How do PTSD and arteriosclerosis work together to affect my VA disability rating?
Current research supports the fact that PTSD impacts the cardiovascular health of veterans. An experienced VA lawyer can help you understand how to navigate the disability rating process and maximize your entitled disability benefits.
In this article about PTSD And Arteriosclerosis VA ratings:
- Keep Heart Disease in Mind with PTSD
- PTSD Increases Heart Disease Risk by 20%
- Service Connection Must Be Established
- Testing And Rating Your Heart Condition
- Disability Ratings For Heart Conditions Can Be Temporary
- TDIU for Heart Disease
- Compensation For Heart Conditions
- You Can’t Lose with a Free Call to a VA Disability Lawyer
Nearly 20 percent of military veterans have been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Over the past two decades, there has been increasing evidence of a strong association between PTSD and arteriosclerosis. Recurring PTSD symptoms such as intrusive memories, negative thinking, avoidance, and changes in mood and emotional reactions increase stress, which, in turn, raises cardiovascular risk.
Understanding how disability ratings are determined can go a long way in helping your VA disability case or appeal. In a study published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s National Institutes of Health, authors Dr. Donald Edmonson and Dr. Roland von Känel reveal how physiological and behavioral operations related to PTSD symptoms influence the risk of Cardiovascular Disease. Their findings show a direct correlation between PTSD and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis.
This may not come as a surprise to the hundreds of thousands of U.S. military veterans who suffer from PTSD. From upsetting nightmares and severe emotional responses to lack of interest in activities and feeling emotionally numb, veterans are often all too familiar with stress levels that result from PTSD. They are also well aware of how PTSD’s immunological, neuronal, and hormonal effects can, over time, damage their bodies.
Keep Heart Disease in Mind with PTSD
Knowing that cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide, prevention and support for U.S. veterans whose PTSD has put them at risk for diseases like arteriosclerosis are critical. Arteriosclerosis occurs when cholesterol builds up and plaque forms in the walls of arteries, causing an obstruction of blood flow.
The American Heart Association’s scientific research from 2010 showed that veterans with PTSD are twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease. Specifically, they identify PTSD as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This relationship has been confirmed by subsequent studies that report similar results for World Trade Center first responders, aortic dissection survivors, and women veterans.
Research outside of the American Heart Association has also recorded substantial evidence of how PTSD increases cardiovascular disease risk. In a 2007 study, medical data was gathered from almost 2,000 male veterans. These men were already a part of the VA Normative Aging Study. Even after adjusting for known coronary risks, they reported an 18 percent risk of coronary heart disease for men with PTSD.
PTSD Increases Heart Disease Risk by 20%
In another 2008 study involving male Vietnam War Army soldiers, PTSD participants were shown to have double the risk of heart disease over a period of 15 years following the war. Boscarino, the author of the study, also reported an increase of 20 percent risk of heart disease mortality.
Given the strong evidence that PTSD is a direct contributor to cardiovascular disease, it is fair to assume that disability benefits should include them. How arteriosclerosis affects your VA Disability Rating can be complicated, however. A closer look at disability ratings for heart conditions provides the details you need to be sure you receive the benefits you are entitled to.
In this video, one of our clients that was in the Navy didn’t realize the ringing in his ears was a VA disability until long after his service.
Service Connection Must Be Established
Veterans seeking VA disability benefits must first establish that their medical condition meets one of the following criteria:
- Was diagnosed while serving in the military
- Was caused directly by military service
- Was caused by a service-connected condition
- Was aggravated by service in the military
For someone with a heart condition connected to their PTSD diagnosis, there are three possible ways to establish a service connection.
1. Direct Service Connection
A direct service connection can be made if the patient already has a diagnosed heart condition. An established relationship can also be made if symptoms of the condition began while serving in the military, or if a currently diagnosed heart condition can be linked to an in-service event.
2. Presumptive Service Connection (Agent Orange)
Veterans who have been exposed to environmental hazards and chemicals may be eligible for a service connection. This involves proving that you served in a specific area where you were exposed to known hazards during a particular time frame. In other words, your presence presumes you were exposed.
Arguably, there are many possibilities of locations and times you may have been exposed to hazardous elements, particularly for those who served during the Vietnam War or between 1962 and 1975. Those who did may qualify for disability benefits for coronary artery disease as a presumptive service connection during this time.
One of our VA disability lawyers goes over the Agent Orange Presumptive Conditions list in this video:
3. Secondary Service Connection
When a condition already connected to service occurs or is aggravated, it may warrant a secondary service connection. Because research has established, at the very least, an aggravated relationship between heart conditions such as arteriosclerosis and PTSD, it seems likely that a secondary service connection can be found.
It may also be possible to establish that connection by showing that certain medications may have aggravated the condition. It is important to keep in mind that, even if your heart condition is not directly related to your time in service, it might be connected to another condition you acquired as a result of your time in service.
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Testing And Rating Your Heart Condition
The VA rates heart conditions according to the cardiovascular system schedule listed under 38 CFR § 4.104. Exercise tests, also known as metabolic equivalent tests (METs), measure the amount of energy your heart uses to perform specific physical tasks. Ratings are most commonly given in percentages, and the VA typically rate heart conditions at 0, 10, 30, 60, or 100 percent. These tests also determine when, during a particular exercise activity, a person responds strenuously.
