Bowel incontinence, the involuntary loss of bowel control, is a common but often overlooked issue affecting many veterans. Veterans can receive a rating for bowel incontinence based on the severity and frequency of leakage episodes.
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Bowel incontinence is a widespread but underreported health condition in veterans. In a recent study, more than 200 veterans awaiting medical appointments were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire. Roughly a third of those surveyed reported experiencing bowel incontinence within the last 30 days.
Read on to learn more about the bowel incontinence VA rating, related conditions veterans with bowel incontinence may be able to service connect, and what you can do if your incontinence keeps you from working.
In this article about the bowel incontinence VA rating:
Bowel incontinence in veterans
Bowel incontinence, also known as fecal incontinence, is a medical condition characterized by the inability to control bowel movements. Veterans with this disability are unable to stop stool from leaking from the rectum, and it can happen even without their knowledge. The severity of this condition can range from occasional leakage when passing gas to complete loss of control of stool.
This disability occurs due to various factors, including weakened muscles in the rectum and anus, nerve damage affecting bowel control, or frequent bouts of diarrhea or constipation.
To successfully establish a service connection for bowel incontinence, you must prove your military service or your service-connected disabilities caused or aggravated your condition. Due to the unique conditions of military service, veterans are particularly at risk for developing bowel incontinence. For example, any training or combat injuries that resulted in damage to the pelvic floor, rectum, or the nerves and muscles that control bowel movements could lead to bowel incontinence. Fecal leakage can also be a symptom of other service-connected disabilities.
Bowel incontinence and related conditions
Veterans with various service-connected conditions who experience bowel incontinence may be eligible for additional benefits through a secondary service connection.
Bowel incontinence secondary to irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal disorder that affects the large intestine, causing symptoms like abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, and changes in bowel habits. When a person has IBS, their bowel habits can become unpredictable. Episodes of diarrhea and constipation are common, which puts additional stress on the muscles and nerves that control bowel movements. The persistent diarrhea and constant changes in stool consistency associated with IBS can make it difficult for the anal sphincter to function correctly and weaken the muscles in the rectum and anus over time. Weaker muscles are less capable of holding stool, leading to bowel incontinence incidents.
Bowel incontinence secondary to multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a condition that affects the central nervous system. In MS, the body’s immune system mistakenly targets its own central nervous system, particularly the protective layer around nerve fibers known as the myelin sheath.
In veterans with MS, bowel incontinence can result from damage to the nerves that control your rectum and anus. This nerve damage can make it hard to hold stool, leading to leakage. MS can also cause constipation, which can cause the rectum to be less effective at holding stool.
Bowel incontinence secondary to diabetes
Diabetes is a condition characterized by elevated blood sugar levels, which can lead to numerous life-threatening health complications if not managed properly. The relationship between diabetes and bowel incontinence is not fully understood. However, there are several factors related to diabetes that may contribute to incontinence. Nerve damage, commonly seen in veterans with diabetes, may affect the nerves that help you control both bowel and bladder movements, causing incontinence. Medications that manage diabetes can also have side effects like diarrhea, which can make bowel control more challenging.
Bowel incontinence secondary to back conditions
Bowel incontinence can be related to back conditions, which are common issues for veterans because of the physical demands of military service. Conditions like degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, and spinal stenosis are some examples of back problems that can potentially lead to bowel incontinence.
In one case, a veteran linked his bowel incontinence to a lumbar degenerative disc disease he developed during his military service. His degenerative disc disease was the primary service-connected disability. The neurological damage from this spinal issue caused bowel incontinence, which was then connected on a secondary basis.
Bowel incontinence secondary to prostate cancer
In men, prostate cancer from exposure to Agent Orange or other dangerous herbicides can also lead to bowel incontinence. This may be due to nerve damage symptoms or a side effect of cancer treatment, which might involve radiation that damages the rectum.
Bowel incontinence and mental health
While it may seem like a purely physical issue, bowel incontinence can also significantly impact emotional well-being. The inability to control your bowels can be isolating and deeply stigmatizing, often causing veterans to avoid social activities. The embarrassment may even lead to a hesitation to seek medical treatment, leading to worse symptoms. The condition may severely impact a veteran’s mental health and aggravate conditions like PTSD or anxiety, which are already common among veterans.
Bowel incontinence VA rating
The VA rates bowel incontinence under diagnostic code 7332 in the Schedule of Ratings, which addresses the impairment of sphincter control. Under this code, the disability rating is assigned based on the frequency and severity of your bowel incontinence episodes.
7332 Rectum and anus, impairment of sphincter control:
| Description | VA Rating | Monthly payment (vet only) |
|---|---|---|
| Complete loss of sphincter control characterized by incontinence or retention that is not responsive to a physician-prescribed bowel program and requires either surgery or digital stimulation, medication (beyond laxative use), and special diet; or incontinence to solids and/or liquids two or more times per day, which requires changing a pad two or more times per day | 100% | $3,831.30 |
| Complete or partial loss of sphincter control characterized by incontinence or retention that is partially responsive to a physician-prescribed bowel program and requires either surgery or digital stimulation, medication (beyond laxative use), and special diet; or incontinence to solids and/or liquids two or more times per week, which requires wearing a pad two or more times per week. | 60% | $1,395.93 |
| Complete or partial loss of sphincter control characterized by incontinence or retention that is fully responsive to a physician-prescribed bowel program and requires digital stimulation, medication (beyond laxative use), and special diet; or incontinence to solids and/or liquids two or more times per month, which requires wearing a pad two or more times per month | 30% | $537.42 |
| Complete or partial loss of sphincter control characterized by incontinence or retention that is fully responsive to a physician-prescribed bowel program and requires medication or special diet; or incontinence to solids and/or liquids at least once every six months, which requires wearing a pad at least once every six months | 10% | $175.51 |
| History of loss of sphincter control, currently asymptomatic | 0% | None |
TDIU for bowel incontinence
Regular fecal leakage can make it difficult to find and keep a job. Veterans with bowel incontinence that prevents them from maintaining “gainful employment” may be entitled to total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) benefits. TDIU provides a pathway for veterans to receive the same compensation as a 100% rating, even when their symptoms do not meet the criteria for a schedular 100% rating.
To be eligible for TDIU, veterans typically must have:
- One service-connected disability rated at least 60% OR
- Two or more service-connected disabilities, with one condition rated at least 40% and a combined rating of at least 70%.
“They brought me from being stuck at 30%. Denial after denial. Finally rated at 70%. Appealed for total and unable to work disability since 2014. Without Woods and Woods, I would still be stuck at 30%.”
F.H.
How Woods and Woods can help
If you need help getting the VA disability benefits you deserve, contact us at Woods and Woods. Our team of VA-accredited lawyers, legal analysts, case managers, intake specialists, and support staff is here to assist you. Reach out today for a free case evaluation. You only pay if we win your case.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Doing exercises for bowel incontinence will not automatically affect your VA rating. The VA generally continues to provide benefits even if a treatment like exercise alleviates symptoms, as long as the diagnostic code for the disability doesn’t specifically mention the treatment (as is the case with bowel incontinence) and you meet other criteria for benefits.
Yes, the VA rates bowel incontinence under diagnostic code 7332 in the Schedule of Ratings, which addresses the impairment of sphincter control. Under this code, the disability rating is based on the frequency and severity of your bowel incontinence episodes and can be assigned a 0%, 10%, 30%, 60%, or 100% rating.
Neil Woods
VA disability lawyer
Woods and Woods
VA Accreditation Number: 44739
