Celiac Disease VA Rating

In May 2024, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs changed how it rates celiac disease. Instead of basing the rating on how closely its symptoms resemble other digestive disorders, celiac disease now has its own rating criteria. Also, the maximum disability rating had been 30 percent. Veterans with service-connected celiac disease may now receive up to an 80 percent rating.

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Key Takeaways

Veterans with celiac disease may now receive VA disability ratings of 30%, 50%, or 80% based on the severity of their symptoms.
Celiac disease in veterans may be triggered by stress, trauma, or infections related to military service.
VA ratings for celiac disease changed in May 2024, with higher percentages available for severe cases involving significant malabsorption and weakness.
Veterans can apply to increase their celiac disease rating if they were rated under the previous criteria.

You don’t have to do anything to change your celiac disease VA rating if you already have one. However, failing to do so could result in missing out on significant compensation and access to VA programs. If you have questions, Veterans Guide is here for you.

Celiac Disease and Veterans

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body to react adversely to gluten. Gluten is commonly found in wheat, barley, and rye, though it is also present in other grains. When gluten enters an affected person’s digestive system, it triggers the immune system to release antibodies to combat it. These antibodies damage the small intestines, preventing the body from absorbing nutrients as it usually would.

Celiac disease symptoms stemming from the damage to the intestines and the malabsorption of nutrients include the following:

Stomach pain
Gas
Bloating
Diarrhea
Fatty stool
Constipation

People with celiac disease may develop other disorders, such as iron-deficiency anemia, which can lead to headaches, mouth sores, fatigue, and other symptoms. It can also cause malnutrition, resulting in symptoms such as unintended weight loss, muscle wasting, and difficulty getting pregnant.

The VA classifies the inability to retain nutrients as malabsorption syndrome. The extent of your malabsorption and related symptoms dictates your disability level.

Why Might Veterans Get Celiac Disease as a Result of Their Service?

Many cases of celiac disease are related to genetics, and researchers have yet to pinpoint its exact causes. However, research has shown a marked increase in the rate of celiac disease among servicemembers. In addition to heredity, researchers suspect several factors impact the development of celiac disease. These factors could be related to military service and include the following:

Stress
Physical trauma
Gastrointestinal infections
Gut bacteria
Lack of access to a varied diet

Celiac disease may lie dormant, and exposure to risk factors in the military may trigger it. The VA created new celiac ratings in recognition of recent research and the debilitating effects of the disease. To receive a disability rating for celiac disease, you must establish a connection to your military service.

How Does the VA Rate Celiac Disease?

Until recently, The VA rated celiac disease with an analogous code, meaning it assigned a rating based on another condition that most closely matched the symptoms the veteran has, ranging from 0 to 30 percent.

However, the VA updated its ratings effective May 19, 2024. The agency now offers a three-tier rating system for celiac disease under Diagnostic Code 7355. It bases ratings on the extent of your malabsorption syndrome and the symptoms it produces. To qualify, you must have an endoscopy with biopsy or an appropriate serum antibody test that confirms your diagnosis. There are three possible VA ratings for celiac disease:

80% Celiac Disease VA Rating

An 80 percent VA rating for celiac disease requires malabsorption syndrome with weakness that interferes with daily living, weight loss resulting in wasting, and nutritional deficiencies. It also requires systematic manifestations of the disease, including the following:

Weakness and fatigue
Dermatitis
Lymph node enlargement
Anemia
Lactase deficiency or pancreatic insufficiency leading to diarrhea and abdominal pain

50% Celiac Disease VA Rating

To get a 50 percent VA rating for celiac disease, veterans must have malabsorption syndrome with chronic diarrhea that requires a special diet, deficiencies related to pancreatic and lactase insufficiencies, and systematic symptoms such as the following:

Fatigue and weakness
Lymph node enlargement
Dermatitis
Hypocalcemia
Low vitamin levels
Intestinal lining atrophy

30% Celiac Disease VA Rating

The VA gives a 30 percent rating for celiac disease when veterans have malabsorption syndrome with chronic diarrhea requiring dietary interventions but no nutritional deficiencies.

