What is the va rating for gerd

Causes of GERD

GERD is an abnormal flow of acid from the stomach back to the throat.

Normally, food flows from your mouth to your esophagus. It then passes through the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES closes to trap the food and the acids that digest that food in the stomach.

When the LES doesn’t close properly during digestion, stomach acid can flow back into your esophagus, causing GERD.

Risk Factors for GERD

What leads to the LES failing to function properly? Scientists aren’t exactly sure. What they do know is that there are some risk factors correlated with GERD in adults.

Hiatal hernias are the top risk factor for GERD. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach gets displaced into the diaphragm.

Not all hiatal hernias lead to GERD, though, and not all people with GERD have hiatal hernias. Risk factors for developing a hiatal hernia include age, obesity, and the use of tobacco products.

Aside from hiatal hernias, the risk factors for GERD include:

Smoking
Eating large portions
Eating later in the evening
Having food triggers
Drinking alcoholic beverages
Drinking caffeinated beverages

Using certain medications may also make you more likely to develop GERD. For example, aspirin can cause acid reflux and GERD.

Here are some tips on your C&P exam from one of our VA disability lawyers.

Complications of GERD

Failing to get GERD treated can lead to complications like chronic inflammation.

Inflammation can, in turn, cause damage to the LES (Lower Esophageal Sphincter). When the LES gets damaged, it may produce scar tissue, which will restrict the esophagus and potentially lead to problems swallowing.

Another side effect of untreated GERD is the formation of ulcers. Stomach acid can irritate the esophagus to the point of creating an open sore.

This can also lead to difficulty swallowing as well as pain and bleeding.

Finally, if you don’t see a doctor for GERD, you could increase your risk of esophageal cancer. This is why it’s so critical to see your doctor as soon as you realize you’re dealing with GERD.

Esophageal Cancer, GERD, and Veteran’s Disability Benefits

GERD Treatments

The good thing about GERD is that it’s usually treatable with simple lifestyle changes. Quitting smoking, cutting back on alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, and avoiding food triggers can help reduce your symptoms.

Your physician may also recommend over-the-counter medications like antacids (e.g., TUMS) and H2 blockers (e.g., Pepcid). Over-the-counter or prescription proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) like Prilosec can offer the most significant relief.

If medication and lifestyle changes don’t alleviate your symptoms, your physician may prescribe surgery.

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GERD and PTSD

Research shows that digestive issues are connected to PTSD.

For example, a 2017 study found that Vietnam veterans suffering from PTSD had a 3–8x greater chance of developing stomach ulcers, IBS, or constipation.

Meanwhile, the same study showed that individuals with PTSD are 2 times as likely to develop GERD. This is because PTSD can cause an increase in stomach acid production. An overabundance of stomach acid can exacerbate GERD.

But increased stomach acid isn’t the only way PTSD connects to digestive issues like GERD.

Keep reading for three more reasons you may experience acid reflux after developing PTSD.

The Ultimate Guide to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) VA Disability Benefits

Do PTSD Medications Increase the Risk for GERD?

Many people who have PTSD also suffer from anxiety and depression.

A doctor will then prescribe medications to help treat those symptoms. Prescriptions for PTSD symptoms include anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants.

Diazepam (Valium) and Lorazepam (Ativan) are anti-anxiety medications known to cause GERD. Acid reflux is also symptomatic of tricyclic antidepressant use. This includes the use of imipramine (Tofranil) and amitriptyline (Endep).

A 2015 study found that people with anxiety had worsening symptoms of GERD. At the same time, people with PTSD who also suffer from depression have markedly higher rates of stomach acid production.

We can’t exactly say that PTSD symptoms like anxiety and depression cause GERD. But the correlation between these conditions is strong enough that the VA may grant a service connection for GERD secondary to anxiety and, therefore, PTSD.

Veterans and Anxiety: A Guide to Anxiety Disorders

What Is a Secondary Service Connection?

When determining disability ratings, the VA differentiates between direct and secondary service connections.

Direct service connections are conditions caused by an event during your service. PTSD caused by the trauma you experienced while on active duty is a direct service connection. A tank driving over your foot is a direct service connection.

A secondary service connection is a condition that develops because of the direct service connection. Your knee and lower back pain that happened due to the altered gait of your broken foot (that got run over by a tank) is a secondary condition.

The VA considers PTSD and GERD secondary to sleep apnea. Also, erectile dysfunction (ED) and diverticulitis are secondary to PTSD.

There’s even a growing body of evidence that GERD has a secondary service connection because hiatal hernia is secondary to PTSD.

Why? Many people diagnosed with PTSD also have PTSD secondary conditions. These disabilities are either caused or exacerbated by PTSD or medications taken for PTSD symptoms.

How to claim secondary service connection for a VA disability

How Secondary Disabilities Develop

Secondary service connections develop in one of two ways.

The first option is as a direct result of your direct service connection. The second option is as a result of medications you’re taking for your service-related disability. If you have to take medicine for a service-connected disability, the side effects of that medication are a secondary service connection.

