Heart disease comes in many forms. It is a disability that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) provides benefits for, including monthly disability compensation, if you can show that your heart disease condition is connected with your active military service.
Depending on the nature and severity of a heart disease condition, you can receive a VA disability rating of 10%, 30%, 60%, or 100%.
If you want to obtain a VA rating for heart disease, call Stone Rose Law at (480) 498-8998 or use our contact form.
The VA rates heart disease conditions based on their severity and their impact on your ability to work and engage in daily life activities.
The measurement the VA uses is the Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET).
METs measure the energy cost on your heart during physical activity, and when you begin to experience symptoms of heart failure.
The sooner you rack up METs, the worse your heart condition is. So, a lower MET “score” means you will qualify for a higher VA disability rating.
Some of the heart failure symptoms that METs measure include:
Here are some of the MET-related conditions and their corresponding VA disability ratings:
The MET score at this rating level is 8 through 10.
At this level, you may experience symptoms of heart failure while engaging in strenuous activities like running or sports activities.
If you require continuous heart medication, this will also qualify for a 10% disability rating.
Your MET score here will be 6 or 7.
You will begin to experience heart failure symptoms when walking at a moderate pace, bicycling, or engaging in daily life activities like mowing your lawn.
If an X-ray or electrocardiogram shows evidence of a heart hypertrophy or dilation condition, you will also qualify for a 30% rating.
If your rating is 30 percent or more, you can also receive additional benefits for dependents in your household, including your spouse, children, and dependent parents.
Your MET score will be 4 or 5.
Heart failure symptoms at this level can manifest when walking briskly for a short distance, climbing stairs, or engaging in life activities like raking leaves.
If medical evidence of a left ventricular ejection fraction dysfunction of 30% to 50% exists, this will also qualify you for a 60% rating.
Your MET score will be 3 or less.
At this level, even ordinary activities like walking slowly or getting dressed will cause heart failure symptoms.
If medical evidence of a left ventricular ejection fraction dysfunction of less than 30% exists, this will qualify you for a 100% rating.
In some cases, your heart disease condition can be so disabling that it warrants a total disability rating. Totally disabling symptoms can include showing signs of heart failure when:
The VA assigns specific codes to many heart disease conditions. If your condition has its own diagnostic code, the VA will assign your disability rating based on the criteria it uses for that code.
If no diagnostic code exists for your heart condition, then the VA will rate your condition using the most similar rating available under another diagnostic code.
Most VA heart conditions use a general rating formula:
| Description | VA Rating |
| A workload of 3.0 METs or less results in heart failure symptoms. | 100% |
| A workload of 3.1–5.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms. | 60% |
| A workload of 5.1–7.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms or evidence exists of cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation, which is confirmed by an echocardiogram or its equivalent. | 30% |
| A workload of 7.1–10.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms, or your condition requires continuous medication to control. | 10% |
For specific conditions like coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, arteriosclerosis, heart murmur, and atrial fibrillation (AFIB), the VA uses similar criteria to determine your disability rating based on symptoms and METs levels.
The compensable VA ratings for hypertension are 10%, 20%, 40%, and 60%, depending on blood pressure readings and the need for continuous medication.
The VA rates heart arrhythmia at 10%, 30%, 60%, or 100%, depending on the severity, duration, and frequency of your symptoms.
| Description | VA Rating |
| Your condition scores 3 METs or less on the MET test while causing shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and dizziness; orYour left ventricle is found to be pushing out less than 30% of the blood it is meant to with each beat | 100% |
| Your condition scores 4 or 5 METs on the MET test while causing shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and dizziness; orYour left ventricular dysfunction is causing an ejection rate between 30-50% | 60% |
| Your condition scores 6 or 7 METs on the MET test while causing shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and dizziness; orEvidence exists of hypertrophy (thickening of the heart muscle) or dilation (an expanding of the heart) | 30% |
| Your condition scores 8, 9, or 10 METs on the MET test while causing shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and dizziness; orYou need to use continuous medication | 10% |
The VA will rate an AFIB condition at 10% or 30%, depending on the severity, duration, and frequency of your symptoms:
In some situations, the VA may provide you with a temporary 100% disability rating for heart disease:
In most of these cases, once your temporary total disability period expires, the VA will re-evaluate you and give you a new disability rating.
Total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) allows you to receive total disability benefits even if your VA disability rating is not 100%.
TDIU is for veterans whose disability makes them unable to keep substantially gainful employment.
The main consideration for whether you are eligible for TDIU total disability benefits is whether you can keep substantially gainful employment.
Not being able to be substantially gainfully employed does not mean you must be completely unemployable. The VA does not consider part-time employment or odd jobs to be substantially gainful employment.
To apply for TDIU, you will file two forms: VA Form 21-8940 and VA Form 21-4192, a Request for Employment Information in Connection with Claim for Disability Benefits. If you are employed, then your employer will complete this latter form.
Most veterans who receive TDIU benefits use this path:
To learn more about how combined VA disability ratings work, see our VA Disability Calculator.
If you cannot meet the qualifications for schedular TDIU, the VA may consider you for extraschedular benefits.
