Va Disability For Secondary Hypertension
To receive a disability rating for PTSD secondary hypertension, your doctor needs to document your diagnosis of high blood pressure. Additionally, to file your claim, your doctor needs to fill out the Hypertension Disability Benefits Questionnaire. Its important to note that you cant fill out this form yourselfthe VA wont accept the form submitted by a veteran. It must come from a licensed physician.
When filling out the form, your doctor needs to include two important pieces of information:
- A detailed medical history about your condition, your symptoms, and any other relevant information that affect the decision by the VA.
- A professional opinion about how your hypertension impacts your ability to perform on the job.
The claims examiner reviews this information and assigns a disability rating for your high blood pressure.
First You Must Meet Social Securitys Basic Eligibility Requirements: 1 Your Medical Condition Must Prevent You From Working And Must Last At Least 12 Months Or Be Expected To Last 12 Months And 2 You Must Have Worked Long Enough At A Job Where You Paid Social Security Taxes
Social Security will review your medical records to determine if your disability matches one of their impairment listings. It will look for organ damage and whether your high blood pressure is under control. If high blood pressure has damaged your vision, Social Security will evaluate your disability under visual disorders if you have had a stroke caused by high blood pressure, your disability would be evaluated under neurological disorders.
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Applying For Social Security Benefits For High Blood Pressure
There are multiple ways to apply for Social Security disability benefits. You can apply at your local Social Security Administration office, via telephone at 888-772-1213, or online at www.ssa.gov .
Regardless of how you apply, you will need detailed information regarding your medical conditions and treatments to complete the application. Although the claims adjudicator will request your medical records, you can also submit any records that you have in your possession.
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How Do I Get Disability For Ptsd Secondary Hypertension Related To My Time In The Service
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that can occur after someone witnesses or experiences a life-threatening, traumatic, or terrifying event.
Veterans who suffer from service-connected PTSD may also suffer from secondary medical conditions, including hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. Untreated, high blood pressure can lead to vision loss, kidney and heart disease, and stroke.
According to research cited by the American Heart Association, soldiers in the U.S. military who were severely injured during the Afghanistan or Iraq wars or diagnosed with PTSD are at a greater risk of suffering from high blood pressure.
Additionally, researchers have found that soldiers who suffered from PTSD were up to 85 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure than those who didn’t have PTSD. The more severely injured the soldier, the more likely she was to have hypertension.
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes hypertension as a ratable illness, and you may be eligible for disability benefits if you suffer from this as a secondary condition. If you can prove your hypertension is related to your service-connected PTSD, contact an experienced VA disability lawyer to help file your claim for compensation.
Financial Impact Of Coronavirus
If your finances have been affected by coronavirus, you might be eligible for support from the government.
If you cant work and are on a low income, you might be able to get Universal Credit to help. If you dont have enough money to live on while you wait for your Universal Credit payment, you can ask for an advance payment. If youre self-employed and your ability to work has been affected by coronavirus, you may be able to access a grant through the governments Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
You might also be entitled to more help with your rent. The government has announced that the Local Housing Allowance will be increased to cover more peoples rents. The government has also announced that homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage due to coronavirus can still apply for a mortgage holiday with their mortgage provider until 31 October 2020.
- Find out more about work and coronavirus
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What Is High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure created by blood flowing through the circulatory system. BPH is measured using two readings: systolic and diastolic. Systolic pressure measures whether the heart is contracting and diastolic pressures show if the heart relaxes between beats.
The normal range for blood pressure is systolic pressure of 100-140 and a diastolic pressure of 60-90 and is read with the systolic number followed by the diastolic number such as 100 over 60 and written as 100/60.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can be either primary or secondary in nature. Primary hypertension means that HBP is happening without any other medical conditions. Secondary hypertension means that HBP is occurring as a result of another medical condition.
Secondary hypertension may be caused by kidney disease, heart disease or artery blockages, or a compromised endocrine system. Hypertension is more likely to occur in individuals who are obese or who have an adrenal gland disorder.
Va Disability Rating For High Blood Pressure
The hypertension VA rating depends on the severity of your high blood pressure. The VA using the 38 CFR 7101 Hypertensive Vascular Disease criterion.
The Code of Federal Regulations describes the rules from the Federal Government. The 38 CFR 7101 addresses hypertension and isolated systolic hypertension.
This code establishes the following rating criterion:
| Blood Pressure Reading |
|---|
| 10% VA Rating |
If you take blood pressure medicine that controls a diastolic pressure that was 100 or more, youre rated at 10%.
Hypertension or isolated systolic hypertension means abnormal readings taken two or more times. These readings must occur on at least 3 different days.
