Asthma VA Disability Rating
Asthma is one of the most common conditions asserted in VA disability claims due to the frequency at which veterans are exposed to respiratory irritants on the job. Depending on the severity of your condition, Veterans Affairs rates asthma as 10, 30, 60, or 100 percent disabling.
The attorneys at Veterans Guide can help you apply for VA benefits for your asthma, increase an existing VA rating, or file a claim appeal.
Asthma Symptoms in Veterans
Respiratory illnesses such as asthma are common in veterans due to the many types of contaminants military personnel may encounter daily during their service. Environmental factors such as sandstorms, burn pits, and airborne toxins may cause or worsen respiratory issues that can have lasting effects.
Asthma causes your airways to swell, narrow, and overproduce mucus, making breathing difficult. Most people associate asthma with coughing, but other symptoms can also impact veterans’ lives. Signs of asthma include:
- Chest tightening
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- Sleep disturbances caused by excess coughing or difficulty breathing while asleep
- Fits or attacks of coughing that are difficult to control
The impact of asthma on a veteran’s life varies significantly depending on its severity. Many people experience mild asthma with occasional coughing that can be managed with an inhaler. However, severe cases of asthma can be deadly due to difficulty breathing and maintaining a safe oxygen level.
If your asthma regularly disrupts your daily life, your medication isn’t working, you need an inhaler more often, or your condition suddenly worsens, you may be eligible for VA benefits.
How Does the VA Rate Asthma?
Depending on the severity of your symptoms, asthma can be rated as 10, 30, 60, or 100 percent disabling. The VA determines your rating using the following two tests:
- Forced Expiratory Volume, or FEV-1, which measures your capacity to exhale forcefully compared to the average person’s ability
- Forced Vital Capacity, or FVC, which determines the maximum amount of air your lungs can hold.
The VA determines ratings using the following scale:
- 10%: The veteran must show an FEV-1 score of 71 to 80 percent, an FEV-1/FVC ratio of 71 to 80 percent, or the need for an inhaler.
- 30%: The veteran must show an FEV-1 score of 56 to 70 percent, an FEV-1/FVC ratio of 56 to 70, the need for an inhaler on a daily basis, or the need for anti-inflammatory medication.
- 60%: The veteran must show an FEV-1 score of 40 to 55 percent, an FEV-1/FVC ratio of 40 to 55 percent, monthly doctor’s visits to manage symptoms, or at least three courses per year of steroid treatment.
- 100%: The veteran must show an FEV-1 score of less than 40 percent, an FEV-1/FVC ratio of less than 40 percent, daily need for corticosteroid or immunosuppressant treatments, or more than one asthma attack per week with episodes of respiratory failure.
How Can I Get a VA Disability Rating?
To get a VA disability rating, you must prove your disability is service-connected, meaning your condition directly resulted from your military service.
Asthma is now a presumptive condition under the PACT Act. If you developed asthma after serving in the Gulf War or any post-9/11 combat zone, including Iraq and Afghanistan, your asthma is presumed to be connected to your service due to your high risk of burn pit and toxin exposure. In this case, you do not need to submit proof of service connection to qualify for asthma disability benefits.
Even if these conditions do not apply to you, your asthma may still be due to your service, typically through prolonged exposure to respiratory irritants while on the job. You can prove that your military service caused your asthma by providing service records, medical records, statements from family and friends about your condition, and similar evidence with your VA disability application.
Whether your asthma is a presumptive condition or not, an attorney can help you determine the kind of documentation you need and collect additional evidence.
Secondary Conditions to Asthma
If you have multiple service-connected injuries or illnesses, you may be eligible for a combined disability rating based on a secondary condition. A secondary condition may result from an underlying service-connected disability. While they might not have directly resulted from your service, they can be triggered by a primary service-related condition.
Depending on its severity and the nature of your symptoms, asthma can be either a primary or a secondary condition for VA benefits.
- Conditions secondary to asthma often include the following:
- Respiratory issues such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD
- Digestive conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD
- Sleep disturbances such as sleep apnea
- Mental conditions such as anxiety or depression
Asthma can cause or exacerbate all of these problems due to its impact on your daily life.
Asthma can also be a secondary condition to many of the same illnesses. For example, GERD can cause asthma when stomach acid irritates the airways. Anxiety can cause or exacerbate asthma through hyperventilation and panic attacks.
If you think you may be eligible for a secondary disability rating, Veterans Guide can help.
Filing a VA Disability Claim for Asthma
Two key parts of filing a disability claim for asthma are the Compensation and Pension exam, commonly called a C&P exam, and the disability benefits questionnaire, or DBQ. Both of these processes give the VA a more complete picture of the nature and severity of your disability.
The C&P exam is a medical evaluation conducted by a VA doctor to assess your disability and determine whether it is service-connected. While C&P exams are not the only part of an examination that matters, refusing a C&P exam can have significant consequences for your application and commonly results in denial.
The DBQ is a self-reporting form on which you further describe your disability, attach medical records, and offer evidence of your condition beyond the C&P exam. The DBQ is similarly a critical part of the application process.
Common Reasons for Denying Asthma Disability Claims
Common reasons for a denial of a VA disability claim for asthma include the following:
- Insufficient medical evidence. If you haven’t provided a complete medical record or the VA doctor who conducts your C&P finds your claim is unfounded, it will be denied.
- Lack of testing. Similarly, if you’ve never undergone medical tests for your condition, the VA is likely to deny your application. Medical examinations are a critical part of being approved for benefits. Testing is especially important if you seek eligibility for benefits under the PACT Act. While the PACT Act has significantly broadened access to disability benefits for veterans with asthma, you still must establish the nature and severity of your condition.
- Insufficiently severe symptoms. The VA may deny a benefits application if it does not believe your disability significantly impacts your life.
- Discrepancies in documentation. Even if you have submitted a complete medical record, your records might not show a severe impact on your life or an adequate correlation between your asthma and your military service.
What To Do if My Asthma Disability Claim Has Been Denied
When evaluating applications, the VA considers many factors. However, their decisions aren’t always correct. You have options if your VA disability claim for asthma has been denied. An experienced attorney can work with you to manage the VA appeals process from beginning to end.
Your attorney can help you understand the reasons for the denial, gather additional evidence and information from sources such as independent medical exams, and, if necessary, represent you in the appeals process.
Receiving a VA benefits denial doesn’t mean your chances at disability compensation are over. At Veterans Guide, we’re proud to serve those who served our country. We work hard to help our clients secure the benefits they deserve. Contact us online today for help increasing or appealing your VA rating.
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