Are you a veteran suffering from the skin condition psoriasis? If it was caused by Agent Orange or exposure to other chemicals while you served our country, you should qualify for VA disability benefits.
Many former Army and Marine veterans experienced exposure to chemical or environmental hazards while on active duty. The “Blue Water Navy” has also been included in just the last few years. These exposures can lead to skin conditions that develop or worsen while working in the military. Not to mention, mental stress and trauma from service can also aggravate skin conditions, even after the time in the military has ended.
In this article about VA ratings for psoriasis:
- What Is psoriasis?
- What causes psoriasis?
- What are the symptoms of psoriasis?
- What types of psoriasis are there?
- What are the recent VA rating updates for skin disorders?
- How does the VA rate skin conditions?
- How do I establish a service connection for a skin condition?
- What is pyramiding?
- VA rating for skin condition
- 60% VA Rating for Psoriasis
- 30% Psoriasis Rating
- 10% Rating for Psoriasis
- 0% VA Rating for Psoriasis?
- Claiming a VA disability rating for psoriasis
What Is psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a skin condition that leads to red, itchy, and scaly patches. This most commonly appears on the knees, elbows, and scalp.
Psoriasis is a chronic disease without any cure. It usually goes through cycles, aggravating skin for a few weeks or months. Then, it subsides for a while or goes into complete remission.
Psoriasis can make daily life difficult for people, but treatments are available to help patients manage the symptoms. It’s also possible to incorporate lifestyle habits and coping strategies to manage better with psoriasis.
What causes psoriasis?
Psoriasis is known to be an immune system issue that makes the skin regenerate at a quicker pace than usual. In the most common type of psoriasis, which is known as plaque psoriasis, this fast turnover of cells leaves scales and red patches on the skin.
It still isn’t clear what directly causes the immune system to glitch. Researchers determine that both genetics and environmental factors play a part. Many people who are susceptible to psoriasis may not experience symptoms for years until an environmental factor triggers it.
Common triggers of psoriasis include:
- Infections, such as strep throat or other skin infections
- Weather, especially cold, and dry conditions
- Wounds on the skin, such as a cut, scrape, or gash, a bug bite, or a severe sunburn
- Stress
- Smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke
- Heavy alcohol use
- Medications, such as lithium, high blood pressure medications, and antimalarial drugs
- Quick withdrawal of oral or systemic corticosteroids
If you have psoriasis, you’re also at a higher risk of experiencing other conditions. These include:
- Psoriatic arthritis, which causes pain, rigidity, and swelling in and around the joints
- Eye infections, such as conjunctivitis, blepharitis, and uveitis
- Obesity Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Cardiovascular disease
- Other autoimmune diseases, including celiac disease, sclerosis and the inflammatory bowel disease called Crohn’s disease
- Mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression
What are the symptoms of psoriasis?
The signs and symptoms of psoriasis often vary from person to person. Common signs and symptoms include:
- Red patches of skin covered with dense, silvery scales
- Small scaling areas (commonly seen in children)
- Dry, cracked skin that can bleed or itch
- Itching, burning, or discomfort of skin
- Thickened, bumpy, or ridged nails
- Swollen and rigid joints
What types of psoriasis are there?
Various types of psoriasis vary in severity. The kind of condition you suffer from can affect your VA disability psoriasis rating.
The types of psoriasis include:
Plaque Psoriasis
Plaque psoriasis is the most frequent type of psoriasis. This form causes dry, raised, and red skin lesions that are covered with silvery scales. The patches may be itchy or tender. There may be lots of them or just a few.
These skin plaques usually appear on the elbows, knees, and the lower back and scalp.
Nail Psoriasis
Nail psoriasis affects the fingernails and toenails. It leads to pitting, abnormal nail growth, and discoloration. Nails may loosen and dislocate from the nail bed. In severe cases, the nail may crumble.
Guttate Psoriasis
This type of psoriasis usually affects young adults and children. It often develops from a bacterial infection like strep throat. Guttate psoriasis usually involves small, drop-shaped scales on the torso, arms, or legs.