For the purposes of this code, hypertension is a diastolic pressure of 90 mmHg or higher. Isolated systolic hypertension is a predominant systolic pressure of 160 mmHg or higher. For systolic hypertension, the diastolic pressure is lower than 90 mmHg.
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Applying For High Blood Pressure Disability Benefits
Because high blood pressure can result in a number of different health complications, individuals must provide medical evidence that the condition is debilitating enough to prevent them from supporting themselves properly to receive disability payments. The application process for SSD benefits can be a long one and very confusing if you dont have help from an experienced advocate. If your application has been denied or you need guidance during the appeals process, the attorneys at London Disability can help. Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation.
Appealing Your Va Benefits Decision
If your condition worsened and prevents you from working, youre eligible to file an appeal. A VA benefits attorney can help you apply for the Total Disability Individual Unemployability benefit.
If you disagree with the VA disability rating, you may file a Clear and Unmistakable Error claim. This states that the rating is incorrect and should be set aside. Its the veterans duty to show that the C file facts and regulations or the VAs decision at the time of the ruling were wrong.
Its important to understand that CUE claims arent often approved. Thus, many veterans choose other legal approaches for appealing VA disability claims.
Incorrect back pay may present another reason for an appeal. All back payments should be from the effective date. Sometimes, the VA has an incorrect effective date which impacts the payment amount.
Whether you choose to file a VA disability appeal or a CUE VA appeal, you must begin within one year. This clock starts when you received the VA decision about your rating. Filing a CUE claim is a long process and may jeopardize your ability to later file a disability appeal.
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Pursuing Compensation For Service
While receiving a diagnosis of hypertension is an important part of pursuing a successful claim, veterans must also be able to make a connection between their high blood pressure and their time spent on active duty. VA maintains a list of presumptive service-connected conditions, which includes hypertension. If a veteran receives a diagnosis of this condition while on active duty or within one year of discharge, they may automatically qualify for disability benefits. There is also talk of adding hypertension to the presumptive list for veterans exposed to Agent Orange unfortunately, this proposal has been met with stiff resistance.
Otherwise, it would be necessary to sift through service records and identify a specific incident that may have caused the blood pressure problems. Relevant medical records can also establish when a high blood pressure issue may have begun. One of VetLaws qualified legal representatives can help former servicemembers gather evidence to prove their entitlement to service connection in an effective and thoroughly prepared appeal in the event of a denial.
How Cck Can Help With Your Hypertension Long
Insurance companies often try to look at claims as black and white and only evaluate the limitations that arise from a single diagnosis, rather than taking a claimants whole disability picture into account. At CCK, we understand how complications or underlying causes of a condition can often contribute to a disability claim. If you experience disabling symptoms resulting from hypertension but have been wrongfully denied, we can help file an administrative appeal with the insurance company and fight to get you the benefits you deserve.
A large part of the appeal process is gathering supportive evidence to prove to the insurance company that you meet its definition of disability and are entitled to benefits. The most common piece of evidence we gather is the medical records from your treating providers. As a patient, it is important for you to have open communication with your physicians and ensure they are documenting the symptoms, limitations, and medication side effects that you experience day-to-day. It is also important to tell them of any new or worsening symptoms that may be related to your hypertension. For example, if you are suddenly experiencing migraines that require you to lay down in a dark room for a few hours, you will want your doctor to note that in their medical records as evidence of your impairment.
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Agent Orange And Secondary Service
Diabetes: Agent Orange is responsible for giving untold numbers of troops diabetes. What many veterans dont realize is all the conditions caused by their diabetes may also be considered service-connected. For example, if you were in Vietnam and have diabetes that caused neuropathy, the latter is one of your secondary service-connected disabilities.
Heart Disease: Agent Orange is believed to cause heart disease. If you were a veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange and has heart disease, you could be eligible. You may also be eligible for any condition caused by heart disease. Some veterans may be able to secondary service-connect their peripheral artery disease, heart attack, and stroke to their service-connected heart disease.
Some veterans with serious mental conditions may have heart disease as a secondary service-connected impairment. Stress, depression, and anxiety can lead to heart disease and related conditions. Many mental conditions can lead to extreme strain on the heart and cardiovascular system.
Hypertension: Hypertension is generally service-connected through Agent Orange diabetes claims. Hypertension can be caused by diabetes. You can also service-connect impairments related to hypertension like aneurysms, damage to the heart, strokes, and kidney problems.
One of our VA disability lawyers goes over the Agent Orange Presumptive Conditions list in this video:
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What Is The Va Disability Rating For Hypertensive Heart Disease
Kidney disease is a broad term that can appear in several stages.
