Veterans have a higher risk of developing diverticulitis because military service often exposes them to significant physical and emotional stress, infections from harsh living conditions, and various environmental toxins. These factors can collectively affect the digestive system, increasing the likelihood of inflammation and digestive tract disorders like diverticulitis.
A successful VA disability claim will clearly link your current health condition back to your military duties and secure the compensation you’re entitled to.
Claiming Diverticulitis as a VA Disability
Direct Service Connection
To successfully establish a direct service connection for diverticulitis, you’ll need evidence linking your current condition to your military service. This typically involves showing that symptoms began or significantly worsened during active duty.
Providing medical records from your time in service that document digestive issues, abdominal pain, or infections related to your gastrointestinal system can greatly strengthen your claim. Even if these records don’t specifically mention diverticulitis, evidence of recurring digestive problems, hospital visits, or consultations for similar conditions can prove continuity of symptoms over time.
You might also include statements from fellow veterans who served with you. These “buddy statements” can corroborate your experiences, such as frequent stomach issues, treatment received in the field, or dietary conditions contributing to your current health problems. Personal narratives detailing your duties, living conditions, and exposure to stressors or hazardous environments can further illustrate how your military experiences directly impacted your digestive health.
Obtaining a medical opinion that explicitly states your diverticulitis is connected to your military service (and how) will significantly improve your claim.
Is Diverticulitis a Presumptive Disability?
A presumptive condition is a health issue that the VA automatically connects to military service for certain groups of veterans, such as respiratory illnesses for Gulf War veterans exposed to burn pits. At this time diverticulitis isn’t considered a presumptive condition by the VA and each claim requires establishing service connection.
Aggravation of a Pre-Existing Condition
If your diverticulitis existed before you joined the military, you may still qualify for VA disability if your condition worsened during military service due to stressors that affect digestive function, such as irregular meal schedules, psychological stress and physical strain from combat or training.
To establish aggravation, you’ll need medical proof showing a distinct and measurable increase in the severity of your condition from before to after your military service, for instance:
- Hospitalization for diverticulitis that was previously manageable with diet and medication
- Development of complications like abscesses or perforations
- Surgical interventions that weren’t needed before military service
Secondary Service Connection
Secondary service connection means your diverticulitis developed as a result of another condition that the VA has already recognized as service-connected.
For example, if you’re already rated for a digestive disorder like GERD, ulcers, or chronic gastritis, and medical evidence shows this existing condition directly contributed to or worsened your diverticulitis, you could claim diverticulitis as a secondary condition. To successfully claim diverticulitis this way, you must document the connection between your existing service-connected condition and your diverticulitis through medical records or expert medical opinions.
The medical opinions should state that your existing VA-rated condition significantly contributed to, worsened, or triggered your diverticulitis. The clearer this connection, the more likely the VA will grant your claim.
Veterans diagnosed with PTSD have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal disorders, including diverticulitis. This relationship is supported by recent medical research, indicating that the chronic stress and anxiety associated with PTSD can significantly disrupt normal digestive functions, leading to inflammation and conditions like diverticulitis.
PTSD and Diverticulitis Connection
If you’re already service-connected for PTSD, and medical evidence demonstrates that your PTSD symptoms directly contributed to the onset or worsening of diverticulitis, you can file using secondary service connection. Strong evidence for your claim typically includes professional medical opinions explicitly connecting your PTSD symptoms, such as severe anxiety, persistent stress, and disrupted sleep, to the digestive changes leading to diverticulitis.
This research-backed link between PTSD and diverticulitis provides a compelling basis for a secondary service connection claim, helping you secure the benefits you’re entitled to for both conditions.
VA’s C&P Exam for Diverticulitis
Once you submit your VA disability claim for diverticulitis, you’ll likely receive notice of a scheduled Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam. This exam is conducted by a healthcare professional appointed by the VA—usually a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant—to carefully assess your diverticulitis and how it affects your daily life.
During your C&P exam, the examiner will review your medical history, including past treatments, hospital visits, medications, surgeries, or any procedures you’ve undergone due to diverticulitis. They’ll likely ask specific questions about the frequency, duration, and severity of your symptoms—such as abdominal pain, bowel irregularities, dietary restrictions, or any related emotional impact.
Additionally, the examiner may perform a physical examination to check for signs of complications, tenderness, or abdominal swelling related to your diverticulitis. They might also order diagnostic tests or imaging, like X-rays or CT scans, if they feel additional evidence is needed to confirm the severity of your condition.
To best prepare for your exam, consider documenting your symptoms in detail beforehand. Keep a symptom diary noting how often your episodes occur, their intensity, any treatments you’ve tried, and how symptoms affect your daily activities, including work and home life. Bringing this information to your C&P exam can greatly assist the examiner in accurately capturing the full scope of your condition.
