VA Disability for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Living with rheumatoid arthritis can be overwhelming. Your pain may not always be well controlled. Tasks that were once easy are now impossible. And, you can’t work as much as you used to, or even at all. If your rheumatoid arthritis is service-connected, you have the right to file for veteran disability benefits or appeal a denial of your claim. At VetLaw, we have a unique perspective on VA disability for rheumatoid arthritis. We’re not just lawyers who seek justice for service members. We’re veterans, too.

Applying for VA disability benefits is more than just simple paperwork. You have to have sufficient evidence to back your service-connection claim. And, the VA’s rules and requirements are always changing. We’re here to help you create a strong VA disability benefits application. It costs you nothing for us to get started on your claim. Our firm only collects a fee if we secure benefits for you.

You spent hours gathering information and filling out forms. And yet, your VA disability benefits application was denied. Unfortunately, VA benefit denials are common. Some of the top reasons that VA disability for rheumatoid arthritis claims are denied are:

• You submitted the wrong form. The VA has numerous disability-related forms on their website. It’s not unheard of for a veteran to accidentally submit the wrong form, so don’t feel embarrassed if you made this common mistake.
• You missed a deadline. If the VA needs more information from you, they usually give you a deadline to submit it by. At VetLaw, we understand that it’s difficult to keep up with what the VA wants and when they want it. When you hire our firm, we keep track of deadlines for you. All you need to do is attend your medical appointments.
• The VA determined that your rheumatoid arthritis is not service-related. The powers-that-be at the VA don’t know you personally, nor have they seen firsthand how rheumatoid arthritis affects your life. All they have is a stack of forms to read through. Our lawyers see you as more than just a number. We know what information the VA needs in order to establish service connection and what a strong claim looks like.

If you received a denial, you may still be eligible for benefits. You have the right to appeal a denial of veteran disability benefits for your rheumatoid arthritis claim. Our attorneys can help you file an appeal, even if we didn’t work on your initial claim.

The VA will assign a disability rating based on the severity of your rheumatoid arthritis. The criteria for rating rheumatoid arthritis is detailed in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 38, § 4.71a, diagnostic code 5002. This rating is expressed as a percentage. Veterans with rheumatoid arthritis may receive a VA disability rating of 20%, 40%, 60%, or 100%.

When determining your VA disability for rheumatoid arthritis rating, the VA considers:

• The medical records that you provided. You must have a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis before you can apply for VA disability benefits.
• The results of your VA claim exam, if you were required to have one.
• Supporting documentation from other sources. This information can come from lay sources or from a “buddy statement” from a fellow veteran. (“Buddy statements” are officially called a Statement in Support of Claim and have sometimes been referred to as “buddy letters”.)

The VA’s requirements for rheumatoid arthritis disability benefits may be different from how other organizations rate or classify this health condition.

In addition to rheumatoid arthritis, some veterans have other service-related illnesses or injuries. In those cases, the VA considers all service-connected conditions to calculate a combined disability rating. A combined VA disability rating cannot exceed 100% because a person cannot be more than 100% able-bodied.