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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!
Hey, guys. I'm Leah Bee from Prestige Veteran Medical Consulting. I am a US army veteran physician assistant and former compensation and pension examiner. So if you're a veteran living with an autoimmune disease, whether it's lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, or another condition, this video is for you. So today, we're gonna talk about how autoimmune disease are evaluated for VA disability purposes, how they may be connected to your military service, and what the medical literature says about how these conditions affect many veterans.
Leah B:So let's try to get a grasp of what autoimmune diseases are. So autoimmune diseases occur when your body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells and tissues. There are more than 80 known autoimmune disorders, and some of the more common ones among veterans include things like rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematous or often just called lupus, multiple sclerosis referred to often as MS, thyroiditis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Graves' disease, which is another thyroid disorder, psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. These conditions often cause chronic inflammation, pain, fatigue, and organ or tissue damage. For many veterans, symptoms can begin during or after service, sometimes triggered by environmental exposures, infections, or prolonged stress, all factors that have been linked in research to immune system dysfunction.
Leah B:So how does the VA rates autoimmune diseases? So the VA doesn't have, like, a single catch all diagnostic code for autoimmune diseases because these conditions vary widely and impact people in different ways. So instead, the VA rates, autoimmune disorders under the system or organ it affects most. So some examples are rheumatoid arthritis. These ratings can vary, all the way up to a hundred percent depending on symptom frequency, joint involvement, and overall impairment.
Leah B:Lupus is, usually, it's gonna be provided a minimum of ten percent rating for symptoms that require continuous medication and can also be rated up to a hundred percent. Multiple sclerosis is gonna usually be rated itself, and then also there can be assigned specific complications like muscle weakness or vision loss. Autoimmune thyroid disorders such as Hashimoto's or Graves' disease are rated under the endocrine system based on they affect metabolism, heart rate, and energy levels. In each case, the key is medical evidence, detailed documentation of your symptoms, lab results, and how your condition affects your daily functioning. So there are several different service connection pathways, and we're gonna talk about them.
Leah B:We usually do. So let's talk about how autoimmune diseases can be connected to your military service. There are a few different pathways that may apply. So the first one is gonna be that direct service connection. This applies when your autoimmune disease began during service or was clearly caused by a service related factor.
Leah B:Some triggers include things like environmental exposures, such as things like burn pits or chemical exposures in some instances, solvents, pesticides, or heavy metals, prolonged infections, physical or emotional stress associated with deployments. If your service treatment records show early symptoms like joint pain, fatigue, rashes, or unexplained inflammation that evidence can support a direct service connection even if you weren't formally diagnosed until many years later. There's presumptive service connection. There's certain autoimmune or inflammatory conditions that are, considered presumably connected for specific groups of veterans. For example, MS or multiple sclerosis is presumptively service connected if it manifests to a compensable degree within seven years of discharge.
Leah B:Veterans exposed to Gulf War environmental hazards may also be eligible for for presumptive service connection for chronic multisystem illnesses, which can include autoimmune type symptoms. These presumptive rules mean that you don't have to necessarily prove the exact cause, only that you meet the time and service criteria. Secondary service connection, for autoimmune diseases can can occur or be, related to a veteran's service if they're linked to another service connected condition. For example, chronic stress or PTSD can trigger or worsen autoimmune activity. Long term medication use such as certain antibiotics or biologics may lead to secondary immune related disorders.
Leah B:Endocrine or inflammatory conditions such as thyroid or bowel disease may develop as a result of another service connected illness. To establish this type of connection, a medical opinion must show that the autoimmune disease was caused or aggravated by the service connected condition. You can have aggravation of a preexisting condition if you had a mild autoimmune condition before entering service, but it worsened due to your military stress, exposure, physical demands, things like that, you might qualify under aggravation. The key is showing that your service has caused or worsened, I'm sorry, has caused your disease to progress faster or become more severe than it otherwise would have been. So let's go over some relevant medical research, because I find that to be very helpful sometimes, especially if you're gonna ask your treating provider to help you with a a letter to support your case.
Leah B:So medical research increasingly supports a link between military exposures and autoimmune disorders. A study in the Journal of Autoimmunity in 2015 found that environmental toxins and chronic stress can alter immune system regulation, increasing the risk for autoimmune disease onset. Research published in environmental health perspectives in 2016 highlighted associations between exposures to solvents, heavy metals, and particulate matter, and the development of autoimmune disorders in military and industrial populations. The VA's airborne hazards and open burn pit registry has also documented respiratory and systemic inflammation patterns that may overlap with autoimmune activity. These findings reflect what we often see clinically, a combination of stress, toxic exposure, and immune system dysregulation during service can trigger or accelerate autoimmune conditions in susceptible individuals.
Leah B:Working with, accredited legal professionals can often be very helpful. Navigating an autoimmune related VA claim can be complex. That's why it's important to work with VA accredited attorneys, claims agents, or VSOs, veteran service officers who understand how to build a strong case. Accredited representatives can help you gather the right evidence, interpret complex medical records, and ensure your claim meets all VA requirements. You can find accredited representatives by visiting the VA's official database at va.gov/0gc/apps/accreditation, or by using trusted organizations like the American Legion, the DAV, Veterans of Foreign War, VFW, or your local or state veteran service offices.
Leah B:So working with an accredited professional along with solid medical documentation can significantly improve your claim's success. So, I always put it out there. I am not an accredited legal professional. I work with many accredited legal professionals. I am a medical professional, so I just stick to the medical evidence, you know, review of records.
Leah B:But you can also you can you can come to an organization like mine to review your files and provide an opinion. You can ask your treating provider, or you can just rely on the VA, and, hopefully, their examiners will, support your case with a positive medical opinion as well. So I hope this video was helpful for you guys. I have several other videos, on specific autoimmune disorders that you can check out. This was sort of just an overview of autoimmune disorders.
Leah B:So please like and subscribe if you haven't already. Drop some comments if you have any questions or, comments, and I I usually try to personally get back to those on almost a daily basis. So as always, thank you for watching, and thank you for your service. Thanks. See you.