July 29, 2025 • 8 mins
In this episode, we break down what veterans need to know about a VA disability claim for seizure disorders. Whether you're dealing with epilepsy, non-epileptic seizures, or service-connected neurological conditions, understanding how the VA rates seizures is crucial for securing the benefits you deserve.
We’ll cover the different types of seizure disorders recognized by the VA, how VA rating percentages are determined, what medical evidence may support your claim, and how to handle VA C&P exams for neurological conditions. You’ll also learn about secondary service connection and how seizure disorders can be linked to other service-related conditions, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
📌 Topics Covered:
- What qualifies as a seizure disorder for VA purposes
- How the VA assigns disability ratings for seizures
- Types of seizures (generalized vs. partial) and their impact on your claim
- The importance of medical documentation and seizure frequency
- How a VA nexus letter supports your case
- What to expect during a VA C&P exam for neurological conditions
- Filing a secondary claim for seizures related to TBIs or PTSD
- Common reasons seizure claims get denied and how to appeal
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Leah Bucholz (00:02):
Hey guys, it's Leah B from Prestige Veteran
Medical Consulting. I'm a USArmy veteran physician assistant
and former compensation andpension examiner. So welcome
back to the Prestige VeteranPodcast where we try to do our
best to make sense of VAdisability and help you from a
medical perspective, kind ofunderstand some of the
relationships betweenconditions, medical evidence and
(00:23):
service connected disabilities.So today I wanna talk about
something that's misunderstood,but incredibly important when
comes to VA claims and that'sepilepsy and seizure disorders.
So whether you were diagnosedduring service or started
experiencing symptoms afterdischarge, this episode is for
you.
So what is a seizure disorder?Okay, so let's start with the
basics of what a seizuredisorder is. So a seizure
(00:45):
disorder is a condition where aperson experiences recurrent
unprovoked seizures, which aresudden surges of electrical
activity that can occur in thebrain. The most well known type
of seizure disorder is epilepsy,though there are other types as
well. So seizure disorders canrange from anything from like
(01:06):
grand mal seizures, which theywere formerly called grand mal
seizures.
Those are generalized tonicclonic seizures, which involve
full body convulsions and lossof consciousness, to focal or
partial seizures, which mightinvolve staring spells, muscle
twitches, or confusion. A lot ofpeople have used the term
(01:27):
absence seizures before. So forveterans, seizure disorders can
be life altering, affecting theability to drive, maintain
employment, handle daily taskssafely, and even personal
independence. That driving is areally major piece a lot of
times in veterans and justpeople in general that have
(01:49):
seizure disorders. So what issome of the medical literature?
What are some medical articlesthat we can sort of use to
discuss with our treatingproviders? So let's look at what
the research says becausemilitary service is a known risk
factor for developing seizuredisorders in some cases,
especially when linked to likehead trauma or TBI or certain
(02:10):
environmental exposures. So letme pull up some of my research
here. So studies published injournals like neurology and the
journal of head trauma andrehabilitation show that
traumatic brain injury or TBI isone of the strongest predictors
of post traumatic epilepsy orPTE. In fact, a 2020 study in
(02:30):
epilepsy and behavior reportedthat veterans with moderate to
severe TBI are twenty five timesmore likely to develop epilepsy
than the general population.
So the VA's own researchconfirms that seizure disorders
are significantly more prevalentin veterans with documented TBI,
even years after the initialinjury. I think I've talked
(02:50):
before in the past about thefact that I had a TBI related to
a jump injury. Thankfully, I'venever had any seizure disorders,
but there's also emergingliterature around blast
exposure, chemical exposures,and even psychogenic
nonepileptic seizures, whichoften mimic epileptic seizures
and are linked to PTSD. So ifyou served in a combat zone,
(03:11):
experienced a concussion or hada head injury, even if it was
mild at the time, it's crucialto consider how that might
relate to seizure activity lateron in life. And we've done other
videos on TBI that you mightwanna check out as well.
So how do some veterans linkseizures to their service? So to
get rated for a seizuredisorder, you need to establish
(03:32):
a nexus or a link, which is aconnection between your military
service and the development ofthat condition. This can happen
in a variety of ways. So directservice connection or primary
service connection is if youwere diagnosed with or had a
seizure in service. A secondaryservice connection, maybe you
your seizures are due to anotherservice connected condition like
(03:54):
TBI, PTSD, or even, like I said,a toxic exposure.
You can have aggravation. So ifyou had a preexisting condition
that worsened because of yourservice, worsened beyond its
natural progression. Keep inmind that just because a seizure
didn't happen on active dutydoes not mean that it's not
related. Many seizure disordersdevelop months or even years
(04:16):
after the original traumaoccurs, like like I mentioned
before. So how does VA rateseizure disorders?
