VA Disability for Celiac Disease: What Veterans Need to Know.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten — and for many veterans, it can cause chronic pain, malnutrition, fatigue, and serious digestive problems.
 In this episode, we explore how the VA recognizes and rates celiac disease, how to prove service connection, and what medical evidence you need to support your claim.

Whether your celiac disease started in service or was aggravated by military conditions, this episode breaks down everything you need to know to file a successful VA disability claim.

What is The Veterans Disability Nexus?

Welcome to The Veterans Disability Nexus, where we provide unique insights and expertise on medical evidence related to VA-rated disabilities. Leah Bucholz, a US Army Veteran, Physician Assistant, & former Compensation & Pension Examiner shares her knowledge related to Independent Medical Opinions often referred to as “Nexus Letters” in support of your pursuit of VA Disability every Tuesday & Wednesday at 7AM Central.

Take control of your medical evidence related to your benefits and visit https://podcast.prestigeveteranmctx.info/veteran/ for more information and to connect directly with us!

Leah Bucholz: 00:09

Hey, guys. It's Leah b from Prestige Veteran Medical Consulting. I'm a US army veteran, physician assistant, and former compensation and pension examiner. So today, I wanna come on and discuss celiac disease and VA disability. So did you guys know that veterans with celiac disease may qualify for VA disability benefits?

Leah Bucholz: 00:26

Celiac isn't just a dietary problem. It's an autoimmune condition that can seriously impact your health and your daily life. So in today's video, I'm gonna break down what celiac disease is, how VA views it, and some of the terms of VA disability ratings related to celiac and what the research says about the broader effects, how secondary service connections work, and some go over some basic resources that you guys might wanna consider to help you along with your claims. So what is celiac disease? Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, like I mentioned, where eating gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye triggers an immune system triggers your immune system to attack the small intestine.

Leah Bucholz: 01:10

For veterans, this can mean a long list of symptoms like chronic diarrhea, weight loss, malnutrition, fatigue, skin rashes, and even neurologic issues. If left untreated, celiac can lead to serious complications like osteoporosis, infertility, and intestinal cancers. So managing celiac disease isn't or celiacs isn't just as simple as, like, don't eat bread. Gluten is in so many everyday foods, medications, even in personal products, that living with celiacs means constant vigilance, and for many veterans, it can be life altering. So let's talk about what some of the literature shows.

Leah Bucholz: 01:47

So we always when when I write medical opinions so I'm I always throw this disclaimer out there. I'm not an accredited claims agent or VSO or an attorney. I don't represent veterans on claims. I'm a medical professional. Sometimes I assist with medical opinions related to VA disability.

Leah Bucholz: 02:04

But here, my primary goal is to kinda empower you and a lot of times with literature that you can review, maybe take take to your doctor, to sort of support you in your pursuit of VA disability. So there was a 2023 study published in medical surveillance monthly, the medical surveillance monthly report, which examined active duty service members from 2000 to 2021 that found that new diagnosis of celiac disease rose more than tenfold from about one point two per one hundred thousand person years in 2000 to fourteen per 100,000 years in 2021. So beyond the gut symptoms, researchers are finding strong links between celiac and mental health. A review published in Curis in 2023 noted associations with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and even schizophrenia. Similarly, in 2021, there was a cohort study in clinical gastroenterology and hepatology that found that people with celiac disease face a twenty percent higher risk of mood disorders and a twelve percent higher risk of anxiety disorders.

Leah Bucholz: 03:05

So neurologic effects are also documented in many other journals like the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, which has highlighted symptoms like brain fog, migraines, neuropathy, often tied into inflammation and nutrient deficiencies. The good news is that strict gluten free diets can often reduce these neurologic conditions or neurologic problems. So finally, some veterans health research points out that stress, infections, and limited food options during service may trigger or worsen autoimmune conditions like celiacs, which could explain why some veterans are diagnosed years after leaving active duty. All of this makes this definitely clear that celiac disease is more than just a dietary issue. Like I said, it's a systemic condition with mental, neurologic, and long term health effects.