Acute Kidney Disease
Acute kidney disease, or acute kidney failure, occurs when the kidneys stop functioning suddenly. Symptoms of acute kidney failure typically appear within a few days and are often a result of another illness. Acute kidney failure is more likely to occur when an individual has another condition that requires hospitalization or intensive health care. This is a serious condition that requires immediate medical treatment.
Diabetic nephropathy
Diabetic nephropathy is the beginning of kidney disease. In a person with diabetes, it is a progressive kidney disease caused by damage to the capillaries in the kidneys glomeruli. Diabetic nephropathy is diagnosed when there is a presence of elevated urinary protein excretion , and when there is no other type of renal disease presence.
We will go over the connection between diabetes and kidney disease in more depth below.
Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease , also known as chronic renal disease, is a progressive loss of kidney function over a period of months or years. Individuals with diabetes or high blood pressure are screened for kidney disease, and if undiagnosed for a long period, may already be at the chronic stage by the time it is diagnosed.
There are 5 stages of kidney disease, each stage being determined by the glomerular filtration rate.
| Stage | |
|---|---|
| Less than 15 or on dialysis | Very severe or end-stage kidney failure |
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Service Connection In The Va Diabetes Claim
For Veterans who are trying to establish service connection for Diabetes, there are at many ways to skin the proverbial cat. Here are 4:
1) Get a copy of your C-File: I cant stress this enough. Without a copy of your C-File, you are battling the VA with blindfolds on.
2) Locate all references to the early symptomatology of diabetes in the military service and military medical records
3) Get copies of all of your private and post-service medical records.
4) Build a chain showing that the symptomatology of diabetes that first appeared in service continued from discharge until the actual diagnosis of diabetes.
To show that diabetes is secondary to another condition there must be some other injury which is already service connected, or which can be service-connected, and which is the cause of the Veterans diabetes.
I have seen many try to attempt this proof, and very few are successful.
#3:Service Connection by Legal Presumption.
If Diabetes is diagnosed in service, or if the symptoms of Diabetes present to a compensable degree within one year of discharge, the Veterans Diabetes will be presumed to be service-connected.
#4: Agent Orange Exposure.
On November 9, 2000, the VA announced that Vietnam veterans with Type-II diabetes would now be eligible for disability compensation.
So, for Veterans that set foot on soil in Vietnam, exposure to Agent Orange is presumed, and diabetes is then presumed connected to the Agent Orange exposure.
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Find Out If Your High Blood Pressure Can Qualify You For Benefits From Social Security Disability
By Alison Barjaktarovich, Contributing Author
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is defined as consistently having a blood pressure reading where either number is higher than 140/90. A normal blood pressure reading is under 120/80, and a blood pressure reading that falls between the two ranges is defined as pre-hypertension.
Hypertension affects a large number of Americans. In many cases, there is no clearly identified cause this is called essential hypertension. Some cases of high blood pressure are considered secondary hypertension because they are the result of another medical condition, such as kidney disease or adrenal gland disorders.
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Va Disability For Hypertension: Claim Eligibility Requirements
Your physician must clearly document your high blood pressure diagnosis before you can get a VA disability for hypertension rating. To file your VA disability for hypertension claim, you must:
Your doctor should measure your blood pressure twice or more daily on three different days to accurately diagnose your condition. The VA also asks for relevant information about any additional hypertension-related health problems. Your physician should include a detailed medical history and any conditions, symptoms, etc. that may influence the VAs determination decision. The VA also wants to hear your doctors professional opinion on whether hypertension affects your ability to work.
Detailed Va Disability Rating Criteria For Hypertension
| DC 7101, VA Rating for Hypertension: | VA Rating |
| Diastolic pressure predominantly 110 or more, or systolic pressure predominantly 200 or more | 20% |
| Diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more, or systolic pressure predominantly 160 or more, or minimum evaluation for an individual with a history of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more who requires continuous medication for control | 10% |
| Note : Hypertension or isolated systolic hypertension must be confirmed by readings taken two or more times on at least three different days. For purposes of this section, the term hypertension means that the diastolic blood pressure is predominantly 90mm. or greater, and isolated systolic hypertension means that the systolic blood pressure is predominantly 160mm. or greater with a diastolic blood pressure of less than 90mm. | |
| Note : Evaluate hypertension due to aortic insufficiency or hyperthyroidism, which is usually the isolated systolic type, as part of the condition causing it rather than by a separate evaluation. | |
| Note : Evaluate hypertension separately from hypertensive heart disease and other types of heart disease. |
VA Rating for High Blood Pressure Chart
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