Inverse Psoriasis
This form of psoriasis usually affects the skin folds of the groin, buttocks, and breasts. It often creates smooth patches of red skin that aggravate with sweating and friction.
Fungal infections can trigger inverse psoriasis.
Pustular Psoriasis
Pustular psoriasis is a rarer type of psoriasis. It creates clearly defined pus-filled lesions that develop in widespread patches or on smaller spots on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet.
Erythrodermic Psoriasis
Erythrodermic psoriasis is the rarest type of psoriasis. The condition can cover the whole body with a red and peeling rash that can itch or burn deeply.
Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis leads to swollen and painful joints that resemble symptoms of arthritis. Sometimes the joint symptoms are the sole symptom or sign of psoriasis. In other cases, only nail changes are noticed.
Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and the condition can affect any joint. Psoriatic arthritis can lead to rigidity and progressive joint damage that in severe cases, can lead to permanent joint damage.
What are the recent VA rating updates for skin disorders?
Before we discuss psoriasis military disability benefits, it’s important to highlight the latest updates on how the VA rate skin disorders.
In August 2018, VA released updates of all the 15 body systems included in the Veterans Affairs Schedule for Rating Disabilities. This was to reflect modern medicine more precisely and to provide clear rating decisions.
In line with the updates, the VA changed how it evaluates conditions linked to the skin. No skin disorders were removed from the new rating system for skin conditions, but some diagnostic codes were adjusted.
Rating submissions made before August 2018 are determined under both the old and new rating criteria. Whichever score is more favorable to the veteran is used.
Using the new rating schedule for skin conditions, the VA works to differentiate between disorders that affect a substantial surface of the body, or the entire body, and diseases that are localized or need localized treatment.
Here one of our VA disability lawyers goes through the Agent Orange presumptive conditions list for Vietnam and Korean War veterans.
How does the VA rate skin conditions?
The VA organizes military skin conditions under 38 CFR § 4.118, Diagnostic Codes 7800-7833. Psoriasis is either ranked under the basic rating system, or as scars or disfigurement, depending on which best describes the condition.
If psoriasis is rated as scars or disfigurement, the final code will look something like 7816-7801. The first four-digit code identifies the condition as psoriasis, and the following four-digit code explains how the disease is rated.
If psoriasis causes symptoms that affect other areas of the body apart from the skin, the symptoms can be rated separately. If you have psoriatic arthritis, for example, you can receive a second rating under code 5002 for rheumatoid arthritis. That’s because psoriatic arthritis is ranked as rheumatoid arthritis.
When evaluating a claim for benefits, the VA looks at several factors. These include whether psoriasis has caused symptoms and discomfort beyond the skin, such as weight loss or fever.
Depending on the quality of your medical diagnosis and evidence, and how psoriasis affects your functionality, you can receive anything from the maximum to the minimum impairment rating for psoriasis.
Like other skin conditions, the VA rates psoriasis based on the amount of skin affected. The VA rates this using two procedures of determination: calculations and estimations.
Skin area calculations assess the surface area in inches squared that’s damaged. Skin area estimations look at the percentage of skin that’s affected. For former service members with scars in the head, face, or neck, their ranking is based on skin injury and how many facial features are affected.
VA ratings for skin damage on other parts of the body other than the head, face, or neck are typically based on the lesion or scar’s size.
Here one of our veterans’ disability lawyers explains how multiple ratings can be combined for a higher rating.
How do I establish a service connection for a skin condition?
To receive disability benefits for psoriasis, former service members must prove a direct service connection to the skin condition.
Veterans must show the following:
- A current diagnosis of psoriasis
- An in-service event, severe injury, or illness related to psoriasis
- A medical correlation linking the present and diagnosed psoriasis to the in-service event, severe injury, or illness
The more proof of a psoriasis condition, the better. Veterans must also be specific about the event or experience that caused them their condition. Include as much evidence as possible that shows that a military incident led to the condition, rather than anything else.
