130,000 veterans in the United States are legally blind. Over a million have trouble seeing and are unable to perform daily tasks without assistance.
When most people think of VA eye disability ratings, they think of blindness and low vision. This makes sense, as these conditions are the most common that would make work and caring for oneself independently difficult, and in some cases, impossible.
But what happens if you returned from service with a secondary eye condition that isn’t blindness? How does this affect your disability rating?
In this post, we’ll discuss secondary medical issues related to your eyes, and how they can affect your disability rating. Read on for more.
What You’ll Find in This Article on VA Ratings for Scleritis
- What Are VA Eye Disability Ratings?
- Disorders Resulting from Service: Exploring Scleritis
- What Is Scleritis?
- Symptoms of Scleritis
- Scleritis, Secondary Eye Conditions and VA Disability Ratings
- How the VA Quantifies Treatment
- Be Aware of “Hidden Eye Disorders” That May Affect Your VA Rating
- Hidden Eye Disorders and VA Eye Disability Ratings
- Other Disabilities and Your Total Disability Rating
- How Does the VA Decide How Much You’re Owed for Your Disability?
- Navigating the VA and Its Military Benefits
What Are VA Eye Disability Ratings?
Disability ratings may seem clinical and impersonal, but they help the VA, or US Department of Veterans Affairs, better understand how you will be compensated.
For instance, if you have a complete loss of vision due to your military service, and you are unable to work, you may receive a disability rate of 80% or 90%, indicating that you’re unable to care for yourself.
If you suffer from something like excess tears or floaters, which were caused by your military service, you may receive a lower rating, like 10%. This is because while this condition impacts you in some way, you are still 90% able-bodied despite them.
Disorders Resulting from Service: Exploring Scleritis
While vision loss or obstruction is one of the most common eye issues, there are many others that affect veterans. Often, the veteran’s disability rating ranges from 10% to 60% when it comes to secondary eye disorders or infections from their service.
Scleritis is one more of the infections and diseases that veterans suffer from as a result of their service or may occur during their service.
So what is scleritis and how does it affect a veteran’s disability rating? Let’s break it down.
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What Is Scleritis?
Scleritis is an inflammation of the deep episclera and sclera. It is vision-threatening and has the potential to destroy tissue within the eye itself. It can often be difficult to pinpoint where or when the person acquired the disease, especially if they are otherwise healthy. Scleritis is much more common in those who have autoimmune diseases already such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and granulomatosis with polyangiitis. However, in some cases, the scleritis can be infectious, and individuals in the service may get it from others they work with or share equipment with.
In 90% of scleritis cases, the damage is done in the front of the eye, compared to 10%, which is dubbed posterior scleritis.
75% of cases are non-necrotizing, meaning that the eye is not “killed” during the progression of the disease, while 25% of the cases are necrotizing and will likely lead to some, if not total vision damage.
Most cases of scleritis are only in one eye, but it can spread to both.
It may be difficult to get 100% TDIU from one disability, but here one of our VA disability lawyers talks about common disabilities that add up to a 100% combined rating.
Symptoms of Scleritis
Many people who have scleritis can already identify it because they have had a case previously. But if it is someone’s first experience with the condition, it can be difficult to deduce its symptoms.
Scleritis typically has a gradual onset. You likely won’t just wake up one morning with a red-eye and know that you have scleritis.
The most common symptom is an “eye ache” that is worse with movement. The ache may also be felt in one’s brow or jaw. The eyeball itself will also be tender to the touch.
The individual will also have a sensitivity to light, especially in the eye where they are feeling the pain. You may experience excess watering of the eye, which is technically known as epiphora.
You may also experience partial or full vision loss, that may or may not be temporary.
Additionally, your eye will often be incredibly red.
It is important to see an eye doctor immediately if you suspect you have scleritis. This eye condition can be treated with steroids and immune suppressants, and the majority of people do recover without vision loss.
Scleritis, Secondary Eye Conditions and VA Disability Ratings
Now that we’ve discussed scleritis in detail, how does it affect your VA disability rating? What if you struggle with blurred vision or floaters? How do these issues affect your VA disability rating?
As we’ve discussed previously, your VA disability rating will be personal to you. As such, it is important to remember that even if you and a friend both suffered from scleritis, it does not necessarily mean you’ll receive the same disability rating.
With scleritis, there may SMC or Aid and Attendance monies available because scleritis may cause possible blindness.
Typically, when it comes to VA classifications and eye conditions, it deals with the number of “episodes” you’ve had per year. This can sound a bit murky, so it is usually categorized in the following manner.
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How the VA Quantifies Treatment
The top VA rating is for you if you’ve been incapacitated more than seven times in a given year. Incapacitating events will have medical records or some kind of recorded event when you called into work or asked your doctor for a prescription over the phone.
