You wake up with painful burning that starts in your big toe and travels up your leg. When you go to stand up from bed, the pain nearly keeps you from taking the next step. Every movement of your leg hurts, and it’s difficult to bend. You may be experiencing gout. If it’s connected to your military service, you may qualify for a gout VA rating. This post explains what gout is, related conditions, and how the VA rates it.
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In this article about the VA disability rating for gout:
What is gout?
Gout is a type of arthritis that causes pain and swelling in joints. Gout is most often found in the feet or lower limbs, but can happen in any joint in the body. It’s caused when urate crystals accumulate in your joint. Certain medical conditions, injuries, medications, and dietary choices can cause your body to produce more uric acid or not process it well, resulting in gout.
The condition is not constant – it typically occurs in flare-ups, which can last for a couple days or a couple weeks. Flare-ups often start at night and can be extremely painful. They leave your joints red, swollen, and sore. Gout also limits your range of motion in the affected areas.
Some veterans with gout have frequent flare-ups, while others may go a year or more without experiencing gout-related symptoms. Flare-ups can become more frequent and severe if gout is left untreated.
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VA disability rating for gout
The VA disability rating for gout is 5017. This code rates using diagnostic code 5003 for degenerative arthritis. However, the notes under 5003 say not to use the 10% or 20% criteria listed under 5003. Instead, an appropriate diagnostic code based on the limited range of motion (ROM) in the affected joint should be used. In other words, your VA disability rating for gout depends on the joint location or locations impacted by the condition and how much gout affects your ability to move it.
Gout may be found in the foot, hip, wrist, elbow, knee, or any other joint in the body. We explain more about limited range of motion ratings for these joints in the linked articles.
Gout and related conditions
Various medical conditions can result in gout, many of which can be service connected. A veteran can receive a secondary service connection for most health conditions that are related to a service-connected condition.
Conditions that may cause gout include:
- Obesity can make your body produce more uric acid and make it more difficult to process it, increasing your risk of developing gout.
- Diabetes also makes it more difficult for your body to process uric acid and other waste.
- Hypertension can slow down the body’s processing of urate. Medications used to treat high blood pressure can also result in gout. Medications taken for a service-connected condition that cause additional health problems can also qualify for secondary service connection.
- Sleep apnea causes oxygen levels to drop, and when this happens, the resulting complications can cause the body to produce more uric acid.
- Heart disease increases uric acid and inflammation. Medications used to treat heart disease also may cause gout.
- Kidney disease causes your kidneys to stop filtering uric acid as they should. Some research suggests gout can also be a warning sign of kidney disease.
Because of their connections with gout, if you have any of these service-related conditions and develop gout, you may be eligible to receive additional VA disability compensation.
Gout C&P exam
To receive a VA disability rating for gout, you must typically undergo a compensation and pension (C&P) exam. During the C&P exam, the medical professional will ask you questions about your medical history and examine your joints. They’ll also ask about the frequency and severity of flare-ups and how the condition relates to your military service.
Be sure to take any medical or service records to your C&P exam that help explain your gout and connect it to your military service or another service-connected condition. The VA will deny your claim if you don’t complete a requested exam.
TDIU for gout
In some cases, a veteran may be awarded total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for gout or related health issues. TDIU is also known as individual unemployability or simply IU. Veterans are eligible for these benefits if they can’t hold down “substantially gainful” employment due to their service-connected conditions.
Veterans with gout may struggle to work, especially during flare-ups of their illness. Manual labor jobs may be especially difficult, but if gout is in the hands, elbows, or hips, being able to sit at a desk all day may also be a struggle, if not impossible.
Veterans who receive TDIU benefits are compensated at the same level as those with a 100% disability rating, even though their combined rating is below 100%.
Veterans will typically be eligible for TDIU if they have:
- At least one service-connected disability rated at 60% or more disabling OR
- Two or more service-connected disabilities with at least one rated at 40% or more disabling and a combined rating of 70% or more
“If you were injured while serving this country and are reading this review, I encourage you to contact Woods and Woods right away. They are always standing ready to assist veterans in need.”
J.B., a Navy veteran in Virginia
How Woods and Woods can help
Our VA-accredited attorneys have helped thousands of veterans nationwide who can no longer work because of their service-connected conditions. Call us today for your free, confidential TDIU case evaluation. You won’t pay us unless we win your claim.
Talk to Us About Your Claim:
(812) 426-7200
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes, you can get a VA disability rating for gout. How the VA rates gout depends on the joint or joints affected and how much the condition limits your motion.
A variety of medical conditions can result in gout including diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea. If you have a service-connected condition that causes gout, you may be able to get a secondary VA disability rating for gout.
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.
