A veteran with service connected asthma can claim benefits from the veteran affairs department. The veteran affair will determine the benefits for you if your disease was caused due to the duty or worsened during this time. If the VA denies providing the asthma benefits then there can be some reasons. The veteran that does not provide complete medical information might not get the benefits. There should be a correlation between the asthma and service of a veteran.
How asthma is rated by the VA?
VA has determined the criteria that are two tests to determine a veteran’s rating for asthma Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV- and Forced Vital Capacity (FVC).
Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV-1). FEV-1 is the amount of air you can exhale forcefully in one second. These are codes that are assigned after the complete examination. It is important to check the complete medical history of a veteran. The rating for asthma ranges from o percent to 100 percent like any other disability rating given the veteran affairs department. for more detail visit diagnostic code 6602.
Vital capacity is the maximum amount of air that a person can inhale or exhale from the lung.
| Test | Result/Condition | Rating |
| FEV-1 | Less than 40% | 100% |
| FEV-1 | 40-55% | 60% |
| FEV-1 | 56-70% | 30% |
| FEV-1 | 71-80% | 10% |
| Test | Result/Condition | Rating |
| FEV-1/FVC | Less than 40% | 100% |
| FEV-1/FVC | 40-55% | 60% |
| FEV-1/FVC | 56-70% | 30% |
| FEV-1/FVC | 71-80% | 10% |
If FEV-1 and FVC tests are not done, asthma can be assessed based on the type of medication used to treat the condition or the severity of the condition based on the number of emergency room visits. In this case, the doctor must clearly document the complete history of the asthma attack.
| Test | Result/Conditions | Rating |
| ER Visits | 2 or more attack per week with respiratory failure that requires ER visits to save life | 100% |
| ER Visits | Requires monthly ER visits to save life | 60% |
| Test | Results/Condition | Rating |
| Medication | Requires daily high dose of steroids or immunosuppressive medications taken by mouth or injection | 100% |
| Medication | Requires the use of steroids or immunosuppressive medications taken by mouth or by injection 3 or more times a year | 60% |
| Medication | Requires occasional use of inhaled anti-inflammatory medicine | 30% |
| Medication | Requires daily bronchodilator therapy taken by mouth or inhaled | 30% |
| Medication | Requires occasional bronchodilator therapy taken by mouth or inhaled | 10% |
How do you prove asthma is service connected?
Following things are considered while rating the asthma disease:
- When the asthma attack occurs to a veteran
- When does a veteran need medical help to prevent the serious attacks
- When does a veteran need to use the asthma medicines
There are basically two methods that are used for the measurement of the severity of asthma attack. These methods are forced expiratory volume and forced vital capacity. These methods measure the amount of air that veteran inhales forcefully per second.
Related: Veteran Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006
How much disability a veteran gets for asthma?
The department of veteran affairs gives the ratings from 0 percent to 100 percent. This rating helps in giving the treatment as the ones having higher ratings need immediate treatment. Following ratings are provided:
- 30 percent disability rating to the person that has 70 percent bronchial asthma and needs medication on daily basis
- 60 percent disability rating is given to the veteran who requires a complete and thorough check up at least once in a month. There bronchial asthma is predicted at 40 percent or 50 percent.
- A 100 percent disability is given to the veteran who has forty % predicted asthma by the medical examiner. Such person gets asthma attacks at least once in a week. Dose is also required by such veterans every day to avoid respiratory failures.
What are the causes of service related asthma?
There are various causes that are the reason for service related asthma. Environmental factors play the major role in this cause. Dust and pollution in our environment is increasing day by day that badly affects the respiratory system of people. Asthma is also resulted due to the side effect of certain medications that we use for any other purpose.
Abnormal weather conditions such as less rainfall also give rise to such respiratory disease. Some people have asthma that runs in their family. Stress and allergies also cause this viral disease.
Some people get allergic asthma that only becomes severe under certain conditions. The deployment of a veteran can trigger the causes of respiratory disease that are discussed above.
Related: The Problems and issues Veterans Faced When Returning Home
Can veteran receive a disability check for asthma?
Veterans can receive the disability benefits for their asthma only of their disease is prolonged and attack occurs at least once in a week. The disease should be severe enough such that it requires an extensive treatment and medical care.
A veteran with 10 percent disability rating receives less medical care as compared to the one that has 100 percent asthma disability rating. The veteran who have less than 40 percent oxygen consumption can get immediate medical treatment by the veteran affairs department.
The department does not provide disability checks on monthly basis for this disease. However, full medical treatment is provided when the condition worsens. Medical checkup is also reimbursed by the veteran affairs department.
What are Common Secondary Conditions to Asthma
- GERD (acid reflux or heartburn)
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Depression and Anxiety
- Allergies
- Nasal polyps
- Vocal Cord Dysfunction (Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction)
- Asthma-COPD overlap syndrome
- Bronchiectasis
- Type 2 Diabetes
Sleep Apnea Secondary to Asthma
According to law See 38 CFR § 3.310(a), service connection is established on a secondary basis for a disability which is because of result of service-connected disease or injury.
In order to establish service connection on secondary basis it must requires to provide sufficient evidence as mentioned below:
- Medical diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Sleep Apnea may be due to proximately caused by or proximately aggravated by a service-connected disability. for detail see Allen v. Brown, 7 Vet. App. 439, 448 (1995).
In case if the positive and negative evidence provided by the veterans are approximate balance 50/50 of positive and negative, as per law (38 USCA § 5107; 38 CFR § 3.102; see also Gilbert v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 49, 53 (1990), the Secretary must give the priority of the doubt to the claimant.
To prove service connect Sleep Apnea secondary to Asthma, you will be asked for the Independent Medical Opinion (IMO) “Medical Nexus Letter” which will create link in between Sleep Apnea and Asthma.