So that's a really great greatquestion. So seizure disorders
are rated under the 38 code offederal regulation 4.124A
neurologic conditionsspecifically under diagnostic
codes 8,910 through 8,914 fordifferent types of epilepsy. So
(04:40):
the general breakdown forgeneralized or grand mal type
seizures and psychomotorseizures are that a person can
be a hundred percent if they'reaveraging at least one major
seizure per month over the lastyear, They can be at eighty
percent if they have at leastone major seizure in three
months or more than 10 minorseizures weekly. Sixty percent
(05:02):
if they're having one majorseizure in four months or nine
to 10 minor seizures weekly.Forty percent if there's one
major seizure in six months orfive to eight minor seizures
weekly.
You can get twenty percent ifyou're one major seizure in two
years or two minor seizures insix months. And ten percent is a
confirmed diagnosis with ahistory of seizures. Okay? Maybe
(05:24):
they're under control. So it'simportant to document the
frequency and severity of yourseizures.
Journals can help. If you've hadER visits, caregiver statements,
prescription records can also behelpful, your neurologist
records. So medical evidence.So, again, like, what is your
neurologist saying? What aresome of those ER records saying?
(05:47):
You know, you should have acurrent diagnosis of a seizure
disorder or epilepsy if that'swhat you're trying to receive
disability for. If you've gotdetailed medical records showing
the frequency of those seizures,that can be helpful. Those
neurology evaluations, EEGs, orbrain imaging. If your doctor's
willing to write a Nexusstatement in your records, it
(06:07):
doesn't have to be some robustreport. It can just be, you
know, something that explainsmaybe your TBI or your blast
exposure are in play.
Again, a Nexus letter is neverrequired. Sometimes they can be
helpful. If your seizuredisorder came on after service,
a medical expert, whether it'syour C and P examiner, your
treating provider, or anotherhealthcare provider believes
(06:30):
that they're related to service,if they're willing to document
that for you, that can behelpful. So, know, doing a good
job of keeping track andreporting your seizure activity
consistently can be helpful. Ifyou don't have a formal
diagnosis, that could beproblematic.
Missing the link betweenseizures and your prior head
(06:53):
injuries or secondaryconditions, you know, just
really doing a good job ofexplaining your history. So I
hope this was helpful. Also,it's really important that if
you're having someone help youwith the filing of this type of
claim or the appeal of this typeof claim, to use a BSO, an
accredited claims agent, or anaccredited attorney. I've got
(07:13):
another video that shows whereyou can go and find these folks.
You should be able to find VSOin your town or in somewhere
near where you live.
Also, va.gov has a really great,database where you can go in and
sort of look them up, by stateor, you know, what whatever, by
ZIP code. So I hope this washelpful to you guys. Please drop
(07:35):
some comments. Let me know whatyour experiences have been. And
if this helps anybody, I alwayslove hearing from you guys and
and hearing feedback about howthis video shined a light on
some things.
Maybe we'll do another videolater about seizure disorder,
BBQs and what happens in a C andP exam. So again, thank you for
watching and I'll talk to youguys soon. All right, bye.
Hey guys, it's Leah B from Prestige Veteran
Medical Consulting. I'm a USArmy veteran physician assistant
and former compensation andpension examiner. So welcome
back to the Prestige VeteranPodcast where we try to do our
best to make sense of VAdisability and help you from a
medical perspective, kind ofunderstand some of the
relationships betweenconditions, medical evidence and
(00:23):
service connected disabilities.So today I wanna talk about
something that's misunderstood,but incredibly important when
comes to VA claims and that'sepilepsy and seizure disorders.
So whether you were diagnosedduring service or started
experiencing symptoms afterdischarge, this episode is for
you.
So what is a seizure disorder?Okay, so let's start with the
basics of what a seizuredisorder is. So a seizure
(00:45):
disorder is a condition where aperson experiences recurrent
unprovoked seizures, which aresudden surges of electrical
activity that can occur in thebrain. The most well known type
of seizure disorder is epilepsy,though there are other types as
well. So seizure disorders canrange from anything from like
(01:06):
grand mal seizures, which theywere formerly called grand mal
seizures.
Those are generalized tonicclonic seizures, which involve
full body convulsions and lossof consciousness, to focal or
partial seizures, which mightinvolve staring spells, muscle
twitches, or confusion. A lot ofpeople have used the term
(01:27):
absence seizures before. So forveterans, seizure disorders can
be life altering, affecting theability to drive, maintain
employment, handle daily taskssafely, and even personal
independence. That driving is areally major piece a lot of
times in veterans and justpeople in general that have
(01:49):
seizure disorders. So what issome of the medical literature?
What are some medical articlesthat we can sort of use to
discuss with our treatingproviders? So let's look at what
the research says becausemilitary service is a known risk
factor for developing seizuredisorders in some cases,
especially when linked to likehead trauma or TBI or certain
(02:10):
environmental exposures. So letme pull up some of my research
here. So studies published injournals like neurology and the
journal of head trauma andrehabilitation show that
traumatic brain injury or TBI isone of the strongest predictors
of post traumatic epilepsy orPTE. In fact, a 2020 study in
(02:30):
epilepsy and behavior reportedthat veterans with moderate to
severe TBI are twenty five timesmore likely to develop epilepsy
than the general population.