80 Percent VA Disability Rating and Appeals

Is GERD a Secondary Service Connection to PTSD?

Yes, GERD is a secondary service connection to PTSD. Research shows that PTSD symptoms like anxiety and depression can lead to acid reflux. Plus, as we mentioned above, some medications for PTSD symptoms can cause GERD. If you search for GERD under VA Disability on Reddit, you’ll see a lot of examples of vets winning and losing cases involving PTSD and GERD together. If you want to see if they can combine to help you win your VA disability claim, call us.

How to Get a GERD VA Rating as Hiatal Hernia Secondary to PTSD

The VA Rating tables for 2021 do not have a specific GERD VASRD code (Veterans Affairs Schedule for Rating Disabilities). Instead, the VA will rate you for a hiatal hernia, which, if you recall, is the leading cause of acid reflux.

You can get a 10%–60% rating for hiatal hernia, depending on the severity of your symptoms. However, you must prove that you developed your hiatal hernia as a result of injury during your service.

Other direct service connections that include GERD as a secondary disability include:

Certain respiratory diseases causing violent coughing
Peritoneal adhesions leading to scar tissue on the LES
Hormone imbalances due to exposure to toxic chemicals
Non-PTSD medications with heartburn as a side effect

Otherwise, you must prove that your acid reflux is secondary to hiatal hernia, PTSD, the use of PTSD medications, or another acid reflux-related disability.

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.

Prove PTSD as a Service Connection

To receive a secondary service connection, you must be receiving benefits for your disorder already. This means you need to have a pre-existing PTSD or hiatal hernia diagnosis and benefits before you can apply for secondary service connection benefits.

If you need help applying for PTSD benefits, the lawyers at Woods and Woods LLC can help.

How to Apply for VA Benefits: A Guide for Veterans with Disabilities

Gather Evidence, a Diagnosis, and a Nexus Letter

Do you think your acid reflux symptoms stem from PTSD, PTSD medication, or another direct service connection disability? You can then apply for an increased VA rating.

First, you need to gather evidence of your secondary service connection. You’ll first want to get a formal diagnosis for GERD from your physician.

Your doctor should also provide a medical opinion that your acid reflux is due to PTSD symptoms, medication, or another direct service disability.

Sometimes, the VA might ask for additional evidence. This includes statements from family or friends about your GERD symptoms and when they began. A personal statement may also help determine your rating.

Using Lay Statements to Support Your VA Claim

File Form 21-526b Via Ebenefits

The final step in the process of filing GERD as a secondary service disability is submitting your claim. As with a direct service connection, you’ll have to file a VA form 21-526. You can file your claim online or in person at your local VA office.

Unfortunately, getting a secondary service connection benefit can be difficult. This is especially true if you’re filing your secondary service disability claim on your own.

Hiring an experienced VA benefits attorney can help you get approved the first time you apply. A lawyer may also help you improve your rating if you’re unhappy with the results of your application.

Call a VA Benefits Attorney Today

At Woods and Woods, the Veteran’s Firm, we’ve helped thousands of veterans with their VA disability applications and appeals. We’ve been adding staff and lawyers during the Covid pandemic to better serve disabled veterans in difficult times.

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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Frequently Asked Questions

If I already get VA disability for PTSD, do I have to start all over to add on GERD as a secondary service connection?

No, since you have already proven a service-connected disability, half of the work is all done! That doesn’t mean adding more will go fast. Talk to your doctor and make sure you are getting a VA rating for all of the conditions that you deserve. The more you can add-on at once, the less time you’ll have to wait to get the full compensation for your injuries.

Can you get VA Disability for GERD?

Yes, but you might have to call it something else. Since the VA doesn’t have a VASRD code for GERD, you’d get it for diagnostic code 7346: Hiatial Hernia. The VA gives a lot of ratings like that. If you have a service-connected disability that isn’t on their list, the VA is required to give you a rating based on the closest kind of condition that would end up with the highest rating. You can talk to our team for free and we’ll help you apply for the most accurate VA disability to your condition.

How do you prove GERD?

The three main tests used when GERD is suspected are esophageal pH monitoring, endoscopy, and manometry. Acid reflux diagnosis depends on whether you experience complications in addition to the classic symptoms.

Is it hard to get VA disability for GERD?

The lowest disability rating is awarded when GERD produces two or more of the symptoms at the 30% level, but with less severity. These symptoms result in a 10% disability rating for GERD and acid reflux VA disability benefits.

What VA percentage is acid reflux?

Typically, acid reflux is rated analogously to a hiatal hernia under 38 CFR § 4.114, Diagnostic Code (DC) 7346. Ratings under DC 7346 range from 10 to 60 percent disabling, and depend on the presence and severity of a variety of symptoms.

What is considered severe GERD?

Stage 1 (mild): A person has infrequent heartburn and regurgitation happening once or less each week. Stage 2 (moderate): A person has regurgitation or heartburn occurring a few times a week. Stage 3 (severe): A person has regular heartburn, a chronic cough, regurgitation, a hoarse voice, and regurgitation of food.