Secondary Condition Explorer
Discover conditions medically linked to your service-connected disabilities…
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Discover conditions medically linked to your service-connected disabilities…
Select a service-connected condition to see what other conditions are medically linked to it. Secondary conditions can be claimed without a separate in-service event — they only need a medical connection to your primary condition. (38 CFR 3.310)
A secondary service-connected condition is a disability that was either caused by or aggravated by a condition you are already service-connected for. Under 38 CFR § 3.310, the VA recognizes that one medical condition can lead to or worsen another. For example, a veteran rated for a knee injury may develop degenerative arthritis in the same joint, or a veteran with service-connected PTSD may develop sleep apnea as a secondary condition.
Filing secondary claims is one of the most effective strategies for increasing your overall VA disability rating. Because the VA uses combined ratings math, each additional condition contributes to your total compensation. This explorer maps the medical relationships between conditions using evidence from peer-reviewed research, VA adjudication data, and Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions to help you identify potential secondary claims you may not have considered.
Most connected conditions