A low MET rating is recorded for someone who quickly becomes short of breath, while a high rating is given to someone whose heart demonstrates higher functioning. The higher your rating is from METs, the lower your disability rating will be. Sometimes a patient receives a 100 percent disability rating if their tests indicate that they experience symptoms consistently after a minimally strenuous physical activity has begun.
Ratings are objective and also include evaluating other symptoms such as fainting, angina, dizziness, loss of consciousness, and fatigue. The tests also include interviews with the patient to refine the information into the most reliable rating possible. An experienced VA Disability Lawyer can help you understand what to expect in these interviews.
Here are some tips on your C&P exam from one of our VA disability lawyers.
Disability Ratings For Heart Conditions Can Be Temporary
A 100 percent temporary disability rating may be given for specific types of cardiovascular complications. They include:
Heart Transplant Temporary Disability
For one year after the surgery, veterans who undergo a heart transplant are entitled to a 100 percent temporary overall rating. After a one-year cycle, veterans will be re-evaluated and given a new rating.
Heart Attack Rating of 100% for 3 Months
For three months after a heart attack, a veteran will receive a disability rating of 100 percent. Based on the results from their MET testing, they will be re-evaluated and given a new rating.
Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator (ICD)
An implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) helps monitor a person’s heartbeat, much like a pacemaker. In particular, an ICD senses when a person’s heart rhythm is beating irregularly, too rapidly, out of control. An ICD gives the person a shock into their heart just as a defibrillator machine might do. Veterans are typically assigned a 100 percent disability rating for the time spent on an ICD.
Coronary Bypass Surgery
Similar to when a veteran has a heart attack, individuals who undergo coronary bypass surgery receive a 100 percent disability rating for three months after the surgery. At the end of three months, new tests are performed, and a different rating may be assigned.
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Having A Pacemaker Installed
A veteran earns a 100 percent disability rating for two months after surgery when fitted with a pacemaker. A pacemaker is positioned under the skin on the chest to help monitor a patient’s heartbeat. Depending on test results after the two months have passed, you may either keep your rating or be given a new one.
Heart Valve Replacement
When veterans undergo a heart valve replacement, they can receive a 100% disability rating during treatment and for six months following treatment. At the six months’ expiration, patients are retested and either given a new rating or remain at 100 percent.
TDIU for Heart Disease
In some cases, a veteran can be awarded a total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for their heart condition. This occurs when a veteran is unable to obtain substantially gainful employment due to their condition.
Heart conditions, in particular, can prevent a veteran from performing a wide variety of work-related tasks. When a veteran applies for and is granted a TDIU, they receive a 100 percent disability rating and are compensated monthly at that level.
Veterans who can’t hold down a steady job that supports them financially (known as substantially gainful employment) because of their service-connected disabilities are eligible for TDIU if they have:
- At least one service-connected disability rated at 60% or more disabling OR
- Two or more service-connected disabilities with at least one rated at 40% or more disabling and a combined rating of 70% or more
Compensation For Heart Conditions
The severity of your heart condition determines the amount of disability compensation you will receive. Depending on whether your heart condition rating is 10, 30, 60, or 100 percent disabled, you will receive one of four possible monthly compensation amounts. In other words, the higher the percentage, the more compensation you will receive.
Current compensations for heart conditions:
- $152.64 per month for a 10 percent disability rating
- $467.39 per month for a 30 percent disability rating
- $1,214.03 per month for a 60 percent disability rating
- $3,332.06 per month for a 100 percent disability rating
Additional benefits for household dependents are possible if you are rated at 30 percent or greater.
Here is a video explaining how the VA combined ratings table works from one of our Veterans Disability Lawyers.
Understanding that your PTSD and arteriosclerosis are used to determine your disability rating can increase the benefit amount you receive each month. Increasing scientific evidence surrounding how PTSD affects cardiovascular health provides the groundwork for you and your VA Disability Lawyer to begin the process of making sure you receive the proper rating and compensation.
You Can’t Lose with a Free Call to a VA Disability Lawyer
If you believe you are eligible for disability benefits, call us at (866) 232-5777 to schedule a free consultation. We provide free assistance for applying and never charge you attorney fees upfront. If we do not win a settlement, you do not pay.
At Woods and Woods, the Veteran’s Firm, we’ve helped thousands of veterans with their VA disability applications and appeals. Call us today to discuss your VA disability appeal or your first application. The call is free, and we won’t charge you a single fee until we win your case.
Call us today to discuss your VA disability appeal or your first application. The call is free and we won’t charge you a single fee until we win your case. We even pay for the postage for all of the documentation you send to our office. You can look for a VA disability attorney near you or call us and join the thousands of veterans living off of VA disability thanks to Woods and Woods.
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No, you can still get a rating for PTSD. There are a lot of cases that become partial wins instead of being denied altogether. Talk to a VA disability lawyer to make sure you have a strong case for all of your conditions.
Yes, if you were trying to get a direct service-connection for arteriosclerosis. But since it is a known side-effect of PTSD, it is easier to prove it is a secondary connected condition. It’s no guarantee or automatic rating, but it isn’t impossible because you have statistics on your side.