You may be able to get a VA rating for sinusitis if hazardous substances cause it or burn pit exposure. The ratings can range from 0% to 100%, with increments of 10%.
You can also receive a disability rating for chronic rhinitis if your service aggravates it. A combined rating is the highest possible, and you can combine it with other conditions, such as a deviated septum or migraines.
Keep Track of Your Symptoms
If you experience recurring sinusitis that isn’t responding to treatment, keep track of the frequency and severity of your symptoms. This will help you build a case for getting a higher disability rating.
Burn pit sinusitis VA rating can be awarded independently or with other ratings. The VA looks at symptoms’ frequency, duration, and severity to determine your disability rating. For example, a recurring chronic sinusitis that results in incapacitating episodes or requires surgery will result in a higher rating than an episodic sinusitis that comes and goes.
Airborne irritants like toxins or chemicals can trigger sinusitis in active duty and veteran service members. Additionally, burn pit exposure is another risk factor for veterans developing sinusitis. Luckily, many veterans diagnosed with chronic sinusitis may be eligible for service connection due to a medical nexus that links their current condition diagnosis to an in-service event.
See a Doctor if You Have More than 10 Days of Symptoms
Four pairs of sinuses are in your nose, and the frontal pair causes those killer headaches. The other two are the ethmoid pairs on the sides of your nose, and the maxillary sinuses are below your eyes in the cheek area. The VA recognizes chronic sinusitis as a disability rating, and you can get it on its own or in combination with other disabilities, such as migraines.
A 10% disability rating is used for one or two incapacitating episodes per year that require prolonged antibiotic treatment, including pain, purulent discharge, and crusting symptoms. If you have three or more episodes a year, you can get a 30% rating. This can be combined with a higher rating for conditions such as rhinitis, Wegener’s granulomatosis, and lethal midline granuloma.
See a Doctor if You Have Polyps
The doctor will likely recommend removing the polyps, whether or not they’re cancerous. They will use a flexible tube with light and medicine to examine your colon through the bottom of your rectum, a flexible sigmoidoscopy procedure.
The sigmoidoscopy will also allow the doctor to see any other polyps in your colon, which may be benign or cancerous. This test can be done at home with a small amount of bowel prep and only takes 20 minutes.
Veterans can qualify for a sinusitis VA rating by demonstrating chronic or recurrent episodes of incapacitating symptoms—VA’s ratings for sinusitis range from 0% to 100% in increments of 10%. To get a 10% rating, a veteran must show one or more incapacitating episodes per year requiring prolonged antibiotic treatment. The next level is 30%, which requires 3 to 6 incapacitating episodes per year, characterized by headaches, pain, and discharge.
See a Doctor if You Need Surgery
In some cases, sinusitis can result from an underlying medical issue. For example, people with sleep apnea can often develop sinusitis because their body struggles to breathe while they sleep. If you have a condition like this, you should talk to an ENT about it.
Diagnosing chronic sinusitis is essential because it’s the first step towards being eligible for a disability rating. To get a 10% rating, you must have one or two long-lasting episodes with symptoms that keep you from working and sleeping. A 30% rating is awarded yearly if you have three or more incapacitating episodes.
It’s also essential to see a doctor to decide whether surgery is right for you. Make sure you narrow down your choices of surgeons and make an appointment for a consultation and second opinion. Most insurance companies and the VA will cover this. You should always get a second opinion before any surgery, no matter how serious.