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Veterans Affairs (VA) provides ratings for allergic rhinitis. A service-connected disability is a medical condition that was caused or made worse by your military service. VA rates disabilities from 0% to 100%, with 100% being the most severe. You may be entitled to compensation and health care benefits if you have allergic rhinitis as a service-connected disability.
A rating of 0% means your condition meets the criteria for service connection but has no impact on your working capacity, while a rating of 100% means you are totally disabled. A rating of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90% means you are eligible for monetary benefits proportionate to the rating. Other benefits would include health care and vocational rehabilitation.
If you have been diagnosed with allergic rhinitis, and you experienced something in service that represented the onset of the condition or the cause of the condition, you should file with VA for an allergic rhinitis VA rating.
What is Allergic Rhinitis?
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common condition that affects the nose and throat. The symptoms can include sneezing, a runny nose, and itchy eyes. These symptoms can be mild to severe, and can vary depending on the person. Veterans Affairs (VA) has classified allergic rhinitis as a service-connected condition. The rating a Veteran is given reflects how severe the condition is.
Veterans Affairs Rating Scale for Allergic Rhinitis
VA diagnostic code 6522 covers ratings for Veterans that suffer from allergic or vasomotor rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis with polyps qualifies for a 30 percent disability rating. A Veteran may get a 10 percent disability rating if their allergic rhinitis has no polyps, but comes with a higher than 50% blockage of the nasal tube on both sides or full blockage on one side.
Getting a Proper Medical Assessment
The first step in obtaining disability benefits is to see your doctor. Make a list of all the symptoms you typically encounter with allergic rhinitis before your visit. The more information you can provide your doctor, the more accurate your diagnosis will be. Your doctor may be willing to certify a medical relationship between an occurrence in your service record and your current ailment if you have a record of it with you.
Establishing a Service Link
As we just mentioned, once you’ve been diagnosed, you’ll have to pinpoint a particular event or series of circumstances that contributed to your illness while you were serving. Working in dusty, smoky, or moldy environments is a typical trigger for allergic rhinitis. So, if your service exposed you to these conditions smoke, dust, or mold, you may be able to link the condition to your service. This may be particularly relevant to veterans who were exposed to airborne particle pollution from burn pits.
However, your allergic rhinitis is presumed to be service-related by the VA if you served in certain locations, such as during the Persian Gulf War (in the Southwest Asia theater of operations), during specified time periods.
When Should You File a Claim for Allergic Rhinitis?
Timing is everything when it comes to submitting a claim for disability benefits. You should see a doctor as soon as possible if you feel you have a service-related problem. After your symptoms develop, you should file a disability claim as soon as possible to maximize the potential effective date. To assist you through this process, consider hiring a lawyer with experience in VA claims and disability law.
What if Your VA Disability Claim Is Denied?
If your VA disability claim is denied, you may be able to appeal the decision. You can file an appeal if you think the VA made a mistake in its decision or if you think your claim was not given a fair review. The process for filing an appeal can be complicated, and you don’t want to get it wrong, so getting help from a lawyer or other qualified professional is important.
Additionally, it may be beneficial to engage a VA disability appeals lawyer; in terms of meeting deadlines and completing forms, they may be a huge asset.