So the VA's own researchconfirms that seizure disorders
are significantly more prevalentin veterans with documented TBI,
even years after the initialinjury. I think I've talked
(02:50):
before in the past about thefact that I had a TBI related to
a jump injury. Thankfully, I'venever had any seizure disorders,
but there's also emergingliterature around blast
exposure, chemical exposures,and even psychogenic
nonepileptic seizures, whichoften mimic epileptic seizures
and are linked to PTSD. So ifyou served in a combat zone,
(03:11):
experienced a concussion or hada head injury, even if it was
mild at the time, it's crucialto consider how that might
relate to seizure activity lateron in life. And we've done other
videos on TBI that you mightwanna check out as well.
So how do some veterans linkseizures to their service? So to
get rated for a seizuredisorder, you need to establish
(03:32):
a nexus or a link, which is aconnection between your military
service and the development ofthat condition. This can happen
in a variety of ways. So directservice connection or primary
service connection is if youwere diagnosed with or had a
seizure in service. A secondaryservice connection, maybe you
your seizures are due to anotherservice connected condition like
(03:54):
TBI, PTSD, or even, like I said,a toxic exposure.
You can have aggravation. So ifyou had a preexisting condition
that worsened because of yourservice, worsened beyond its
natural progression. Keep inmind that just because a seizure
didn't happen on active dutydoes not mean that it's not
related. Many seizure disordersdevelop months or even years
(04:16):
after the original traumaoccurs, like like I mentioned
before. So how does VA rateseizure disorders?
So that's a really great greatquestion. So seizure disorders
are rated under the 38 code offederal regulation 4.124A
neurologic conditionsspecifically under diagnostic
codes 8,910 through 8,914 fordifferent types of epilepsy. So
(04:40):
the general breakdown forgeneralized or grand mal type
seizures and psychomotorseizures are that a person can
be a hundred percent if they'reaveraging at least one major
seizure per month over the lastyear, They can be at eighty
percent if they have at leastone major seizure in three
months or more than 10 minorseizures weekly. Sixty percent
(05:02):
if they're having one majorseizure in four months or nine
to 10 minor seizures weekly.Forty percent if there's one
major seizure in six months orfive to eight minor seizures
weekly.
You can get twenty percent ifyou're one major seizure in two
years or two minor seizures insix months. And ten percent is a
confirmed diagnosis with ahistory of seizures. Okay? Maybe
(05:24):
they're under control. So it'simportant to document the
frequency and severity of yourseizures.
Journals can help. If you've hadER visits, caregiver statements,
prescription records can also behelpful, your neurologist
records. So medical evidence.So, again, like, what is your
neurologist saying? What aresome of those ER records saying?
(05:47):
You know, you should have acurrent diagnosis of a seizure
disorder or epilepsy if that'swhat you're trying to receive
disability for. If you've gotdetailed medical records showing
the frequency of those seizures,that can be helpful. Those
neurology evaluations, EEGs, orbrain imaging. If your doctor's
willing to write a Nexusstatement in your records, it
(06:07):
doesn't have to be some robustreport. It can just be, you
know, something that explainsmaybe your TBI or your blast
exposure are in play.
Again, a Nexus letter is neverrequired. Sometimes they can be
helpful. If your seizuredisorder came on after service,
a medical expert, whether it'syour C and P examiner, your
treating provider, or anotherhealthcare provider believes
(06:30):
that they're related to service,if they're willing to document
that for you, that can behelpful. So, know, doing a good
job of keeping track andreporting your seizure activity
consistently can be helpful. Ifyou don't have a formal
diagnosis, that could beproblematic.
Missing the link betweenseizures and your prior head
(06:53):
injuries or secondaryconditions, you know, just
really doing a good job ofexplaining your history. So I
hope this was helpful. Also,it's really important that if
you're having someone help youwith the filing of this type of
claim or the appeal of this typeof claim, to use a BSO, an
accredited claims agent, or anaccredited attorney. I've got
(07:13):
another video that shows whereyou can go and find these folks.
You should be able to find VSOin your town or in somewhere
near where you live.
Also, va.gov has a really great,database where you can go in and
sort of look them up, by stateor, you know, what whatever, by
ZIP code. So I hope this washelpful to you guys. Please drop
(07:35):
some comments. Let me know whatyour experiences have been. And
if this helps anybody, I alwayslove hearing from you guys and
and hearing feedback about howthis video shined a light on
some things.
Maybe we'll do another videolater about seizure disorder,
BBQs and what happens in a C andP exam. So again, thank you for
watching and I'll talk to youguys soon. All right, bye.
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