Secondary Conditions Explorer

Research a relationship. Understand the evidence.

This tool helps you find common VA secondary conditions that can stem from a disability you are already service-connected for. A primary service connection ties a condition directly to your military service. A secondary condition develops because of an existing disability, either caused by it or worsened by it, and can earn its own VA rating and added monthly compensation when you document it under VA rules.

Enter your primary service-connected condition and browse the secondary conditions linked to it, drawn from VA literature and Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions, so you can spot claims you might otherwise miss. Use it to explore common disability chains and see how linked conditions could affect your overall rating and benefits.

Common starting points include mental health conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, and panic disorder, and physical conditions such as diabetes, tinnitus, sleep apnea, migraines, hypertension, and back or knee disabilities, each of which commonly leads to ratable secondary conditions.

Keep the pathways separate

Secondary relationships and residual effects are displayed separately. A secondary condition is one caused or worsened by a disability you are already service-connected for. A residual effect is what the VA re-evaluates once active treatment for a condition ends. Open a listed relationship to read the available medical basis, evidence and source information. Residual timing and rating details belong to the specific condition, not to every entry in the collection.