Speech disorders affect millions of Americans of all ages. While you may not think of your speech condition as being related to your military service, there are many cases where a speech impairment could qualify for VA disability.
Issues with speech are often caused by traumatic brain injuries, strokes, and other conditions that may be related to your service. Read on to learn more about speech disorders, how they are rated by the VA, and how they can be service connected.
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In this article about VA ratings for speech problems:
What are speech impairments?
A speech disorder is a condition that affects a person’s ability to speak or verbally communicate. They may make the voice faster or slower, or more hoarse, inaudible, or slurred. This can range from a mild stutter to a total inability to speak.
Speech disorders may be caused by a number of factors. Oftentimes, they develop early on and may be genetic. Almost 8% of children in the U.S. between 3 and 17 years old have a speech, language, or related disorder.
However, speech disorders may also come about later in life. For example, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), strokes, and hearing disorders can all lead to problems with speech as an adult.
Speech disorders in adults
More common speech disorders among adults include spasmodic dysphonia, stuttering, dysarthria, apraxia of speech, and aphasia.
Spasmodic dysphonia
Spasmodic dysphonia is a disorder of the larynx, also known as the voice box, which causes a tense, strangled voice. The condition ranges in severity from mild to severe. Some people with spasmodic dysphonia may be able to verbally communicate well but occasionally struggle with words. Others may no longer be able to talk at all.
There are three kinds of spasmodic dysphonia: adductor, abductor, and mixed spasmodic dysphonia. Adductor spasmodic dysphonia causes the vocal cords to shut and the voice to become strained, while abductor spasmodic dysphonia causes them to open and the voice to become weak and airy. Mixed spasmodic dysphonia, as the name suggests, causes a mix of adductor and abductor symptoms.
The causes of spasmodic dysphonia are not fully known. In some cases, it may be caused by a central nervous system disorder. In others, it can be caused by damage to the larynx, an illness like the flu, or stress.
Stuttering
Stuttering is a speech disorder that causes unique problems with the flow of a person’s speech. They may repeat sounds or words, draw out sounds, or struggle to get sounds or words out at all. Stuttering is most common in children and boys, but affects people of all ages. Nearly 3 million Americans have a stutter, which is also sometimes called disfluent speech.
Stuttering may be developmental in children, but can also be caused by TBIs, strokes, or other trauma or injury to the head or brain.
Dysarthria
Dysarthria is a speech disorder caused by weakened or paralyzed throat, tongue, and neck muscles, plus other muscles used when speaking. It can make a person’s speech slurred, hoarse, slow, and difficult to understand. It may also affect the volume of a person’s voice, making them louder or quieter.
In severe cases, a person with dysarthria may only be able to speak in short, clipped sentences or unable to speak at all.
Dysarthria can have many causes, including Parkinson’s disease, ALS, brain or head trauma or injury, cerebral palsy, a stroke, and multiple sclerosis. It may also be caused by certain prescription medications.
Apraxia of speech
Apraxia is a neurological disorder that makes people unable to perform certain tasks despite their best efforts. Apraxia of speech (AOS), specifically, makes it difficult for a person to speak clearly and consistently. Like many other speech disorders, AOS can range from mild to severe. In the most extreme cases, a person may no longer be able to communicate by speaking.
Childhood apraxia of speech is present at birth, but acquired apraxia of speech affects people of all ages. Acquired AOS can be caused by brain trauma, tumors, or strokes. It is often diagnosed alongside dysarthria or aphasia.
Aphasia
Aphasia is a disorder that can affect both speech and the ability to read, write, and understand language. It typically comes on suddenly after a person has a stroke or experiences head or brain trauma. Symptoms include speaking or writing unrecognizable words or sentences, struggling to find a word, and other speech patterns that make it difficult to understand what a person is trying to communicate.
Aphasia is most often caused by strokes, but can also be the result of a head or brain injury, infection, or tumor.
VA disability for speech impairments
The VA rates speech impairments and disorders within diseases of the nose and throat, under complete organic aphonia (6519) with a note to reference chronic laryngitis (6516) for “incomplete aphonia.” Both ratings consider how hoarse, inaudible, or otherwise difficult to understand a person’s speech is.
6519 Aphonia, complete organic:
| Description | VA rating |
|---|---|
| Constant inability to communicate by speech | 100% |
| Constant inability to speak above a whisper | 60% |
6516 Laryngitis, chronic:
| Description | VA rating |
|---|---|
| Hoarseness, with thickening or nodules of cords, polyps, submucous infiltration, or pre-malignant changes on biopsy | 30% |
| Hoarseness, with inflammation of cords or mucous membrane | 10% |
A veteran receiving a 100% rating for complete organic aphonia would also be eligible to receive special monthly compensation (SMC) in addition to the payment for a 100% rating, which is currently $3,831.30 a month. The organic loss of speech is also to be considered a permanent and total disability under 38 CFR 6.18(a).
How can my speech impairment be service connected for VA disability?
Your speech impairment may not be directly service connected, but you may still be eligible to receive VA disability compensation for it as a secondary service connection.
“[One type] of service connection is a secondary service connection. Here, instead of linking a current disability to military service, a veteran is able to get a service connection for a non-service-connected disability, if it has been caused by a service-connected condition,” explained VA disability lawyer Cecilia Ton.
As noted earlier in this article, many speech disorders can be caused due to TBI. Military service members and veterans are considered at high-risk for TBIs. Other speech problems may be related to strokes, Parkinson’s disease, tumors, injury to the voice box, hearing problems, or even stress. If you believe your speech impairment may have been caused by another condition you can service connect directly or secondarily, you may want to explore this further. You can document the condition, discuss it with a health care provider, and bring it up at a C&P exam.
Mental health and speech impairments
Speech disorders can have mental health effects over time. Many people with speech problems know exactly what they want to say, and may feel embarrassed and frustrated that they cannot communicate it in a way others can understand. This may affect a person’s morale and self-esteem, leading to depression or anxiety.
If your service-connected speech impairment affects your mental health, you may be entitled to additional compensation from the VA. Anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions are rated between 0% and 100% under the VA’s General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.
Unemployability and speech impairments
Your speech disorder may make it difficult or even impossible to maintain substantially gainful employment. You may also struggle to hold down a job due to other conditions related to your speech disorder.
Even if your service-connected speech impairment is rated below 100%, you may still be entitled to 100% compensation through TDIU, also known as VA individual unemployability. To receive TDIU, a veteran must have:
- A minimum of one service-connected condition rated at least 60% OR
- Two or more service-connected disabilities with a combined rating of 70% or more, including one single disability rated at 40% or more.
A veteran with a service-connected speech impairment that leaves them with a “constant inability to speak above a whisper” would be rated at 60%, making them eligible for TDIU.
“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
At Woods and Woods, we’ve worked with thousands of veterans across the country to help them get the benefits they deserve. We focus on helping veterans who cannot work as well as widows and other survivors seeking DIC benefits. Our team of VA-accredited attorneys, case managers, and support staff are familiar with the VA’s often complicated and difficult application and appeals processes, and are ready to help you today. We never charge fees upfront — you’ll only pay case fees and a percentage of your back pay if we win your case.
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There are many ways a speech disorder could be related to a person’s service. Speech disorders are often caused by traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), strokes, hearing problems, and other conditions that could be caused by your military service.
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.
