According to the VA, nearly 80 percent of veterans are overweight or obese. Some veterans say the issues with their weight were caused by their military service. They maintain that their condition is a service-connected disability. However, the VA disagrees.

To the VA obesity is not a disability that qualifies for compensation. To qualify for disability, the VA says, a veteran must prove that there was an event during their time in service that caused their impairment. Obesity occurs over time, they say, and is the result of many factors including poor eating habits and a lack of physical activity.

Nevertheless, obesity can be an intermediate step and may play a part in the awarding of VA disability benefits. So what does an intermediate step mean in the context of a VA disability claim? Think of an intermediate step as a bridge connecting a veteran’s service-connected disability to a secondary impairment they developed due to their obesity. For example, a veteran may be prescribed medication for service-connected injury that causes significant weight gain which, in turn, leads to heart disease.

The VA has recognized obesity as an intermediate step in establishing service-connection for a secondary condition. The agency has established a three-part test for obesity as an intermediate step and it goes like this: Did a service connected disability cause a veteran’s obesity? If so, then was the obesity a substantial factor in the veteran developing a secondary non-service connected disability? If the answer is yes, the final test is: Would the veteran’s non-service connected disability have occurred on its own, if there was no substantial weight gain?

The bottom line is that if you served in the military you can get indirect VA disability benefits for obesity, but the path to benefits is difficult to navigate. The accredited VA attorneys at Cuddigan Law are ready to help you with your claim for the benefits you have rightfully earned by your service to your country. Call or email us for a free evaluation of your specific situation.

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