WingmanOpen the free toolsWingmanOpen the free toolsIf the VA already service-connected your seizure disorder (also called seizure, seizures, seizure disorder, epilepsy), 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 seizure disorder commonly leads to, why, and what evidence each one takes.
A secondary claim only works if the primary condition (seizure disorder) is already service-connected, and you have a nexus — a doctor's opinion that it is "at least as likely as not" the cause. More on nexus letters →
This is unusually well supported for epilepsy. 38 CFR 4.124a says in the epilepsy notes that a psychotic disorder, a psychoneurotic disorder or a personality disorder, if diagnosed and shown to be secondary to or directly associated with epilepsy, is rated separately. You are not asking for a favor here, you are asking for something the rating schedule spells out.
What you'd need: A mental health diagnosis and a provider opinion connecting it to the seizure disorder, plus records showing how the seizures and the medication affect your mood and daily life.
A seizure gives you no chance to protect yourself on the way down. Head injuries, shoulder dislocations, fractures, burns and broken teeth from seizure falls are separate injuries with their own residuals, and they are claimed on their own, not folded into the seizure rating.
What you'd need: Emergency room and urgent care records for each fall, imaging of the injured part, and a treatment history showing the residuals that stayed after each injury healed.
Both the seizures themselves and the medications used to control them are recognized causes of slowed thinking, word-finding trouble and memory gaps. This is rated as a cognitive disorder when a provider documents it, and it is often what actually limits work rather than the seizure count.
What you'd need: Neuropsychological testing if it has been done, neurology notes describing the cognitive complaints, your medication history, and statements from people who see the day-to-day effect.
38 CFR 4.124a specifically tells rating specialists that a veteran with epilepsy may find employment hard to get and keep even when the seizures are controlled, because of employer reluctance and driving restrictions. If that is your situation, raise unemployability directly rather than hoping the seizure count speaks for itself.
What you'd need: A work history showing lost or refused jobs, any driving restriction, statements from employers or coworkers, and vocational rehabilitation records.