I Have Respiratory Disease. Can I Get VA Disability?
By Douglas I. Friedman of Friedman Law Firm, P.C.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Yes, you can. The extent of the rating will depend on how bad your breathing is. The rating schedule goes higher according to your Pulmonary Function Test (PFT). How the test is evaluated by VA depends on what indicators the doctor thinks are most important. Is your diffusion capacity the key? Or is it your forced expiratory volume? These rules can get very complicated, to say the least.
Remember, also, that you must be able to prove that you had an event or injury in the service that is as likely as not to have resulted in your asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and the like. If you served in Southwest Asia (Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Afghanistan), you may be able to take advantage of a presumption that connects your respiratory disease to your service.
We believe that these cases must be reviewed carefully to put the pieces in place. If you have any questions feel free to contact us at 1-800-728-0434 or Lifehealth@FriedmanFirmPC.com.