Lastly, remember that the examiner will record detailed notes during the exam, which will become part of your official claim file. You have the right to request a copy of this report after the exam. Make sure the examiner accurately represented your symptoms and provided a comprehensive evaluation. If you notice anything wrong, you can address it in your claim or appeals process.
Approaching your diverticulitis C&P exam well-prepared and open about your experiences provides the best opportunity for a correct VA disability rating.
What Is the VA Disability Rating for Diverticulitis?
Diverticulitis and diverticulosis are rated by the VA from 0% to 30% under Diagnostic Code 7327. In the case of a colectomy or colostomy, it can sometimes be rated from 10% to 100% under Diagnostic Code 7329 (resection of the large intestine).
- 30% Rating: Assigned when your condition led to hospitalization in the past 12 months for abdominal distress, fever, and leukocytosis, and involved at least one serious complication like a bowel obstruction, hemorrhage, abscess, perforation, or peritonitis.
- 20% Rating: Given if you’ve been hospitalized at least once in the past year due to abdominal distress, fever, and elevated white blood cell count (leukocytosis), but without serious complications such as hemorrhage, obstruction, abscess, perforation, or peritonitis.
- 0% Rating: Assigned when diverticulitis or diverticulosis is asymptomatic or with symptoms managed by diet and medication.
If diverticulitis led to surgical procedures like a colectomy (removal of part of the colon) or colostomy (surgical opening from the colon to the abdominal wall), the VA may instead use DC 7329 (resection of the large intestine) if it results in a higher rating. If your current rating is too low, you have options. Get a free evaluation of your case here.
Can I Get Diverticulitis and IBS VA Disability at the Same Time?
While many veterans experience more than one gastrointestinal issue, the VA does not allow separate disability ratings for diverticulitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Its rules prevent veterans from receiving multiple ratings for conditions that affect the same body system in similar ways.
The VA’s reasoning is that symptoms like abdominal pain, irregular bowel movements, cramping, and bloating are common across multiple gastrointestinal disorders. Rating each one separately would unfairly inflate a veteran’s overall disability percentage. Instead, the VA evaluates all overlapping gastrointestinal conditions together and assigns a single disability rating based on the predominant set of symptoms.
For instance, if IBS causes more daily disruption than diverticulitis—like frequent episodes of diarrhea, constipation, or urgent bathroom needs—then the VA may rate the condition under the diagnostic code for IBS. However, if your diverticulitis has caused serious complications like infections, abscesses, or hospitalizations, the VA may choose to rate your condition based on the diverticulitis criteria instead.
This rule only applies to certain conditions listed under diagnostic codes 7301 to 7329, 7331, and 7342 to 7348. So while diverticulitis and IBS must be rated together, other digestive conditions such as GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) may be rated separately.
How Do I Increase My VA Disability Rating for Diverticulitis?
If your symptoms worsen, or if you experience new complications, you could qualify for a higher rating. Diverticulitis often leads to long-term gastrointestinal and emotional issues, even after the initial inflammation has resolved. Common complications include:
- Bowel obstructions
- Abscesses (infection pockets)
- Fistulas (abnormal connections between organs)
- Perforations (holes in the digestive tract)
- Peritonitis (infection in the abdominal lining)
Research shows that many veterans experience ongoing digestive issues after diverticulitis episodes, leading to conditions like post diverticulitis IBS. This information can help support an appeal or request for increased compensation.
Appealing a VA Decision
If the VA denies your claim for diverticulitis or assigns a rating that doesn’t reflect the true severity of your condition, you have the right to appeal. This process gives you the opportunity to present new evidence, challenge inaccuracies, or request a more thorough review of your case.
The first step in the appeals process is understanding why your claim was denied or underrated. The VA will issue a decision letter explaining the reasons. Common issues include a lack of a confirmed diagnosis, weak medical linkage to service, or insufficient evidence demonstrating how your condition affects your life. Carefully reviewing this letter will help you figure out exactly what to address in your appeal.
Appeal Options
- Supplemental Claim – If you have new and relevant evidence (like updated medical records, a nexus letter, or test results) you can file a supplemental claim asking the VA to reconsider.
- Higher-Level Review – This asks a more senior VA reviewer to re-examine your claim without adding new evidence. It’s useful when you believe the original decision was made in error based on the existing information.
- Board Appeal – You can request an appeal at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. This route allows for a more in-depth review, especially if your case involves complex issues or multiple conditions.
Appealing a decision is worth the effort if your current rating doesn’t accurately reflect your experience. Be persistent, stay organized, and don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it.
Veterans often find it helpful to work with an accredited VA representative, claims agent, or disability lawyer. These professionals understand the appeals process and can help you build a case that meets the standards required by the VA. For a free evaluation of your claim by the Hill & Ponton team, please call 1-888-477-2363.
Content Reviewed by
Attorney Melanie Williams
Attorney Melanie Williams, a dedicated advocate for underprivileged populations, brings her passion for justice and extensive legal experience to Hill & Ponton, where she focuses on veterans’ disability law.
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