What Conditions Does the VA Consider Unratable?

EXTRA-FOR THE VETERAN OF THE VETERAN SHARE OF THE DAY

There are a number of conditions that the VA will not qualify for a disability rating. This is due to several factors considered. The first and most obvious is that the condition is not considered service-connected and existed prior to service (EPTS). The next factor would be whether or not the condition is determined to affect the veteran’s overall ability to function. Finally, if the condition is seen to have been caused by the poor decisions of the veteran or by natural causes, it will not be considered for a rating.

Since there are a great number of conditions and symptoms that do not qualify for Military Disability Benefits, the rest of this article will be focused on presenting only the most commonly seen.

As the following cannot qualify for Military Disability Benefits, they are disqualified from being rated in any way unless granted a clear exception due to another condition.

For example, while PTSD is considered ratable by the VARSD, alcoholism is not. If a veteran has turned to alcoholism as a result of their PTSD and they were fired because of it, the firing because of alcoholism would not be considered in rating their PTSD. The alcoholism is not able to be rated due to it being a condition affected by the choices of the veteran. They may receive benefits for PTSD, but not for alcoholism or the symptoms of alcoholism.

Learning or Developmental Disabilities
Disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia (inability to order numbers correctly), dysgraphia (disability which affects the ability to write and/or organize cognitive thoughts for written communication), and processing deficits (affect the ability to interpret sensory data) are considered not ratable.

Other examples would be intellectual disability (such as mental retardation) and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders (ADD and ADHD).

Congenital or Hereditary Conditions
A congenital condition is defined as any condition occurring during birth or the first month after birth.

Hereditary (or genetic) conditions occur naturally based on the genetics of the person and are considered unavoidable no matter the circumstances of the person’s life.

Both of these are considered EPTS and, therefore, are not ratable.

Examples include:

Gigantism
Dwarfism
Defective vision
Genetic or inherited diseases
Developmental defects
Physical defects from birth such as missing organs or limbs, or deformations