10 years, that service connection is protected and VA cannot take it away from you. If you have had the same rating for at least 20 years, that rating is protected and VA can only increase it but not decrease it.

    If you have developed a disability that has been aggravated or caused by a service-connected disability, do not continue in this section. Instead, go to the section above that is devoted to this type of claim “#6 Secondary Service Connection or Aggravation of an Existing Condition.”

    What Are Gynecological Conditions And Disorders Of The Breasts For Va Rating Purposes

    Gynecological Conditions and Disorders of the Breasts include the organs that can only be found in a female body and are used for sexual and reproductive purposes. It is made up of the breasts, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vulva, clitoris, vagina, and cervix.

    7610 Vulva or clitoris, disease or injury of .

    7611 Vagina, disease or injury.

    7612 Cervix, disease or injury.

    7613 Uterus, disease or injury.

    7614 Fallopian tube, disease or injury.

    7615 Ovary, disease or injury.

    7617 Uterus and both ovaries, removal.

    7618 Uterus, removal.

    7619 Ovary, removal.

    7620 Ovaries, atrophy of both.

    7621 Complete or incomplete pelvic organ prolapse due to injury or disease or surgical complications of pregnancy.

    7624 Fistula, rectovaginal.

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    Veterans Risk For Hepatitis C

    The VA reports an unusually high rate of hepatitis C in the United States veterans. Approximately 230,000 veterans are infected with it and there is an estimated 50,000 more who carry the virus without knowledge.

    Statistics show that people born between 1945 and 1962 make up the largest group of people affected by hepatitis C. Coincidentally, this is also the generation which consists of many veterans who served in heavy combat wars, such as the Vietnam War. The high incidence rate likely has to do with the following factors:

    • Exposure to blood during combat
    • Receiving blood transfusions before blood products were screened
    • Unsafe immunization techniques
    • Large battle wounds

    Chronic Viral Hepatitis Infections

    Fillable Va Form 21

    Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. If lasting more than about 6 months, it may be termed chronic. Prolonged hepatitis can lead to cirrhosis.

    Although there are several different types of viral hepatitis infections, chronic viral hepatitis infections are commonly caused by hepatitis C virus , and to a lesser extent, hepatitis B virus . Usually, these are slowly progressive disorders that persist over many years during which the symptoms and signs are typically nonspecific, intermittent, and mild .

    The spectrum of these chronic viral hepatitis infections ranges widely. Some patients may have no symptoms others may have only mild to moderate symptoms. Some may develop cirrhosis, end stage liver disease with the need for liver transplantation, or liver cancer.

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    Acute Subacute Or Chronic Diseases

    5000 Osteomyelitis, acute, subacute, or chronic.

    5001 Bones and Joints, tuberculosis.

    5002 Multi-joint arthritis , 2 or more joints, as an active process.

    5003 Degenerative arthritis, other than post-traumatic.

    5004 Arthritis, gonorrheal.

    5009 Other specified forms of arthropathy .

    5010 Post-traumatic arthritis.

    5012 Bones, neoplasm, malignant, primary or secondary.

    5013 Osteoporosis, residuals of.

    5024 Tenosynovitis, tendinitis, tendinosis or tendinopathy.

    5025 Fibromyalgia.

    5054 Hip, resurfacing or replacement .

    5055 Knee, resurfacing or replacement .

    5056 Ankle replacement .

    5104 Anatomical loss of one hand and loss of use of one foot.

    5105 Anatomical loss of one foot and loss of use of one hand.

    5106 Anatomical loss of both hands.

    5107 Anatomical loss of both feet.

    5108 Anatomical loss of one hand and one foot.

    5109 Loss of use of both hands.

    5110 Loss of use of both feet.

    5111 Loss of use of one hand and one foot.

    The Link Between Mental Health Issues And Substance Use

    The VA has shown that there is a strong correlation between mental health and substance and alcohol use disorders:

  • More than two of ten veterans with PTSD also have a substance use disorder
  • War veterans with PTSD and alcohol problems tend to binge drink in response to bad memories of combat trauma
  • Almost one in three veterans seeking substance abuse treatment also has PTSD
  • The amount of veterans who smoke is almost double for those with PTSD compared to those without a PTSD diagnosis and
  • One in ten veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have a problem with substances and/or alcohol.
  • Filing a claim for compensation can help provide options for veterans with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. First, a medical evaluation can be conducted to determine the extent and primary diagnosis. An independent medical exam can often be utilized if a VA C& P examiner decides that the veterans substance use disorder precipitates their mental health disorder.

    Most psychiatric treatment providers working with co-occurring disorders understand that there is usually a mental health disorder that causes the need for coping mechanisms, which is what the substance and alcohol use disorder usually stems from, a need to find a way to cope with something. Ensuring that an evaluation is done by a specialist who understands the concepts of co-occurring disorders is vital to a veterans claim.

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