To qualify for extraschedular TDIU, you must show that your service-connected disabilities are an exceptional employment barrier to you. This means that the severity of your disabilities is not adequately reflected using the schedular method.
To support an extraschedular TDIU claim, you will need to provide comprehensive evidence, including detailed medical records, diagnostic results, and your medical treatment history.
The VA recognizes many kinds of service-connected heart disease conditions as eligible for VA benefits:
Let’s take a closer look at some of the more common forms of heart disease that can form the basis of a claim for veterans disability benefits.
CAD is the most common type of heart disease.
Coronary artery disease, also known as ischemic heart disease, results from the narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries caused by cholesterol plaque buildup on the inner arterial walls.
Primary symptoms of coronary artery disease include:
In addition to its primary symptoms, a CAD condition can contribute to the following additional heart disease conditions:
Although medically speaking, these secondary conditions are distinct from coronary heart disease, if you make a benefits claim for CAD, the VA will not consider them separate conditions for purposes of a combined disability rating. Instead, it will consider all your heart conditions and assign you a rating equal to your highest rating for any one condition.
CAD risk factors include:
Your blood pressure depends on how much blood your heart pumps and how much resistance your arteries have to blood flow. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure becomes. Hypertension can lead to severe health complications, including an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.
Heart Arrhythmia is an irregular and often rapid heart rate that can take different forms, like tachycardia (fast heart rate), bradycardia (slow heart rate), and sick sinus syndrome.
Arrhythmia is a potentially serious heart disease condition because it can increase your risk of stroke or heart failure. Heart pacemaker implantation is often done to control the effects of arrhythmia.
Heart murmurs manifest as whooshing or swishing sounds in the heart. They come from turbulent, rapid blood flow through the heart and vary in severity. Some are harmless, but others can indicate serious heart conditions.
Sometimes, people can confuse a heart murmur condition with arrhythmia, but they are distinct conditions:
Cardiomyopathy is a form of heart disease that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood effectively. It is a potentially dangerous condition because it can lead to heart failure.
Aortic stenosis occurs when the heart’s aortic valve narrows. This reduces blood flow from the heart. Valve replacement surgery is often used to treat this problem.
To receive a VA disability rating for a heart condition, you must establish that it is connected to your military service. There are three ways you can do this: through a presumptive service connection, a direct service connection, or a secondary connection.
In some cases, the VA will automatically presume that diseases of the heart have a service connection, and you will not need to prove it. All you need to do is show that you meet the eligibility criteria for the presumptive service connection and that your condition is disabling enough to qualify you for a VA disability rating.
If you served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, then based on presumptive Agent Orange exposure, the following two kinds of heart disease are considered to have a presumptive service connection:
The VA presumes some heart conditions are service-connected if you experience them within one year after you leave military service. These conditions include:
If you were held as a prisoner of war, then the VA considers two kinds of heart disease to be presumptively service-connected:
If you cannot qualify under a presumptive service connection, you can still receive disability benefits for heart disease if you can show a direct service connection.
To do this, you must prove the following:
You must provide documentary evidence to support your claim for a direct service connection. This includes medical records, service personnel records, and lay statements, also known as “buddy letters.”
A secondary service connection exists if you already have a VA disability rating for a disability and that disability causes your heart disease.
Examples of service-connected disabilities that can lead to the onset of heart disease include:
The VA will likely schedule you to attend a Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam after you submit your benefits claim for a heart disease condition. The reason for this exam is to give the VA more information to establish whether your claimed condition exists and to help determine what your VA disability rating should be if it does.
During the C&P exam, the VA examiner will usually use a disability benefits questionnaire (DBQ) to guide the examination. Your treating physician may have also used a DBQ during your heart disease diagnosis, so you may already have one in your records when you attend the exam.
During the C&P exam, a VA examiner will review your claim documentation, ask questions about your heart disease condition, and have you undergo some tests to see how your heart is functioning.
For example, a C&P exam for coronary artery disease will likely include a disability evaluation using a treadmill or stationary bike to assess your MET score. The examiner will look to see whether and how soon you might experience symptoms like shortness of breath, dizziness, or chest pain.
It is important to attend your C&P exam. If you fail to do so, it could delay the VA’s consideration of your claim or lead to a claim denial.
An experienced VA disability benefits attorney can help you prepare for your C&P exam, including giving you guidance on what information you will need to take with you and what kinds of questions you can expect during your VA examination.
The VA does not always approve initial benefits claims for heart disease. This can happen for a number of reasons, including:
Sometimes, the VA itself can make an error during the processing of your claim.
If the VA denies your initial claim, then you have multiple options in response:
Although some veterans try to file their initial claims on their own, if you need to appeal a claim denial, it is a good idea to have an experienced VA claims appeal attorney represent you. The appeal procedure can be complex and has deadlines you must not miss.
Our Stone Rose Law VA disability lawyers help veterans with initial and supplemental benefits claims, including claims for heart disease. We can help you receive the VA disability compensation you are entitled to.
We can help you prepare your initial VA disability claim or appeal a claim denial. Initial case evaluations are always free.
Please call (480) 498-8998 or contact us online to set up a confidential, complimentary consultation with a veterans law attorney.
