Conditions Secondary to Diabetes
Diabetes rarely travels alone. These are the conditions most often service connected as secondary to diabetes mellitus.
View the Diabetes (Type 2) rating pageWhen diabetes is service connected (including as an Agent Orange presumptive), the complications it causes can be service connected too, as secondary conditions under 38 CFR 3.310. Each one is rated on its own criteria and adds to your combined rating.
A secondary claim still needs a medical nexus: a clinician's statement that the new condition was at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by your service connected diabetes. The links below open each condition's rating page.
Conditions commonly claimed as secondary
Each opens its 38 CFR rating criteria. A listing here is not a promise of service connection.
Peripheral neuropathy is rated under the nerve codes that apply to the affected nerve group, with ratings from 10 percent up depending on severity.
Peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremity is commonly rated under diagnostic code 8515 (median nerve) at 10 to 70 percent based on the degree of paralysis and whether the dominant or non-dominant arm is affected.
Diabetic retinopathy is rated as a secondary condition to diabetes mellitus under the visual impairment criteria of 38 CFR 4.79, based on residual visual acuity and field loss.
Chronic kidney disease is rated under diagnostic code 7530 by the renal dysfunction criteria of 38 CFR 4.115a based on lab values and clinical findings.
Erectile dysfunction is rated under diagnostic code 7522 at 20 percent when there is deformity of the penis with loss of erectile power. Additionally, Special Monthly Compensation (SMC-K), which is $139.87 per month for 2026, is awarded for loss of use of a creative organ.
Obstructive sleep apnea is rated under diagnostic code 6847 at 0, 30, 50, or 100 percent based on symptoms and treatment requirement.
Since November 14, 2021, peripheral arterial disease under diagnostic code 7114 is rated on objective vascular testing rather than claudication distance: 20, 40, 60, or 100 percent based on the ankle/brachial index (ABI), ankle pressure, toe pressure, or transcutaneous oxygen tension, whichever is documented. A normal ABI is 0.80 or higher; an ABI of 0.39 or less rates 100 percent.
Hypertension is rated under diagnostic code 7101 at 10, 20, 40, or 60 percent based on diastolic and systolic readings.
Postoperative cataract residuals are rated under diagnostic code 6027 based on visual acuity and field loss using the general impairment of vision criteria.
Depression secondary to a service connected condition is rated under the same General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.
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Open a PubMed search for the medical literature behind these secondary claims. Bring relevant studies to your treating physician or a VA accredited representative; a study supports a medical opinion, it is not the opinion itself.
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