Getting VA Disability for Diabetes and Hypertension

Hypertension and diabetes are two health conditions that are often interconnected and share several underlying causes, which is why many veterans develop both after service. If you have this combination of diseases, it’s important to understand both VA disability for diabetes secondary to hypertension and the VA disability rating for hypertension secondary to diabetes. It’s possible both conditions are connected to your military service. 

In this article, we’ll discuss diabetes and hypertension in veterans, their VA disability ratings, and what you can do if your health issues prevent you from working.

Veterans and diabetes

Diabetes is an illness brought on by having too much sugar in your blood. Glucose in food gives your cells energy, but too much can cause health concerns. There are two kinds of diabetes, known as type 1 and type 2.

Veterans are at risk for developing diabetes. In fact, the VA reports veterans have nearly double the rate of diabetes compared to the general population. These increased rates may be the result of service-related injuries, mental health conditions, obesity, and chemical exposures.

The VA rating for diabetes

The VA rates diabetes with diagnostic code 7913 in the Schedule of Ratings. The VA rates diabetes at 10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, or 100%. The rating is based on symptoms and what you must do to manage the condition.

Description	VA Rating	Monthly payment (vet only)
Requiring more than one daily injection of insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities (avoidance of strenuous occupational and recreational activities) with episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring at least three hospitalizations per year or weekly visits to a diabetic care provider, plus either progressive loss of weight and strength or complications that would be compensable if separately evaluated	100%	$3,938.58
Requiring one or more daily injection of insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities with episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring one or two hospitalizations per year or twice a month visits to a diabetic care provider, plus complications that would not be compensable if separately evaluated	60%	$1,434.02
Requiring one or more daily injection of insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities	40%	$795.84
Requiring one or more daily injection of insulin and restricted diet, or; oral hypoglycemic agent and restricted diet	20%	$356.66
Manageable by restricted diet only	10%	$180.42

Veterans and hypertension

Hypertension and Military Service

Hypertension occurs when the force of your blood in your arteries is too strong. It’s also called “high blood pressure.” Anyone may have an occasional, short episode of increased blood pressure, but it can become a problem when it becomes consistent and puts continuous strain on your heart.

While high blood pressure doesn’t always have immediately noticeable symptoms, it can cause serious health problems, like heart attacks or stroke, if left untreated.

Veterans are considered to be at greater risk of high blood pressure than the general population, with post-9/11 veterans having the highest rates of all. Veterans are considered more at-risk for high blood pressure because of extreme stress, mental health conditions, chronic pain, and lifestyle factors such as obesity or smoking.

Veterans can receive VA benefits for hypertension.

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The VA rating for hypertension

The VA rates hypertension with diagnostic code 7101 in the Schedule for Rating Disabilities. The ratings for hypertension are 10%, 20%, 40%, and 60%, depending on your high blood pressure severity.

Description	VA Rating	Monthly payment (vet only)
Diastolic pressure predominantly 130 or more	60%	$1,434.02
Diastolic pressure predominantly 120 or more	40%	$795.84
Diastolic pressure predominantly 110 or more, or; systolic pressure predominantly 200 or more	20%	$356.66
Diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more, or; systolic pressure predominantly 160 or more, or; minimum evaluation for an individual with a history of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more who requires continuous medication for control	10%	$180.42

Getting VA disability for diabetes secondary to hypertension

Various conditions may be secondary to hypertension, including diabetes. In fact, research suggests people who have high blood pressure may be significantly more likely to develop diabetes than those who do not, again because of shared underlying causes.

If you have both diabetes and hypertension, you could be owed VA disability benefits for both conditions. However, you’ll need to be prepared to prove the conditions are connected and tied to military service.

It is also important to know both hypertension and diabetes are presumptively service connected for qualifying Agent Orange vets. Eligible veterans who were exposed to this herbicide will not need to prove the conditions are linked to their military service or each other. Rather, they will simply need to show they qualify for an Agent Orange presumptive service connection because they served in a certain time and location.

Can you get a VA disability rating for hypertension secondary to diabetes?

A person diagnosed with diabetes is twice as likely to also have hypertension, leaving about two thirds of diabetics with high blood pressure. The conditions share causal factors, like obesity and damaged blood vessels. 

You can receive a secondary disability rating for a health issue brought about by another service-connected condition. To do so, you’ll need to present medical evidence that links your service-connected impairments. A doctor can help you with this step by writing a nexus letter explaining why they believe your diabetes and hypertension are related.

As previously mentioned, there is an exception to this rule. Veterans exposed to Agent Orange may not need to prove their conditions are linked, nor that they were caused by military service, if they served in a qualifying time and location.

TDIU for hypertension and diabetes

In some cases, a veteran may be awarded total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for conditions like hypertension and diabetes, especially when they become severe or are combined with other illnesses. 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 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

How Woods & Woods can help

Our team of VA-accredited attorneys, legal analysts, case managers, and intake specialists help veterans nationwide get the benefits they deserve. If you’re tired of appealing one VA decision after another, call us today for a free case evaluation.

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