The VA may grant you up to a 60% disability rating for heartburn or acid reflux, which entitles you to at least $1,400.65 in monthly compensation.
There are various things you should know before applying for a veteran’s disability claim for heartburn. To begin, heartburn or acid reflux does not have its own rating criteria, and the VA assigns a grade based on your symptoms from another diagnostic code.
Furthermore, it is critical to understand whether you are qualified for acid reflux disability compensation and how much rating you may receive according to your symptoms.
We’ll go through everything here to assist you on your way to improved health. Let’s get this party started –
Heartburn
According to the NHS, acid reflux or heartburn is a feeling of burning sensation in the chest. This sensation is caused when stomach acid flows up to the throat.
The symptoms of acid reflux may involve –
- Heartburn
- Cough or hiccup
- Bloating
- Feeling sick
- A hoarse voice
- A sour taste in your mouth
- Bad breath
Acid reflux can be caused or worsened by many factors, including –
- Smoking
- Stress and anxiety
- Pregnancy
- Certain drinks and food
- Some medicines, etc.
Heartburn vs GERD
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic acid reflux or heartburn condition. It occurs when the valve inside your body does not seal correctly when food reaches your stomach, causing acid to flow up your throat on a frequent basis.
While the VA does not issue disability ratings for acid reflux on its own, GERD does. As a result, you may only qualify for disability payments if you have persistent acid reflux.
VA Disability Rating for Acid Reflux
While there are no rating standards for heartburn, the VA rates this condition using Diagnostic Code 7346 for hiatal hernia. Acid reflux can result in a disability rating ranging from 10% to 60%, and the details for every rating are as follows:
60% Rating for Acid Reflux
When you are suffering from the following symptoms due to acid reflux causing severe impairment of health, you may be eligible for a 60% VA rating –
- Vomiting
- Hematemesis
- Pain
- Melena with moderate anemia
- Material weight loss
30% Rating for Acid Reflux
Veterans experiencing “persistently recurrent epigastric discomfort with dysphagia, pyrosis, and regurgitation, accompanied by substernal or arm and shoulder pain, producing significant impairment of health” receive a 30% VA rating. Here’s what it means:
- Persistently recurrent epigastric discomfort: You are experiencing ongoing pain or discomfort in the upper middle of your abdomen, just below the rib cage.
- Dysphagia: Dysphagia is a symptom of GERD where you find it hard to swallow food or liquid.
- Pyrosis: Pyrosis refers to heartburn caused by stomach acid flowing back into the esophagus.
- Regurgitation: Regurgitation occurs when partly digested food or stomach acid travels back into the throat or mouth.
- Substernal or arm and shoulder pain: Sternum is the breastbone, and substernal pain refers to the pain felt behind the breastbone.
- Productive of considerable impairment of health: This signifies that all of these symptoms have had a major impact on a person’s overall health and everyday life.
To recap, for a 30% disability rating due to acid reflux, you must experience symptoms of continuous discomfort in the upper abdomen, trouble swallowing, heartburn, regurgitation of stomach material, and pain in the chest, arm, or shoulder.
10% Rating for Acid Reflux
If you experience symptoms of GERD that are less severe than a 30% rating (epigastric discomfort, dysphagia, pyrosis, regurgitation, substernal or arm and shoulder pain), you may be qualified for a 10% disability rating.
Are You Eligible for Heartburn Disability Benefits?
Do you want to know if you qualify for heartburn or acid reflux disability benefits? Here are the terms: –
Diagnosis
You must have an accurate diagnosis of acid reflux before filing a disability claim. You can get a diagnosis from a doctor or get older medical documents, such as military records, to provide to the VA when applying for compensation.
Service Connection
Most disabilities, including acid reflux, require a proven service connection in order to be eligible for VA reimbursement. Veterans seeking acid reflux disability must demonstrate that their condition was caused or worsened directly or indirectly by an in-service event, sickness, or accident.
Symptoms and Functional Impairment
Chronic and recurring GERD symptoms that are interfering with your health and daily life must be documented in your medical records. The VA will assign you a disability rating depending on the severity of your symptoms and their impact on your life.
Tips for Filing a Claim
It is extremely common for veterans to obtain a lower disability rating than they deserve due to an inaccurate claim. You’ll have to spend months appealing the VA’s decision if you don’t make sure your claim includes all the VA demands. Follow these recommendations to avoid similar issues:
- Begin by obtaining any relevant medical records that may be presented to the VA, such as diagnosis papers and treatment records.
- Obtain any employment documents that may be useful to the VA if the severity of your acid reflux has resulted in job impairment.
- If you have documented your disease’s symptoms in a notebook that shows how acid reflux affects your everyday life, you can use it as proof when making a claim.
- For veterans who have never filed a claim for their illness before, doing so for the first time might be intimidating. As a result, you may seek assistance from specialists like VA Disability Coach, who can make the process easier and boost your chances of receiving the rating you deserve.
Conclusion
If the VA’s decision does not reflect the severity of your sickness, be prepared to pursue an appeal. While receiving your disability rating may take many months, if your appeal is successful, you will be entitled to much more income.