Eating disorders
VA Disability for Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are mental health disorders that can cause significant physical health problems. If you developed an eating disorder as a result of your military service or an existing disorder was worsened by service, you may be entitled to VA disability compensation. You’ll want to understand the eating disorder VA rating.
You saw and experienced extremely difficult things while you were on active duty. Then, you were diagnosed with a trauma disorder after you returned home. You thought you were improving with treatment, but now you can’t bring yourself to eat. You’re rapidly losing weight, and your doctor says you’ve developed an eating disorder. This post explains how that too may be related to your service.
Veterans and eating disorders
An eating disorder is a mental health issue that affects a person’s emotional and physical health. It is typically the result of a skewed self or body image.
The three most common types of eating disorders are:
About 9% of the U.S. population will develop an eating disorder at some point in their life. Active duty service members and veterans are more likely to develop eating disorders than the general population. One study found eating disorders in veterans were about 9% in males and 19% in females.
One reason veterans are more prone to eating disorders is their exposure to trauma and the subsequent development of mental health disorders, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as a result. There is a clear relationship between emotional trauma and the development of disordered eating.
If left untreated, eating disorders can result in death.
Eating disorder VA rating
The VA rates eating disorders based on the severity of the condition. It rates anorexia under diagnostic code 9520 and bulimia nervosa under diagnostic code 9521 in the Schedule of Ratings, but both rating criteria are the same. The rating criteria is as follows:
Description |
VA Rating |
Monthly Payment
|
|---|---|---|
Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as: gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name. |
100% |
$3,831.30 |
Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain effective relationships. |
70% |
$1,759.19 |
Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships. |
50% |
$1,102.04 |
Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events) |
30% |
$537.42 |
Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication. |
10% |
$175.51 |
A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication. |
0% |
None |
The VA defines an “incapacitating episode” as a period when bed rest and medical treatment are necessary.
It’s important to note that the above rating criteria doesn’t apply to binge eating disorder. If binge eating is a problem, the VA should consider the condition’s potential relationship to co-occuring mental health disorders such as PTSD or major depressive disorder.
Eating disorders and related conditions
The majority of people (55-97%) with eating disorders have a co-occurring condition, or another mental health disorder that exists along with the eating disorder. Some common co-occurring disorders linked with eating disorders also may qualify for VA disability benefits. That means the eating disorder may be secondarily connected to these disorders or vice versa.
Common mental health conditions linked to eating disorders include:
- PTSD
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Alcohol or substance abuse disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Some of these issues may fall under the VA’s disability rating for mental health disorders.
Researchers also have found a relationship between sexual assault and the development of eating disorders. That means survivors of military sexual trauma may be more prone to developing an eating disorder. If that’s the case, both conditions should be service connected.
Eating disorders also can cause physical health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. You may also be able to service connect those conditions, if they develop as a result of a service-connected eating disorder.
TDIU for eating disorders
A veteran can be awarded total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) benefits if they can’t maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected conditions.
Eating disorders can often lead to feelings of shame, embarrassment, and anxiety that may make it harder to go out in public. Additionally, veterans with anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder may struggle with other serious mental health disorders such as PTSD, which can make it difficult to cooperate on a team or in a work environment.
TDIU pays at the same level as a 100% disability rating, even when the veteran’s combined rating is below 100%.
Veterans will typically be eligible for TDIU if they have:
1
At least one service-connected disability rated at 60% or more disabling OR
2
Two or more service-connected disabilities with at least one rated at 40% or more disabling and a combined rating of 70% or more
How VA can help
Our TDIU lawyers have helped thousands of veterans nationwide who can no longer work because of their service-connected conditions. Call us today for your free, confidential TDIU case evaluation. You won’t pay us unless we win your claim.