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Binge Eating Disorder - Pyramid or Separate Rating?

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DisplacedCoastieinCanada

Question

Hi there, everyone! I'm hoping I posted this in the correct place. I have a question regarding a claim I am thinking about submitting in the near future. Here are my current rated disabilities before I start:

80% total service connected disability based on the following:

70% service-connected for Major Depression/Generalized Anxiety

40% back injury

0% Binge Eating Disorder (I can't seem to pull up my rated disability on the Ebenefits site right now, but I recall I was rated at 0% since the CL&P examiner believed I might have a problem with binge-eating, but I do not think I was aiming to claim it at that time, so it was rated at 0% in case I need to pursue it later.)

Here's my questions:

If I successfully prove that I have Binge Eating Disorder, will this be a separate rating, or would it be lumped onto my Depression/Anxiety rating? I thought I read somewhere that it might be lumped. If it is lumped, would my Depression/Anxiety rating possibly increase, or would I essentially just be submitting a claim without any hope of compensation? To be quite honest, it is a very long and expensive trip for me to get down to the US for these exams, so I have to strongly weigh cost versus benefits in these decisions.

My 2nd question is whether anyone has experience claiming acid reflux/GERD as a condition that was began due to eating disorders? I developed acid reflux during my time in service, but I am not currently rated for it. I believe it was caused from binging and purging to maintain weight standards. Unforunately, the binging has continued throughout the years, with sporadic episodes of purging that I believe have caused my acid reflux to increase in severity.

Thank you very much!

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Displaced You can't receive a new disability if you are receiving benefits for conditions that are already compensated for; it is called pyramiding. I would expect your eating disorder is rated as a mental health condition. Here is a place to start http://www.militarydisabilitymadeeasy.com/search.php?zoom_sort=0&zoom_query=eating+disorder&zoom_per_page=10&zoom_and=0

So you need to know what your 0% rating diagnostic code is. If you aren't sure you need to see your c-file and if you don't have it, you should send away for it. You possibly will find some notations in it that will help when they rated your condition. Understand that you have to have current symptoms diagnosed by a med pro/doctor to receive any comp. That more than likely is a psch doc.If your conditions aren't ratable, no disability. If your eating disorder should be rated under a different diagnostic code you could receive a new rating in place of your 0% . Otherwise, you have to show that your current symptoms indicate an increase in your current rating. As for GERD, to connect it directly to your service, you need evidence in your medical and str records. Again, should be in your c-file. If you don't have have evidence in your records, there may be another secondary way thru prescribed meds taken for your MDA rating. Look up the side effects of all the meds that you take. You also may find success there as well. Lastly, once you know what diagnostic code you likely will fall under if successful, you should be able to match up your symptoms with the different levels of compensation. If, for example, you likely will get a 10% for GERD, what would that do for your total overall comp rating with VA Math. There is info on that here on Hadit as well. It is possible that after all the work and expense of a doc IMO and diagnosis, travel, etc. you find that your rating won't improve.Since you are concerned about the cost of this process, you should start by getting you c-file. 

 

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Unless something has changed An eating disorder is the only separate mental health rating a veteran can be granted. So the veteran can have a rated mental health disorder and a rated eating disorder due to the fact that they fall under the same category but a totally different criteria.

Rating Formula for Eating Disorders

   Rating
Self-induced weight loss to less than 80 percent of expected minimum weight, with incapacitating episodes of at least six weeks total duration per year, and requiring hospitalization more than twice a year for parenteral nutrition or tube feeding. 100
Self-induced weight loss to less than 85 percent of expected minimum weight with incapacitating episodes of six or more weeks total duration per year. 60
Self-induced weight loss to less than 85 percent of expected minimum weight with incapacitating episodes of more than two but less than six weeks total duration per year. 30
Binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting or other measures to prevent weight gain, or resistance to weight gain even when below expected minimum weight, with diagnosis of an eating disorder and incapacitating episodes of up to two weeks total duration per year. 10
Binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting or other measures to prevent weight gain, or resistance to weight gain even when below expected minimum weight, with diagnosis of an eating disorder but without incapacitating episodes. 0

Note 1: An incapacitating episode is a period during which bed rest and treatment by a physician are required.

Note 2: Ratings under diagnostic codes 9201 to 9440 will be evaluated using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. Ratings under diagnostic codes 9520 and 9521 will be evaluated using the General Rating Formula for Eating Disorders.

3 hours ago, DisplacedCoastieinCanada said:

My 2nd question is whether anyone has experience claiming acid reflux/GERD as a condition that was began due to eating disorders? I developed acid reflux during my time in service, but I am not currently rated for it.

Since you have the in-service event, all you need is a current diagnosis and a nexus statement/letter connecting the two and you can file directly related to your military service instead of a secondary condition.  If you don't know a nexus statement/letter is a current letter from your physician that states that your acid reflux is as least likely as not cause by or the results of your military service.  If I am wrong I am quite sure someone will chime in.

 

 

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Seems I could be wrong about veterans claiming obesity for eating disorders   the va has change this to where  veterans are not eligable for compensation...I just can't remember where I read this?

 and not sure this was passed  but it went on to say va no longer pays compensation for obesity. or over weight.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Buck I think you might be referring to sleep apnea. The VA denies a lot on the claim because SA is often  caused by overweight or obesity, and they connect that with normal aging. I believe binge  eating is a MH symptom but the condition results in drastic weight loss. The person overeats but then vomits it all out resulting in weight loss.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

No I remember reading that  some where   it was recent this year I think?

VA will not pay compensation for obesity alone.

Obesity is not a claimable disability.

Now I think a veteran can get a secondary claim for obesity  if his current s.c disability is the cause or would be related to him gaining weight.

but just filing a claim for obesity the VA Discontinue this just this year  they said they will not pay for veterans obesity.  

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