The VA doesn’t understand complex conditions like syringomyelia.
Built by a veteran who went through the claims processVeterans often struggle to get validation, through a proper rating, for complex conditions such as syringomyelia. Our co-founder James experienced this first-hand as a veteran going through the VA claims process.
The Coalition exists to be an additional resource for veterans: better information about this diagnosis, a clearer picture of how to increase your chances of success when you submit a claim, and a patient advocacy letter, signed off by our medical board, that explains your condition to the people deciding it.
A code with a floor, and no ceiling of its own.
The way to get the VA to rate this condition properly is to communicate, directly and specifically, the impact it has on your physical and mental health.
The VA has a very specific rating system. Every condition has its own diagnostic code that tells raters how to evaluate the disability. Syringomyelia is Diagnostic Code 8024 in the neurological schedule (38 CFR 4.124a), which sets a minimum rating of 30 percent when there are ascertainable residuals.
Here is the part many veterans are never told: the 30 percent is a floor, not a scale. Anything above it comes from rating each residual, such as weakness or loss of use in a limb, gait problems, bladder dysfunction, pain, or mental health effects, under its own code. Because syringomyelia is a progressive, degenerative condition, documenting every residual is how the rating comes to reflect how incapacitating it truly is.
The minimum rating
Syringomyelia carries a 30 percent minimum under 38 CFR 4.124a. The minimum requires ascertainable residuals, meaning the symptoms of the disease must be present and documented.
Source: eCFR, 38 CFR 4.124aResiduals set the number
Neurological conditions and their residuals are rated from 10 to 100 percent in proportion to impairment of motor, sensory, or mental function. Loss of use of a limb, gait disturbance, visceral effects, and more are rated under the body system they affect.
Source: eCFR, 38 CFR 4.124a · Board of Veterans’ Appeals decisionHeadaches, dizziness, fatigue
Residuals that cannot be objectively verified are to be accepted when they are consistent with the disease and not more likely due to something else. Your symptom history matters.
Source: eCFR, 38 CFR 4.124a, Note to DC 8000–8025A patient advocacy letter, signed off by our medical board.
Raters and examiners rarely see syringomyelia. We can represent you with a patient advocacy letter that explains your condition in plain, clinical terms: what a syrinx is, why it is progressive, and how the residuals you are reporting fit the disease. Each letter is reviewed and signed off by our medical board and is yours to submit with your claim, decision review, or C&P exam.
- What it isAn educational statement about your diagnosis and its known effects, written for people who do not know the condition.
- What it is notIt does not replace a nexus opinion from your treating provider or an accredited representative. It strengthens both.
- How to request oneEmail us with your diagnosis, a summary of your symptoms, and where you are in the claims process. We will follow up on what we need from you.
Build the claim the rater has to take seriously.
None of this replaces an accredited representative. It is the groundwork that makes their job, and your case, stronger.
Know the three things every claim needs
A current diagnosis, an event, injury, or illness during service, and a medical opinion (the “nexus”) connecting the two. Without all three, a compensation claim cannot be granted. Your MRI reports and neurosurgical notes are the diagnosis; the nexus usually comes from a provider’s opinion or your C&P exam.
Source: VA News, how to successfully file a compensation claim
Document every residual, separately
Because the rating above 30 percent is built from residuals, list each one on its own with dates, frequency, and what it stops you from doing:
- Motor: weakness, loss of use, grip, balance, gait
- Sensory: numbness, burning, temperature loss, pain
- Autonomic and visceral: bladder, bowel, sweating, blood pressure
- Mental health: depression, anxiety, sleep, cognition
Our appointment prep guides and glossary help you describe these in the language raters and examiners use, and our patient advocacy letter explains how they fit the disease.
Gather the evidence before you file
Your DD214, service treatment records, every private and VA medical record related to the condition, and lay statements from family, friends, or people you served with who have watched the condition affect you. You can also use VA Form 21-4138, Statement in Support of Claim, to tell the story in your own words.
Get an accredited representative. It is free.
An accredited Veterans Service Organization representative, claims agent, or attorney can help you gather evidence, file, and request a decision review, and can communicate with the VA on your behalf. VSO representation on benefit claims is always free.
Source: VA, get help from an accredited representative or VSO
If you cannot work, ask about Individual Unemployability
TDIU pays at the 100 percent rate when service-connected disabilities prevent substantially gainful employment. You generally need one disability rated 60 percent or more, or a combined 70 percent with at least one at 40 percent. For a progressive condition this is often the most important question to raise.
Source: VA, Individual Unemployability
A denial is not the end
If the decision is wrong or incomplete, you can request a Higher-Level Review or file a Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence. Many syringomyelia ratings are corrected on review once residuals are documented properly.
Talk to your representative about which path fits your situation and the deadlines that apply.
You served our country. Now it’s time for the community to serve you.
Thank you for your sacrifice.
“Going through the VA claims process with syringomyelia showed me how little the system understands this condition. No veteran should have to figure that out alone.”
As we grow, we will update this page with any and all efforts on this front: resources, partnerships, and what we learn from the veterans we work with. In the meantime, reach out by email or on any of our social platforms with questions, concerns, or suggestions. If you have been through the process yourself, your experience could help the next veteran who lands here.
Email Info@IAMHEARDCoalition.org to request a patient advocacy letter or just to talk through where you are. Veterans and their families are also eligible for our care packages and grant program like every other member of this community.
Start here on VA.gov.
Know a veteran living with this?
Send them this page. And if you are a veteran who has been through the claims process, your story could change how the next one goes.
Disclaimer
I AM HEARD Coalition is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This page is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, benefits, or medical advice. Rating criteria are summarized from public VA regulations and may change; every claim is decided on its own facts. Work with a VA-accredited representative, claims agent, or attorney on your claim, and consult your healthcare providers about your condition. Our patient advocacy letters are educational statements about a diagnosis; they are not a VA nexus opinion, a medical examination, or legal representation, and the Coalition is not a VA-accredited representative.
Sources
- 38 CFR 4.124a, Schedule of ratings, neurological conditions and convulsive disorders (Diagnostic Code 8024, Syringomyelia). ecfr.gov
- Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision 18112273 (2018), on ratings above the DC 8024 minimum being based on residuals. va.gov
- VA News, How to successfully file a VA compensation claim. news.va.gov
- VA, Evidence needed for your disability claim. va.gov
- VA, Get help from a VA accredited representative or VSO. va.gov
- VA, Individual Unemployability. va.gov
- VA, Higher-Level Reviews and Supplemental Claims. va.gov · va.gov
- Veterans Crisis Line. veteranscrisisline.net