Erectile Dysfunction VA Rating: Can Veterans Get VA Disability for ED?

Wondering about VA disability for erectile dysfunction (ED)? You’re not alone. The erectile dysfunction VA rating can be confusing and frustrating to navigate.

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. government are supposed to help veterans with disability assistance. But what about sexual function issues? Can you get VA disability for ED?

Erectile dysfunction may not fit the “traditional” understanding of disability for the average person, but it can be the result of numerous health conditions associated with military service. So, yes, your sexual dysfunction may qualify for disability in some instances.

But specific criteria have to be met for an ED VA rating to be eligible for compensation.

We’re here to help. Let’s start by taking a brief look at how ED disability works for veterans.

To qualify for compensation and be eligible for VA disability, you have to have served in active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training.

More importantly, your health condition must be connected to your service, meaning you became ill, sustained an injury during military service, or had a pre-existing condition that was aggravated by your time in service.

While there are many things this financial benefit can be given for, the VA highlights two general areas where compensation may be granted:

• Physical conditions like chronic illness, injury, or atrophy

• Mental health conditions like PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)

Erectile dysfunction could be caused by an injury or by mental health issues, including anxiety and depression, among other factors. And these can stem from military service.

Given all this, it would appear ED qualifies as a disability. But there’s one final criterion a condition needs to meet when the VA is involved: that it’s somehow connected to your service.

This is where the VA’s rating decision looks at the bigger picture.

For instance, you might get VA disability compensation for ED if it happens as a result of a traumatic injury that resulted in a physical deformity.

Sometimes called a scheduler, the VA’s schedule for rating disabilities is a number between zero and 100. A higher rating indicates a more severe disability with better financial compensation.

The base VA rating for ED is currently zero percent. That’s because the Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t classify ED as a qualifying veteran’s disability by itself.

Veterans Affairs disability supports veterans financially with their healthcare needs. The system provides monthly, tax-free payments to those who were injured or became sick during (or due to) their military service or whose service worsened an existing condition. This is known as service-connected disability.

Unlike unemployment or other forms of government assistance, VA disability is compensation (a payout) for what happened during your service.

Why ED May Not Be Considered a Service-Connected Health Condition

Loss of erectile power or function isn’t in and of itself a “service-connected condition.” That said, several factors may change the disability rating a veteran is assigned, which can change the final value of their disability entitlement.

To get a higher-percent disability rating when you have erectile dysfunction, you’d need to have another condition for which the Department of Veterans Affairs does offer disability coverage.

Qualifying for disability generally requires connecting your illness or condition to some form of duty. For example, if you were in combat while serving, you need to link your combat to conditions such as:

• Anxiety disorders

• Panic disorder

• PTSD (which can cause ED)

What about erectile dysfunction VA disability? Several conditions related to ED can increase your rating.

Erectile dysfunction, with or without penile deformity (identified as diagnostic code 7522), currently receives a zero percent rating. Other codes might be attached, depending on your disability, which could result in a higher rating — or at least change your non-compensable ED to a compensable rating.

For instance, sexual impairment could be the result of a penile deformity that prevents sexual intercourse. This includes removal of the glans (code 7521, currently a 20 percent rating), testicles (code 7523 and 7524), or half or more of the penis (code 7520, currently a 30 percent rating).

And in some cases, non-compensable disabilities can become compensable if other disabilities like prostate cancer are present — or if they’re related to another existing compensable condition.

When trying to qualify for ED disability with the VA, the goal is to demonstrate that ED was caused by a particular incident, illness, or injury that took place while you were in the military. As mentioned above, this could involve a physical injury to the genital area or a psychologically traumatic experience that later led to a loss of sexual function.

How you do this is by sharing the appropriate medical records and service records as part of a VA disability claim. Generally, you’d file a disability compensation claim with supporting documentation.

According to the VA, the following should be included with your claim:

• Discharge paperwork, including a DD214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) or other separation documents

• Any service treatment records associated with the condition

• Relevant medical evidence, such as doctor’s reports, X-rays, and test results

Depending on your condition, you might need to provide additional documentation or evidence. Check out the VA website’s list of additional documentation. According to the VA, it takes an average of 135 days for a decision to be made on your claim.

If the VA board does approve your ED disability for compensation, you’ll start getting compensation monthly. But how much you’re paid depends on other factors examined in the lead-up to your decision date.

Male veterans who don’t initially get VA disability benefits for erectile dysfunction may still be entitled to special monthly compensation (SMC-K) payments. Other information in your claims file might help prove the validity of your claim. If you have a VA examination, it could help your case to include other conditions identified by the healthcare professional who did the exam.

Erectile dysfunction can be a symptom of high blood pressure (hypertension), hormonal imbalances, heart disease, and other health conditions. It can also be a sign of mental health problems, which may be affecting you outside the bedroom as well.

Once you get into the complicated world of multiple disabilities, things can quickly become hard to track. The VA created this video to help people understand disability compensation, but questions about your particular circumstances may need to be directed to a VA expert for clarification.

The VA probably won’t let you use your benefits to purchase medication through Hims or similar telehealth providers. This likely includes using your VA disability for erectile dysfunction. Reimbursements are usually only for medications that were bought in an emergency situation.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, prescriptions and other medical needs are typically fulfilled by VA community providers.

In other words, most of your medication prescriptions are expected to be filled by VA entities — not third-party providers like Hims.

As noted, the VA does allow out-of-pocket reimbursement, but it is only granted in situations where the medication is needed for an emergency or another “urgent” context.

In that case, you’d have to submit a disability compensation claim for reimbursement with a written request explaining why the prescription was filled outside of the VA community. But if your third-party medication doesn’t meet the VA’s standards for “urgent” or “emergency” care, the VA board may reject the claim.

It’s unlikely Hims treatments will meet those criteria. Medications for erectile dysfunction rarely fall into the “emergency” category. And since our medications take time to arrive at your home, you’re likely to have a hard time arguing that we were the most appropriate source for your urgent needs.

If this seems like a lot of hassle, you can always call your regional office to see what might be covered before submitting a claim or buying medication elsewhere.

If you believe you have ED that qualifies for VA disability benefits, there are a few things you need to do: get your records in order, apply for disability, and seek treatment.

Here’s the bottom line on the erectile dysfunction VA rating:

• To get VA disability coverage for ED, your sexual function issues must be a result of your service. It’s somewhat complex and there are exceptions, but erectile dysfunction may not directly qualify — at least not without another condition relating to ED.

• Whether you get disability compensation for ED or not, you still need to treat erectile dysfunction — and deal with the medical condition(s) that may be causing it.

• Your healthcare provider might prescribe PDE5-inhibiting medications like sildenafil or tadalafil (the generic versions of Viagra® and Cialis®, respectively). They may also suggest therapy or lifestyle changes to address potential causes of ED, like depression, anxiety, obesity, and poor heart health.

• Recommendations for treating physiological issues may include exercise, eating healthy foods, and addressing unhealthy habits like heavy drinking or smoking.

• Whether the VA is part of your treatment plan or not, getting help is essential. Letting those other health conditions continue untreated can lead to worse things than erectile dysfunction.

If you’re ready to start treatment today (without the VA’s help), we can get the process moving.

Our sexual health resources include access to healthcare professionals who can prescribe affordable medications and other treatments for ED. Get started with a free online assessment.