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Cover of VA Secondary Claims Manual by J. Erickson
Book by J. Erickson

VA Secondary Claims Manual

A Veteran's Plain-Language Guide to Filing Secondary Service-Connected Conditions

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About this book

Secondary service connection covers conditions caused or made worse by a condition that is already service-connected, under 38 CFR 3.310. These claims are easy to miss, because nobody explains how the link works or what evidence the VA needs to see it. This guide explains what secondary service connection means, how to map the conditions that can follow PTSD, joint injuries, and medications, and how to build a complete strategy one claim at a time.

Inside this book

  1. 1What Secondary Service Connection Really Means
  2. 2PTSD as a Primary: The Conditions That Flow From It
  3. 3Building Your Secondary Claims Map
  4. 4Musculoskeletal Secondaries: Secondary Knee, Hip, and Bilateral Joint Conditions
  5. 5Gastrointestinal Secondaries: GERD, IBS, and Medication-Induced Conditions
  6. 6Cardiovascular Secondaries: Hypertension Secondary to PTSD and Chronic Pain
  7. 7Erectile Dysfunction Secondary to PTSD and Medications: Qualifying for SMC-K
  8. 8Building Your Complete Secondary Strategy

The book points you to its free field guide, Filing a Secondary Service Connection Claim (a free download, no signup).

Pairs with

J. Erickson's author image: Air Force uniform ribbons and rank insignia
About the author

J. Erickson

Author, educator, former veteran service officer.

J. Erickson is a service-disabled Air Force veteran. He served as a military firefighter and as a veteran service officer, where he spent years walking veterans through the same claims process he writes about now. He holds an MBA and writes plain-language guides for veterans who want to understand the system without a translator.

Read more about the author