The next level is episodes that have occurred more than five but less than seven times (each case documented) and have required more than five but less than seven treatments. These episodes must have happened in one 12 month period.
The VA also has a category for those who have had three documented episodes, but less than five.
Finally, the lowest scale for these episodes is more than one but less than three documented episodes and treatments within a year.
Generally, eye conditions merit a 10% to 60% rating. However, this is only a general range, as some people may have eye conditions giving them a 100% disability rating.
Here is a video explaining how the VA combined ratings table works from one of our Veterans Disability Lawyers.
Be Aware of “Hidden Eye Disorders” That May Affect Your VA Rating
There are several eye disorders, with scleritis being one of the most common, that can affect veterans.
In 2010, on National Public Radio, Staff Sgt. Jay Wilkerson discussed the fact that he experienced what is known as a “hidden eye disorder” as a result of his service. In fact, according to Wilkerson, this isn’t completely uncommon. Soldiers may return to their lives after service thinking that head or eye injuries have not caused trauma to their vision, but later find this is not the case.
According to the chief of ophthalmology at the time at the VA Palo Alto, many servicemen and women return, telling their doctors they’re doing just fine. But when tests are done, they, in fact, are not.
They may find that they’re unable to see things they used to, or that they bump into walls or are unable to see their hands at particular times. While some soldiers may chalk it up to PTSD, oftentimes, the problem is with the brain or the eye itself.
Many times, these disorders can be corrected with proper eyeglasses or other device or interventions.
Hidden Eye Disorders and VA Eye Disability Ratings
Some of these so-called hidden eye disorders may go undetected, which may result in a veteran receiving VA disability ratings higher than necessary.
While the goal is never to have the veteran receive less than they’re owed, it is important to remember that sometimes hidden disabilities can be detected and treated. With interventions, these disabilities can be corrected, and therefore, the veteran won’t need money provided by the VA and can go on and live life fuller than they previously expected.
Your VA disability rating for dry eye syndrome, VA disability for eye floaters and VA disability rating for light sensitivity could be affected by finding out a hidden disorder is the cause of your eye issues.
Here are some tips on your C&P exam from one of our VA disability lawyers.
Other Disabilities and Your Total Disability Rating
The VA factors in other disabilities caused by military service to get your full disability rating. They aren’t added up but combined using the VA Combined ratings table. VA Math doesn’t always make sense, so make sure you combine your ratings using our VA disability calculator instead of directly adding 70+20+10 and hoping to get 100% disability. (Those ratings combine to give you an 80% VA Rating! See what I mean?)
Use our VA disability calculator to estimate your
combined VA rating and monthly payment
If you do not have a lawyer or expert to help you break these numbers down for your situation, it can seem a little bit confusing. For example, if you have scleritis and eye floaters as a result of your service, you may receive a score of 10% for each.
Typically, the VA will round up to which disability has the highest percentage. So if you’re otherwise disabled almost completely, an eye condition may only give you a little bit more compensation.
It is important to remember that disability ratings may be different for different veterans, even those with the same or similar conditions. That is because while the VA does calculate your disability on a numerical scale, disability is not necessarily something that can be painted with a broad stroke.
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
Here is a video explaining how the VA combined ratings table works from one of our Veterans Disability Lawyers.
How Does the VA Decide How Much You’re Owed for Your Disability?
The VA uses the percentages discussed above to help determine how much money you’re owed for your disability. However, this isn’t the only thing they take into account. While this is a great indicator of how well you’re able to function, it isn’t the only thing.
You may be paid extra for other severe disabilities or loss of limbs due to service.
The pay you are entitled to will also vary depending on how many dependents you have, including children and adults such as older parents. Children who are of age but still dependent on you will also be taken into account.
Navigating the VA and Its Military Benefits
Hopefully, this article has illuminated some aspects of VA Eye Disability Ratings, though we understand most people will still have more questions due to the complex and impersonal nature of the rating system.
The VA can be difficult to navigate on your own, and that’s where we come in. If you still have questions about the VA and your current eye condition or conditions, we urge you to contact us right away. You may even be entitled to more than you realize, and we also help with appeals processes.
Here one of our VA disability lawyers goes over the questions Woods and Woods, The Veteran’s Firm, is often asked about veterans’ disability claims and appeals.
Yes, the VA gives veterans a rating for eye conditions like floaters, chronic pink eye, and other problems caused by their service. Some even get ratings even though they can receive some types of treatment.
Some eye conditions can heal and go away, but it’s still worth applying for even if you only get it once a year. Some conditions worsen over time, and having a 0% rating will at least help increase your rating as your conditions worsen with age.