As DAV benefits advocates, we occasionally hear from veterans who are disappointed after receiving a 0% disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs. While this means you don’t get monetary benefits or an increase in your overall compensation, that zero still has value.

It’s important to remember that even with a 0% disability rating, which the VA calls a non-compensable disability, veterans may be eligible for benefits that include VA health care, prescriptions, co-payment waivers and federal hiring preferences.

As with all disability ratings, veterans can file for an increase if they think that their disability is more severe than the current rating indicates. If you or any veteran feels like this might be the case, reach out to DAV by visiting benefitsquestions.org so we can assist in a review of symptoms and rating criteria.

Under the PACT Act, hypertension became a new presumptive condition. According to the VA, over 82% of PACT Act-related claims for hypertension have received a 0% disability rating.

A 10% disability rating for hypertension is only assigned if continuous medication is required for blood pressure control and their past diastolic pressure before taking medication was predominately 100 or greater.

Hypertension can lead to serious health conditions over time and can be fatal, especially if left untreated.

We remind all veterans that they should never stop taking prescribed medications prior to any disability evaluations to try and obtain a higher rating.

You can file a claim for a new disability as a secondary claim. This means if a new disability arises that is caused by or linked to a service-connected disability, then service connection and compensation can be awarded even if the original condition is rated as 0% disabling.

Here’s an example of when a veteran might file a secondary claim:

A veteran develops heart disease caused by high blood pressure that the VA already concluded was connected to their service. The veteran would get service connection for that heart disease, which could have a higher rating than hypertension.

We know that receiving a 0% disability rating might be confusing or even frustrating, but it’s important to know that it still does come with various VA benefits and could be reevaluated for a higher rating in the future.

Again, if you have questions about or need assistance with filing for VA disability compensation, please contact your nearest DAV service office by visiting benefitsquestions.org.