Leah Bucholz: 03:58

So let's get into VA disability and celiac disease. So how does the VA rate celiacs? So this actually was a big change back in 2024 around May time frame because it used to be rated analogously with other conditions, but it now has its own rating code. So the highest at eighty percent, you're gonna see malabsorption syndrome with weakness, which interferes with activities of daily living and weight loss resulting in wasting and nutritional deficiencies with systemic manifestations, including things like weakness, fatigue, dermatitis, lymph node enlargement, hypocalcemia, low vitamin levels, and anemia related to that malabsorption, and episodes of abdominal pain and diarrhea due to lactase deficiency or pancreatic insufficiency. At the fifty percent level, we can see malabsorption syndrome with chronic diarrhea managed by medically prescribed dietary interventions, such as prescribed gluten free diets with nutritional deficiencies due to lactase and pancreatic insufficiency and with systemic manifestations including, but not limited to that weakness and fatigue, dermatitis, lymph node enlargement, hypocalcemia, low vitamin levels, and atrophy atrophy of the inter intestinal linings, which can be shown on biopsy.

Leah Bucholz: 05:14

The thirty percent level, we're gonna see malabsorption syndrome with chronic diarrhea managed by medically prescribed dietary interventions, such as prescribed gluten free diets and without nutritional deficiencies. So let's touch on some secondary service connection. Okay? So when we talk about service connection, usually, there's gonna be, like, a direct or a primary service connection. For example, if you were diagnosed in service with celiac disease or perhaps some event in service caused it.

Leah Bucholz: 05:42

Right? Secondary service connection is maybe if you've got another medical condition that is causing or worsening your celiac disease. So, you know, that secondary service connection can lead to other health problems that VA can also rate. So not only can celiac be related to something your service connected for if you get rated for celiac and you get other medical conditions related to celiac. Like, let's say you're depressed.

Leah Bucholz: 06:07

You have depression because of the celiac disease. You can also get subsequent, disabilities related to the celiacs itself. So let's talk about some conditions that may trigger or worsen celiac disease. So some things like anything related to stress and autoimmune conditions, both which are more common in veterans with PTSD or other service related health issues, certain medications, infections, or injuries can also play a role in triggering autoimmune responses. On the flip side, celiac disease can also lead to anemia from poor absorption of iron and vitamins.

Leah Bucholz: 06:42

It can lead to osteoporosis or osteopenia because of poor calcium and vitamin D absorption, neuropathy with tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, migraines and chronic headaches are also common, depression and anxiety, like I mentioned earlier, from chronic illness and dietary restrictions, Other autoimmune conditions such as thyroid disease or type one diabetes can be correlated or or, maybe even have a causal causal relationship. So if your celiac has caused these problems or if another service related condition made your celiac disease worse, you may be able to claim those secondary conditions, which can increase your overall rating. So what are some challenges that veterans with celiac disease face? So celiac can pose unique challenges for veterans. Many developed symptoms during service but weren't diagnosed until years later because testing wasn't there that, you know, very common.

Leah Bucholz: 07:38

Cross contamination is another big issue, whether it's from the mess hall, NREs, VA hospitals. Avoiding gluten free compounds may have been very difficult. So the mental health impact can be very real. Veterans living with celiac often report anxiety, depression, social isolation, and every meal feels like a medical risk. So many veterans file for celiac disease if if they're pretty savvy with va.gov and the application process or they ask a BSO or another accredited legal professional like an attorney to help them.

Leah Bucholz: 08:13

So, usually, they've got a diagnosis of celiac disease, and then they have some idea of how it can be related to service, either whether it was diagnosed during service or, again, worsened because of another service connected disability. Usually, you're gonna go to that C and P exam. The C and P examiner is going to the VA C and P examiner is going to say whether they agree or they disagree, and then that information is gonna go on to the rater or the adjudicator. And they're gonna look at all your materials and your claim and and make a decision. So let's talk about some resources for veterans.

Leah Bucholz: 08:49

So if you're dealing with celiac disease, here are some good re resources. So the VA gastroenterology clinics for diagnosis and treatment. Your primary care manager may also be able to diagnose this. Veteran service organizations like DAV, VFW, American Legion, can help you file claims. Celiac Disease Foundation for diet guides and patient support.

Leah Bucholz: 09:11

And then always the Veterans Crisis Line if you're depressed or or struggling with mental health disturbances related to this or anything else. So that's at 988, and then you can also find that information on va.gov. So celiac disease can be overwhelming, but veterans living with it should know that you may qualify for VA disability benefits like we've discussed. It's about more than your diet. It's about being a recognized medical condition that can cause or worsen other serious health issues.

Leah Bucholz: 09:42

So if this video was helpful to you guys, please like and subscribe and share it with another veteran who might need this information. And as always, thank you for watching, and I'll see you guys next time. Alright. See you later.