If the VA already service-connected your restless legs syndrome (also called restless legs, restless leg, restless leg syndrome, RLS), it can cause or worsen other conditions that are ratable on their own. These "secondary" claims are where many veterans leave money on the table. Below is what a service-connected restless legs syndrome commonly leads to, why, and what evidence each one takes.
The rating schedule has no diagnostic code just for RLS. As with essential tremor, two rules decide it:
Raters pick a neurological code that fits your symptoms. One neurological code for involuntary movements is DC 8103, convulsive tic, rated by frequency, severity, and muscle groups involved:
| Convulsive tic (DC 8103), if used by analogy | Rating |
|---|---|
| Severe | 30% |
| Moderate | 10% |
| Mild | 0% |
Because there is no fixed table for RLS, the decision should say which code it used by analogy and why. Your evidence should describe how often symptoms hit, how long they last, which limbs, and what they stop you doing, from your doctor and in your own personal statement.
Broken sleep is the most direct consequence, and the depression or anxiety that years of poor sleep can bring may be ratable separately under 38 CFR 4.130, as long as the same symptoms are not counted twice (38 CFR 4.14). See mental health secondaries, sleep apnea, and the nexus letter sample and template.
A secondary claim only works if the primary condition (restless legs syndrome) is already service-connected, and you have a nexus — a doctor's opinion that it is "at least as likely as not" the cause. Nexus letter sample and template →
RLS symptoms peak at night and at rest, which is exactly when you are trying to fall asleep. Broken sleep is the most direct and best documented consequence. Worth knowing: there is no dedicated rating code for RLS, so the VA rates it by analogy under 38 CFR 4.20. The convulsive tic code (DC 8103) is one code that may be used.
What you'd need: A sleep study or sleep clinic note, your own record of nightly symptoms and wakeups, and a statement from whoever shares your bed.
Years of fragmented sleep is a well-documented contributor to depression and anxiety. It also runs the other way, since several antidepressants are known to make RLS worse, so tell your provider about both.
What you'd need: A mental health diagnosis, your sleep history, and a provider opinion linking the mood symptoms to the chronic sleep disruption.