Free tool
VA secondary conditions map
One service-connected condition can cause or worsen another, and the second one is ratable too. Find the condition you are already service-connected for below and see what it commonly leads to, and why, so you know what to raise with your doctor.
PTSD, depression & anxiety
Mental health conditions and their medications ripple through the whole body. These are the most-claimed secondaries in the groups.
Weight gain from symptoms and medication, plus disrupted sleep, are linked to obstructive sleep apnea. See sleep apnea secondary to PTSD.
Chronic stress and many psychiatric medications aggravate reflux.
SSRIs and other psych meds are a known cause. ED usually pays through SMC-K, not the schedule.
A sustained stress response is tied to high blood pressure.
Tension headaches, the gut-brain link, and jaw clenching all show up secondary to chronic anxiety.
Back & lumbar spine
A bad back rarely stays in the back. Nerves run from the spine down the legs, and an altered gait wears out other joints.
Nerve pain, numbness, or weakness running down a leg. Each leg is rated separately, so this can add up.
Chronic pain and lost mobility are a recognized cause of secondary depression.
Favoring your back changes how you walk, which overloads the joints below it.
With significant nerve involvement, the spine can affect these functions.
Knee (one knee)
A single bad knee shifts your weight and gait, and the rest of your body pays for it over time.
Favoring the injured leg overloads the good one for years.
An altered gait travels up the chain.
Chronic pain and lost mobility.
Type 2 diabetes
Diabetes is a presumptive condition for Agent Orange exposure, and it drives a long list of secondaries.
Nerve damage, usually burning or numbness in the feet and hands. Rated per limb.
Vascular and nerve damage. Pays via SMC-K.
Diabetes damages the small vessels in the kidneys and eyes.
Closely tied to long-term diabetes.
Tinnitus & hearing loss
The most-claimed disability of all, and it does not travel alone.
Constant ringing is linked to headache disorders.
Unrelenting noise wears people down and wrecks sleep.
If you have one, get evaluated for the other.
Sleep apnea
Often a secondary itself, sleep apnea then drives its own problems.
Repeated overnight oxygen drops raise blood pressure.
Chronic exhaustion.
Reflux and apnea commonly occur together.
Hypertension
High blood pressure is both a common secondary and a cause of serious downstream conditions.
Ischemic heart disease and related cardiac conditions.
Sustained high pressure damages the kidneys.
If a stroke occurred, its lasting effects are ratable.
Sinusitis & rhinitis
Chronic sinus and nasal disease, common after burn-pit and dust exposure, obstructs breathing day and night.
Nasal obstruction is a recognized contributor to obstructive sleep apnea.
Sinus pressure drives recurring headaches.
Flat feet & plantar fasciitis
Bad feet change your whole posture, and the joints above them absorb it.
Fallen arches and heel pain alter your gait, which stresses everything up the chain.
Any condition on daily medication
Do not overlook the drugs. A medication for a service-connected condition can cause a whole new ratable problem.
Antidepressants, blood pressure meds, and others. Pays via SMC-K.
NSAIDs and many prescriptions irritate the stomach.
Medications that cause weight gain can open the door to a sleep apnea claim.
Secondary claims are where ratings are quietly won
Most veterans file for the obvious injury and stop. The people who reach the higher brackets are usually the ones who claimed the chain: the back injury, then the sciatica down each leg, then the depression from living in pain. Every one of those is its own rating, and they combine.
You still have to prove the link. A secondary claim lives or dies on the nexus, a doctor's statement that your service-connected condition at least as likely as not caused or aggravated the new one. Read how to file a secondary claim and the secondaries people miss.
Not sure which secondaries fit your file?
The VA Claims Copilot reads your conditions and flags the secondary claims worth exploring, with the plain-English reason each one connects. It is the fastest way to find what you have been leaving on the table.
This is general education, not medical or legal advice, and not from the VA. These are common, documented pathways, not a diagnosis or a guarantee that any secondary will be granted for you. Every secondary claim still needs a medical nexus for your specific case. Work with your doctor and a free VA-accredited representative or Veterans Service Organization. We are not the VA and are not affiliated with the VA.