Celiac Disease as a Secondary VA Rating

The VA provides for secondary ratings when one recognized service-related disability leads to or aggravates another. For example, if other gastrointestinal issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome, are related to your celiac disease, the VA will combine the ratings.

When the VA combines your ratings, you may have access to additional VA compensation and programs. For example, a 30-percent celiac disease rating and a 30-percent irritable bowel syndrome rating lead to a combined rating of 50 percent. You can use our disability calculator to find the estimated change in your VA benefits.

Want to Increase Your VA Rating?

What if I Have a Celiac Disease VA Rating Under the Old Criteria?

The top rating for celiac disease was 30 percent. It now starts at 30 percent and includes ratings for 50 and 80 percent.

Veterans who received celiac disease ratings before the May 2024 update keep those ratings. The VA will not automatically update previously issued ratings.

However, you can apply for an increased rating if you have received your rating before May 2024 and believe you deserve increased benefits. Because the VA changed the rating system, the agency will treat your application as a new claim. You are not appealing your rating, which is a separate process.

How To File To Increase Your VA Rating

You can file for an increased rating using VA Form 21-526EZ online. You can also print the form and mail it to the VA or bring it to a regional VA office.

You must include medical evidence, which in the case of celiac disease includes a test or biopsy confirming your diagnosis. The VA will likely require that you undergo a new compensation and pension, or C&P exam so that a VA doctor can verify the diagnosis.

Include information regarding how celiac disease has affected your life and your ability to work. The highest rating requires an interference with daily living. The information you need to prove that your celiac disease is service-connected should already be in your file since you already have a rating.

Changes to celiac disease VA ratings are recent, and it is not unusual for veterans with the disease to have questions. Veterans Guide can help. We can connect you with resources and professionals who can answer your questions and guide you through the VA disability compensation process.

File a VA Claim for Celiac Disease

If you are filing your first claim to get a VA rating for celiac disease, the process is similar to that for increasing a VA rating. The critical difference is that you must include evidence that your disease is service-connected. To establish the connection, you may need to obtain a nexus letter from your doctor stating specifically how the circumstances of your service led to your disease. While nexus letters are not mandatory, you can have difficulty getting VA benefits without one.

If you started experiencing celiac disease symptoms while you were on active duty, your military medical records and buddy statements from people you served with can also substantiate your claim.

Once you file VA Form 21-526EZ with your supporting evidence, the VA will likely require an initial C&P exam. The exam will include tests or an endoscopy with a biopsy to confirm you have celiac disease.

Filing a VA Claim for Multiple Disabilities

If you have more than one service-related disability that qualifies for a VA rating, you can apply for them simultaneously. You may develop celiac disease and hearing loss or tinnitus from constant exposure to loud sounds. Both can be related to your military service without being related to each other. However, a secondary condition may develop later from an underlying service-related condition. In that case, you only need to prove that the secondary condition relates to the original condition.

Submitting your evidence and claims simultaneously may slow down an initial decision for one or both disabilities. However, your effective date for disability compensation depends on when you submit your claim. If you file within one year of separation, your effective date could be as early as the day after separation. Waiting to file can lead to not receiving potentially significant benefits for the full amount of time you’re entitled to receive them due to the delay.

If you need help or support while applying for a VA disability rating or want to learn more about VA ratings, appeals, and other issues, Veterans Guide can assist you.

Last Date Modified

September 22, 2024

Matt is a VA-accredited attorney who co-founded NAVDA in 2023. Matt has helped veterans with the VA disability appeals process since he became accredited in 2021.

On This Page

Celiac Disease and Veterans
Why Might Veterans Get Celiac Disease as a Result of Their Service?
How Does the VA Rate Celiac Disease?
What if I Have a Celiac Disease VA Rating Under the Old Criteria?
File a VA Claim for Celiac Disease

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