For the best chance of success, a VA disability lawyer can help former service members submit a winning appeal to receive a grant of VA disability benefits for psoriasis.
What is pyramiding?
Skin conditions are challenging to categorize fairly. That’s because each state often has many different causes and symptoms.
Often, the cause of a skin disorder is unknown. Because of this, there’s rarely one definite, tried, and tested definition for each skin condition.
As skin conditions are so difficult to classify and feature numerous causes and symptoms, many veterans experience issues of pyramiding. This is the VA term for ranking the same disability or characteristic of a disability twice.
Multiple ratings for skin conditions are possible, however. But, this is only if each disorder has a precise diagnosis, and if each condition affects a different area of the skin. For one condition that alters various parts of the skin, a single score is offered under that condition, but it accounts all affected areas.
For various conditions that affect one area of the skin, the VA will only score the one that provides a higher rating.
We work hard to review our clients’ cases so that we avoid pyramiding and get the highest ratings we can. Since the VA issues ratings based on the condition and not the exact diagnosis (especially with skin conditions) we will look over all of them instead of focusing in on just psoraisis.
Here is a review from a veteran that used Woods and Woods to help with his claim.
VA rating for skin condition
The VA General Rating Formula for the skin is used to rate most skin conditions as the following:
60% VA Rating for Psoriasis
Rating 60% – at least one of the following: clear cuts involving more than 40% of the body or more than 40% of evident areas affected. There is consistent or near-consistent systemic treatment including, but not limited to, corticosteroids, biologics, photochemotherapy, phototherapy, retinoids, and psoralen with long-wave ultraviolet-A light (PUVA), or other immunosuppressive drugs required over the previous 12-month period.
30% Psoriasis Rating
Rating 30% – at least one of the following: clear cuts involving 20 to 40% of the body, or 20-40% of evident areas affected. Or, systemic treatment including, but not limited to, corticosteroids, phototherapy, retinoids, biologics, PUVA, photochemotherapy, or other immunosuppressive drugs needed for a total period of six weeks or more, but not consistently, over the previous 12-month period.
10% Rating for Psoriasis
Rating 10% – at least one of the following: clear cuts involving at least 5%, but less than 20%, of the body affected. Or, at least 5% but less than 20% of evident areas affected. Or, intermittent systemic treatment including, but not limited to, retinoids, biologics, photochemotherapy, corticosteroids, phototherapy, PUVA, or other immunosuppressive drugs needed for a total time of fewer than six weeks over the previous 12-month period.
0% VA Rating for Psoriasis?
Rating 0% – no more than topical applications required over the previous 12-month period. At least one of the following: clear cuts involving less than 5% of evident areas affected. Or, rate as deformity of the head, face, or neck (DC 7800) or scars (DCs 7801, 7802, 7804, or 7805), depending upon the prevalent disability.
Systemic treatment refers to any treatment injected or taken by mouth, through the nose, or anally. This includes, but isn’t limited to, the procedures recorded within the ranking criteria. Topical treatment is any medication used directly on the skin.
Claiming a VA disability rating for psoriasis
If you need help claiming a VA disability rating for psoriasis, consider speaking to an attorney.
If you have psoriasis, a VA disability lawyer can help you receive a grant of benefits and receive the most compensation for which you deserve.
The VA impairment rating measure stretches from 0 to 100% in increases of 10%, and each rating on the scale relates to a monthly benefit level. Make sure that you receive a high enough ranking to receive compensation for your psoriasis.
Here at Woods Lawyers, we’ve been helping veterans obtain the VA rating they deserve for years. We have the skill and experience to give you the support and assistance you need. Get in touch to see how we can help you.
Frequently asked Questions about Psoriasis VA Ratings:
Yes, it is. You have to be diagnosed with it and show the nexus for the service connection, but the VA grants ratings for Psoriasis for many veterans every year. Let’s look over your case or your appeal.
Keep a journal of how your psoriasis flares up and especially how that affects your daily life. If you are applying for PTSD or depression as a secondary condition, emphasize how psoriasis made you feel. Take pictures of your condition and show them to the doctor when you can.