VA Presumptive List

In order to qualify for VA Disability, a condition must be service-connected. But what if a serious condition develops that doesn’t fulfil the normal requirements for service-connection? Enter the VA Presumptive List.

In most cases, conditions that cannot be proved service-connected are denied benefits. Over time, however, the VA began noticing patterns in the types of conditions to develop in veterans who had served in similar circumstances. In other words, a significant number of vets who served in the same place at the same time developed similar conditions in a similar time frame.

Since these conditions were not diagnosed while in the military or do not meet the other requirements for service-connection, they technically cannot be considered service-connected. With the number of vets developing these conditions, however, the VA decided that the evidence was too solid to be coincidental. Military service likely caused those conditions. So, the VA created their VA Presumptive List.

The VA “presumes” that any condition on the VA Presumptive List was caused by military service even though there may be no medical reasoning that definitively proves this connection.
The VA Presumptive List basically states that if veterans who served in X location/circumstances during certain years developed Y or Z conditions, then those conditions will be automatically considered service-connected. No proof is needed beyond documents showing that the vet was indeed in that location/circumstance at that time.

All veterans are required to have served at least 90 days of active, continuous service for their conditions to qualify unless it is specifically noted otherwise below.

All conditions on the VA Presumptive List will be considered service-connected UNLESS there is clear evidence indicating that it was not caused by service. For example, a brain hemorrhage that develops within 1 year after leaving the military is normally presumed connected. If, however, the brain hemorrhage was caused by injury to the head from a car accident 3 months after discharge, then it is not service-connected.

Some of the conditions on the VA Presumptive List are required to be a certain seriousness within a certain amount of time (i.e. “manifest to at least 10% within 1 year of exposure”). This means that the condition must meet the requirements for a 10% rating under its code within 1 year of exposure.

For example, if a vet exposed to Agent Orange develops the skin condition porphyria cutanea tarda, the condition must manifest to 10% within 1 year of the last date of exposure. Porphyria cutanea tarda is a condition that causes blisters to form. It is rated under code 7815. To qualify for a 10% rating under this code, the blisters must cover between 5 and 20% of the skin. If less than 5% of the skin is affected within the 1-year period, then the condition does not qualify and is not considered service-connected.

For conditions that have these time restrictions, there may be cases where the condition is not officially diagnosed until after the time limit. If there is enough medical proof to show that the symptoms required for a 10% rating were present before the time limit even though the condition had not been officially diagnosed, it does still qualify.

Many of these conditions are not in the VASRD and so have to be rated analogously on the condition that is closest. The codes we've listed are the most likely codes for these conditions to be rated under, but they are not the only option. The Rating Authorities may choose a different code depending on the exact symptoms.