SERVING
Those That
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Currently, there are two categories of claims that can be granted secondary service connection under VA regulation 3.310, "Disabilities that are proximately due to, or aggravated by, service-connected disease or injury."
The first category includes claims for which there is an initial service-connected disability, and then a subsequent disability or disabilities found to be proximately due to (caused by) the service-connected disability. One example of this type of claim would be loss of limb due to amputation occurring subsequent to a service-connected diabetes diagnosis. The loss of a limb, it might be argued, should be service connected in addition to the diabetes because the amputation may not have been needed had the veteran not developed diabetes.
In accordance with a 1995 court decision (Allen v. Brown, 7 Vet. App. 439), VA will also grant service connection under this regulation in claims where there is an increase in the severity of nonservice-connected disability that is found to be due to aggravation by a service-connected disability. These are called secondary service connection by aggravation claims.
Top 10 Secondary Disabilities
1. Sciatic nerve damage
3. Median nerve damage (paralysis)
4. External popliteal nerve damage
5. Arteriosclerotic heart disease
6. Arteriosclerosis obliterans
7. Hypertensive vascular disease
8. Renal involvement in systemic diseases
9. Sciatic nerve (neuritis)
10. Degenerative arthritis of the spine
Top 10 Secondary Disabilities
Updated: September 2018