After submitting your application to the VA, you’ll receive a letter informing you about whether or not you’ve been approved for certain veteran disability benefits. The letter will also give you a specific rating for your veteran disability, which ties into the type of benefits you’re entitled to receive.
This rating applies to the severity of your disability, and how disabled you are. The VA rates your veteran disability by reviewing all the medical evidence submitted with your claim. If you have more than one disability for which you’re applying, the VA has a combined rating table that determines a total rating from the multiple disabilities. However, that rating will never be more than 100%, and the VA will choose the highest rating available for the conditions.
The Rating System
The VA assigns ratings as a percentage, in increments from 10% to 100%. This veteran disability rating represents the amount of disability and how it impacts a veteran’s everyday life.
The VA’s Schedule Of Rating Disabilities is the rulebook in which medical conditions are individually rated. The conditions are rated according to the body system, such as cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive, and then individually by severity. The VA bases its rating on
For instance, in the section for Dental and Oral Conditions, the percentages for different conditions are arranged and rated accordingly:
• 9900—Maxilla or mandible, chronic osteomyelitis, osteonecrosis, or osteoradionecrosis of Rate as osteomyelitis, chronic under diagnostic code 5000.
• 9901–Mandible, loss of, complete, between angles, 100
• 9902—Mandible, loss of, including ramus, unilaterally or bilaterally:
• Loss of one-half or more,
• Involving temporomandibular articulation
• Not replaceable by prosthesis, 70
• Replaceable by prosthesis, 50
• Not involving temporomandibular articulation
• Not replaceable by prosthesis, 40
• Replaceable by prosthesis, 30
• Loss of less than one-half,
• Involving temporomandibular articulation
• Not replaceable by prosthesis, 70
• Replaceable by prosthesis, 50
• Not involving temporomandibular articulation
• Not replaceable by prosthesis, 20
• Replaceable by prosthesis, 10
If you have another condition such as diabetes alongside a dental condition, the VA rates diabetes separately and uses the combined table to calculate a total rating.
0% Disability Rating
Note that a 0% rating indicates that you will not receive payments even though the VA recognizes that you have a medical condition.
However, a 0% rating does render you eligible for other benefits, including:
• Free healthcare and prescriptions through the VA, if you meet the income requirements
• Higher priority for eligibility for healthcare
• Travel cost reimbursements related to medical care from a VA medical facility or a VA-authorized healthcare provider
• Automatic 10-point veterans’ preference while applying for employment with the federal government
• The right to apply for life insurance through the Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance Program (S-DVI)
• Admission to commissaries, exchanges, and morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) retail facilities, online and in-person
However, you can also file an appeal if you believe your disability should be rated higher than 0%.
Qualifying For Veteran Disability Benefits
Veterans who have a physical or mental service-connected disability that makes everyday responsibilities challenging may be eligible for benefits from the VA for that disability. The veteran must meet the criteria set out by the VA:
• A veteran who became injured and/or ill while serving
• A veteran whose injury or illness worsened while serving
• A veteran whose service-connected injury or illness was not obvious until after their separation date
When applying for VA disability benefits, you need to include medical evidence to support your claim, which can include:
• Military personnel records
• Military medical records
• All private medical records related to the condition that is not from the VA
• All VA medical records pertaining to the condition or related VA medical records that the VA can request on your behalf
Working with an experienced VA disability lawyer can make the process easier from start to finish.
Get Help From A Houston VA Disability Attorney
Whether you’re ready to start your application, need help with an appeal, or want to investigate a case review, we’re ready to assist. You do have the right to legal representation whether you’re starting your application, facing a hearing, or dealing with an appeal.
Call The Herren Law Firm in Houston at 713-682-8194 (or use our online contact form) to schedule your free consultation for VA disability and other benefits. Our contingency fee basis means you won’t owe a fee until we win your case, and there’s no obligation.
