Do secondary claims increase overall percentage?

[Rakkasan]

I am currently rated 70% for PTSD and was going to file ED and GERD as secondary to the PTSD. Would the VA group all the secondaries into the 70% or would the VA add the ED and GERD as separate percentages to increase my overall percentage? I am not sure I worded this correctly so I hope it goes through well.

[Gastone]

If awarded, ED is an SMC K (add $10?.00 per mos) Award, not an SC%.

What's the deal with the GERD Secondary Filing? I thought you had SMRs showing treatment and meds for GERD while on active duty? For a Secondary to PTSD, it would have had to present and be DX'd after the PTSD DX, not before.

The GERD, if Awarded would be a separate SC% that would be added (Using VA Math) to determine your New CSC % Rating.

[john999]

When you file for secondary conditions you almost always need a medical opinion to show the nexus, current disability and to review SMR's to make the linkage needed for secondary conditions.  After I was DX'ed with DMII due to AO I did file 7 more claims as secondary.  I needed medical opinions on each one even the ones that were obvious.  I also had to go for C&P exams for each one and  VA doctors did not  agree that my PN was due to DMII.  I was examined by a neurologist who was overruled by a VA GP.  More appeals etc.   The VA did add actual percentage ratings to my overall rating which hit 90% and is frozen until I can get another 50% somehow, but I am not trying too hard.  Eventually I had TDIU plus 60% and should have gotten  SMC  S,  but I even had to claim that since VA neglected to award it to me.  I think the VA is so backlogged they don't even look at old claims.  I got my S but it was treated as a CUE.  With ED they give you a 0% rating and SMC  K which is around $100 a month.  If you have GERD treatment or DX in your SMR's then claim it not as secondary.   Secondary will cost you an IMO probably since you must make the linkage between PTSD and GERD.  It is possible but you have to prove it with medical evidence.

[Carl the Engineer]

I have done very well with my secondaries.  And won with my private medical records only.  I have not had to use a IMO or and IME as of yet.  And, yes the secondaries are added on unless of course they cause piramiding and then you get the higher of the two.

My most advantagous secondary was when I claimed heart disease second to my high  blood pressure.  I was service connected for high blood pressure at a 0% compensation rating, and was awarded 30% for heart disease secondary 8 years later.  This was my error and did not realize how claims work and should have did it much earlier.  So, in this case a 0% service connected disablilty got me a 30% increase.

Also, my service connected right shoulder got me my left shoulder and righ elbow, both secondary service connected, at 10% and 20% respectively.

And, my sevice connected cervical got me my thoracic/lumber secondary service connected at 20%.

And, I almost forgot, my right foot got me my left foot, but a 0%, so the fight goes on...

In the end, I did get a 30, 10 and two 20's from my secondaries.  So without my secondaries, I would be at 50%, now I am at 80%.  A big difference.

And this process takes time when you are "nickle and diming" it, as one of the expert's once touted on the radio program.  My biggest win is one 30%'er.

Hope this helps,

Hamslice

 

[Buck52]

 I agree with Hamslice when you are nickel & diming it,and John999 and Gastone make some good points here!

 and yes I went with the private Dr 's on all my secondary's...for all you Younger Veterans that have a low rating 10's 20's 30's ect,,ect,, Think about any secondary you may have and definitely file a claim for it...when you get older it will make it easier/better to get to the 100% b/c it may take years to get to 100%...eventually you will make it.

 

jmo

[john999]

I was SC'ed for DMII and then got a 60% rating for secondary CAD. I did not claim CAD.  What a CT scan showed was that I had some calcification of my veins and arteries in my left leg.  That is what I claimed as secondary to DMII.     I am not sure how the VA ended up with the 60% rating for CAD.   I did not argue since it got me "S".     I got this done back about 8 years ago when VA doctors were being allowed to help vets with medical opinions regarding claims.  My regular VA GP created the best medical opinion out of her computer I have ever seen,  so I know it was there all the time and all she had to do was plug in a diagnosis and some blah, blah.   The VA stopped this program in a hurry.   Getting 10% ratings for minor stuff is pretty much wasted effort unless it would put you over the top for a TDIU rating or something of that nature.   There are some disabilities like DMII, high blood, and any sort of heart disease or cancer that are so serious that they tend to spin off many secondary conditions and I would claim them even if I got only 10%.   I will claim any agent orange condition on general principles.  With the DMII rating I got all my secondary conditions SC'ed.  I would like to try and get my OSA service connected as secondary to DMII but I cannot get a doctor to back me up.  When you have DMII you tend to get fat and getting fat tends to aggravate OSA which tends to drive up blood pressure and put a strain on hearts and brains.  It is a chicken and egg dilemma.