Many people use substances like drugs or alcohol in an attempt to cope with mental or physical health issues. This adverse coping method can result in addiction. You may also worry if you’re using a substance illegally and the VA finds out, they may eliminate your benefits and care. That’s why it’s essential to understand the connection between VA disability and drug use.
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In this article about how drug use and rehab can affect your VA benefits:
You’re doing your best to get through your days and deal with the symptoms of your service-connected disability. Unfortunately, you haven’t always used the best coping skills, and now you think you may have developed an addiction. You’re afraid and wondering if you can lose your VA benefits for drug or alcohol use or if you’ll be denied compensation if drugs show up in your system at a claim exam. This post explains the relationships between VA disability and substance abuse.
Identifying substance use disorder
Substance use disorder is when a person can’t control their use of substances like drugs or alcohol. A key trait of substance use disorder is when a person tries to stop using a substance, usually because it’s negatively impacting their life, but can’t because they experience cravings and/or withdrawal.
Multiple factors cause or worsen substance use disorder, including environmental stressors and attempting to cope with trauma or other mental health issues.
Symptoms of substance use disorder include:
- The need to consume an increasing amount of substances to get the same feelings
- Wanting to stop using substances but being unable to do so
- Spending an increasing amount of time using or obtaining substances
- Extreme cravings
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not using substances
- Using substances despite negative consequences
- Increasingly risky behavior
Substance use disorder won’t go away on its own if left untreated. Instead, the person will continue to require increasingly more of a substance to get the same results. Eventually, if left untreated, substance use could cause serious health issues and even death. In the meantime, substance use can cause relationship, financial, and even legal problems.
Is substance abuse a VA disability?
It’s estimated that more than 1 in 10 veterans have substance use disorder. Addiction commonly develops when a person tries to cope with a mental health or medical concern without proper treatment. This adverse coping attempt results in a rewiring of the brain’s dopamine receptors, causing addiction.
Despite the rates of alcohol and drug addictions in veterans, the VA doesn’t consider substance use disorder a disability directly connected to military service. Therefore, the VA doesn’t assign a disability rating for substance use disorder.
Instead, the VA may view substance use as a symptom of another service-connected concern. Therefore, substance use disorder may actually be able to increase your overall disability rating if it proves the condition is more severe.
Mental health concerns and drug use
Some of the mental health concerns most commonly associated with drug abuse include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Chronic pain is also often tied to addiction as people try to cope with the pain on their own.
Self-medicating and mental health
Veterans are prone to mental health conditions, with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) being the most common mental health disorder veterans face. The VA provides disability benefits for various mental health disorders. Suppose you attempted to cope with a mental health disorder on your own by using drugs or alcohol and developed an addiction. In that case, you may be able to secondarily service connect the addiction.
Coping with chronic pain
Chronic pain takes a toll on people physically and mentally, affecting their quality of life and ability to function day-to-day. Sometimes people attempt to cope with the symptoms of chronic pain by using drugs or alcohol. This use or overuse of prescription drugs may result in addiction, particularly opioid prescriptions, which are known for being highly addictive.
If you experience chronic pain as a result of your military service and develop an addiction attempting to cope with the pain, the addiction may result in a greater severity of symptoms from the chronic pain.
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Can you lose VA benefits for drug use?
The VA awards disability ratings based on the functional impact of your symptoms. Addiction or attending drug rehabilitation won’t negatively impact your VA rating. The only way your VA rating would change is if your service-connected disability changes (improves or worsens) or evidence of fraud comes to light.
Rehabilitation resources
The VA also provides substance use disorder treatment. Treatment options include outpatient counseling, residential treatment, and recovery programs, depending on your unique needs related to drug or alcohol use. The level of care recommended typically depends on an assessment of your disorder..
Substance use disorder treatment through the VA is free or low-cost if you qualify for VA healthcare. The cost depends on your individual plan.
If you need immediate help for substance use disorder, the VA provides next steps and a list of outside resources that can assist.
For free, confidential help with addiction at any time, contact:
- Veterans Crisis Line. Help for veterans and their loved ones in crisis, including that related to substance use. Call 1-800-273-8255.
- SAMHSA National Helpline. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can help you with resources, including finding a treatment facility, support group, or recovery meeting. Call 1-800-662-4357.
How our VA-accredited attorneys can help
Woods and Woods has worked with thousands of veterans nationwide to get them the VA benefits they deserve. Call us for a free case evaluation to find out how we can help. If we take your case, you only pay us a percentage of your back pay if we win.
Talk to Us About Your Claim:
(812) 426-7200
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No, drug use doesn’t disqualify you from receiving VA benefits except in rare circumstances where the drug use causes death or injury. You will not lose your benefits for using drugs or alcohol to cope with a physical or mental health concern. You also won’t lose your VA benefits for recreational or medical marijuana use.
While there is no VA rating for substance abuse, self-medicating with drugs may be considered a symptom of another service-connected condition.
Neil Woods
VA disability attorney
Woods & Woods
Neil Woods is the firm’s owner and president. He received his law degree from Western Michigan University.
