If you were diagnosed with astigmatism that you think is related to your military service, you’ll want to understand the astigmatism VA rating and what disability benefits you may be entitled to.
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You injured your eye during your military training or service and now, years later, you can’t see correctly. You have blurred vision, which causes you to squint to attempt to focus. When you do this a lot, it causes headaches. Your vision doesn’t seem to be getting any better. It’s possible you’ve developed astigmatism. If so, you may qualify for astigmatism VA disability.
In this article about astigmatism VA ratings:
What is astigmatism?
Astigmatism is an imperfection in the curvature of the eye that results in blurred or distorted vision. It’s called a “refractive error.” It occurs when the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye, has an irregular shape (usually oval instead of round), preventing light from focusing evenly on the retina.
Signs of astigmatism are:
- Blurred or distorted vision
- Eyestrain or discomfort
- Headaches
- Difficulty with night vision
- Squinting
Astigmatism can cause nearsightedness or farsightedness. Some people are born with it, but it can also develop due to an eye injury, disease, or surgery.
Astigmatism VA rating
Astigmatism doesn’t have its own VA disability rating. However, you can still receive VA disability benefits for it if you can prove the condition is related to or was made worse by your military service. This includes if the astigmatism is related to another service-connected eye condition.
The VA rates eye conditions under the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Eye, based on visual impairment or incapacitating episodes, which means needing to visit a medical professional because of the severity of your symptoms. The ratings are as follows:
| Description | VA Rating | Monthly payment (vet only) |
|---|---|---|
| With documented incapacitating episodes requiring 7 or more treatment visits for an eye condition during the past 12 months | 60% | $1,395.93 |
| With documented incapacitating episodes requiring at least 5 but less than 7 treatment visits for an eye condition during the past 12 months | 40% | $774.16 |
| With documented incapacitating episodes requiring at least 3 but less than 5 treatment visits for an eye condition during the past 12 months | 20% | $346.95 |
| With documented incapacitating episodes requiring at least 1 but less than 3 treatment visits for an eye condition during the past 12 months | 10% | $175.51 |
Service connecting astigmatism
As noted above, you can service connect astigmatism if you can demonstrate that it resulted from or was aggravated by your military service. This means you must be able to link your vision problems to a service-connected condition, injury, or disease. To do that, you’ll need to tie the condition to an event during your service or show that your pre-existing astigmatism was made worse by your military service. This could be an eye injury, surgery, or even exposure to a toxin that’s known to cause eye damage.
Alternatively, if you already have a service-connected condition, like an eye injury or head trauma, that caused or worsened your astigmatism, you may qualify for a secondary service connection. A secondary service connection allows you to receive a VA disability rating for any health condition medically related to a service-connected condition.
You’ll need a doctor to diagnose the astigmatism and provide a medical nexus, which is a professional medical opinion linking your condition to your military service or any service-connected disabilities.
Additional evidence, such as military records and personal statements, can further strengthen your claim and help demonstrate a connection. You will file these statements with your VA disability claim.
Astigmatism DBQ
The Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) for eye conditions includes a section about astigmatism. A DBQ is a form that helps guide medical providers during a veteran’s health consultation. The doctor will use the form to record the severity of your condition, and the VA will then use the DBQ to evaluate your level of occupational and social impairment. If the eye condition is service-connected, the VA will use the information on the DBQ to determine your disability rating.
The DBQ typically includes sections that cover things like:
- Your symptoms
- A diagnosis
- Medications you’ve used or are using to treat the condition
- A description of the condition’s impact on your overall health and ability to function
Even if your health provider completes a DBQ form for you, the VA may still require you to attend a compensation and pension (C&P) exam as part of your claims process. If they request such an exam, you will want to make sure to complete it or your claim will be denied.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No, astigmatism doesn’t have its own VA disability rating. However, you can still receive VA disability benefits for it if you can prove that the condition is related to or exacerbated by your military service or if it’s connected to another service-connected condition.
The VA rates eye conditions based on the condition’s severity and impact on your vision or how often it needs treatment. Ratings consider factors such as incapacitating episodes that require a doctor’s visit, along with a veteran’s visual acuity, field of vision, and eye functionality. The VA rates many eye conditions using the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Eye, which provides a rating of 60%, 40%, 20%, or 10%.
Neil Woods
VA disability attorney
Woods & Woods
Neil Woods is the firm’s owner and president. He received his law degree from Western Michigan University.
