Last Friday, the 27th,
Congress published their proposed changes to the Military Disability Ratings
for the Female Reproductive System. The entire VASRD is currently being updated
and rewritten, one section at a time, in order to update the criteria to
current medical standards and to provide better, more accurate and fair
compensation. The rewrites are scheduled to be completed sometime in 2016. The
Female Reproductive System is the second section posted so far. The Mental Disorders section was updated in August 2014.
Comments are currently being accepted
regarding the proposed changes to the Female Reproductive System. The deadline
for submitting comments is April 28, 2015. We will be compiling and submitting
comments on your behalf, so if you would like for your voice to be heard,
please comment on this blog or Contact Us directly through our site before
April 15, 2015. This is a great opportunity for us to make positive changes for
the future, so please share your thoughts with us, especially you female
veterans who deserve proper compensation for your conditions.
After April 28th, the rule makers will
review all of the comments and determine if any additional changes should be
made based on the arguments received. They will then post the final version of
the new ratings for the Female Reproductive System, along with an official date
for the new ratings to take affect. Once the changes are official, we’ll get
that info to you as soon as possible.
Below are the proposed changes. Not every
condition/code has been changed, so if it is not listed below, then it will
remain the same and can be found on our current Female Reproductive System
page. I’ve started by listing the current code as it is right now. The proposed
changes to each code are discussed directly after.
Code 7610: Diseases or injuries of the vulva (the
part of the female genitals that are on the outside of the body).
The proposed change to code 7610 is super
simple: to specify that this code includes the clitoris. The clitoris is
already a part of the vulva, and all clitoris conditions should already be
rated here, but I guess some people have been getting all confused. Thus the word
“clitoris” is being specifically added in addition to “vulva” to get rid of any
confusion. The ratings stay the same.
Code 7615: Diseases, injuries or adhesions of the
ovaries.
The only change to this code will be a note
specifying that dysmenorrhea (severe pain during menstruation) or secondary
amenorrhea (the normal menstrual cycle is interrupted and menstruation stops
completely for at least 6 months) caused by any of these problems with
the ovaries will be rated under this code. The ratings stay the same.
Code 7619: the removal of one or both ovaries is rated
100% for the first 3 months after surgery. After that period, the complete
removal of both ovaries is rated 30%. Anything less than the complete removal
of both ovaries is rated 0%.
The change to this code is pretty awesome
and too long in coming, if I say so myself. The change was made in order to
make the female ratings for loss of the ovaries equal with the male ratings for
loss of the testicles. It was acknowledged that the risk of future health
problems due to the loss of the ovaries is just as severe as the risk of future
health problems for men, so the ratings should be comparable. The new code with
the changes will read as follows:
Code 7619: the
removal of one or both ovaries is rated
100% for the first 3 months after surgery. After that period, the complete
removal of both ovaries is rated 30%. A 30% rating is also given if a single
service-connected
ovary is removed and the other ovary has also been removed or doesn’t function
at all, even if the problems with the second ovary are not related to service.
Anything less than the complete removal or loss of use of both ovaries is rated
0%.
Code 7621: If
the uterus slips down completely
through the vagina, then it is rated 50%. If it slips down only partially
through the vagina, then it is rated 30%.
-and-
Code 7622: If
the uterus does not slip down, but
is significantly out of place, then
it is rated under this code. If the displacement causes constant or frequent
problems with menstrual periods, then it is rated 30%. If the displacement
causes adhesions (scar tissue that causes the organs to stick together), and
the menstrual periods are irregular, then it is rated 10%.
-and-
Code 7623: If pregnancy causes the wall between the vagina and the rectum to
tear, resulting in a rectocele (the rectum bulges into the vagina), or if
it causes the wall between the bladder
and the vagina to tear, resulting in a cystocele (the bladder bulges into
the vagina), it is rated 50%. If the pregnancy causes the vagina to be loose or gaping, then it is rated 10%.
All three of these codes deal with the same
basic thing: at least one of the pelvic organs (uterus, bladder, or rectum) is
out of place and bulging into the vagina. Because of this, they are combining
all three codes into a single code. Code 7622 and 7623 will not longer exist,
and code 7621 will be changed as follows:
Code 7621: If any
of the pelvic organs (the uterus, bladder, or rectum) are prolapsed (out of
place) because of a disease, injury, or complications of pregnancy, it is rated
under this code. This includes tears and bulges into the uterus or vagina,
cystocele (the bladder bulges into the vagina), urethrocele (the urethra bulges
into the vagina), rectocele (the rectum bulges into the vagina), enterocele
(the small intestines and peritoneum bulge into the vagina), a perineal
deficiency (the perineal muscles bulge into the vagina), or any combination.
The ratings are based on how far the prolapsed organ protrudes into the vagina.
The severity of
the prolapse is determined during examination by the Pelvic Organ Prolapse
(POP) classification system as severe, moderate, or mild.
A 50% rating is
given for a severe POP score where the prolapsed organ protrudes to within 2 cm
of the vaginal opening.
A 30% rating is
given for a moderate POP score where the prolapsed organ protrudes more than 1
cm past the hymen, but is more than 2 cm from the vaginal opening.
A 10% rating is
given for a mild POP score where the prolapsed organ is within 1 cm below the
hymen to 1 cm past the hymen.
Code 7627: Cancer of the female organs and breasts
that is active is rated 100%. This 100% will continue for the first 6 months
after the last treatment. The condition will then be reevaluated. If it is no
longer active, then it will be rated on any lasting symptoms just like any
benign condition.
-and-
Code 7628: Benign tumors of the female organs and
breasts are rated based on how they affect the systems around them….
Both of these codes consider breast cancer
to be a female-only condition, but men can also get breast cancer. To fix this,
codes 7627 and 7628 will only be for cancer and tumors of the female organs
(not including the breasts).
Two new codes, 7630 and 7631, will be added
for all breast cancer, male or female:
Code 7630: Cancer
of the breasts that is active is rated 100%. This 100% will continue for the
first 6 months after the last treatment. The condition will then be
reevaluated. If it is no longer active, then it will be rated on any lasting
symptoms just like any benign condition.
Code 7631: Tumors
and other injuries of the breast are rated based on any remaining symptoms or
on how they affect the systems around them. This includes scars, disfigurement,
muscle loss, nerve damage, and any other complications.
I want to draw your attention to the fact that code 7631 not only includes benign tumors, but also any and all other
injuries of the breast, like blast-trauma, or any complications to other
parts of the body due to breast surgery. These codes will NOT replace code 7626
for removal of the breast.
Another new code is also being proposed to
get female ratings more in line with the male ratings:
Code 7632: Female
sexual arousal disorder (FSAD) is the inability get and stay aroused during
sex. It is rated 0% unless there is physical damage to the genitals, in which
case, it is rated under the codes for damaged parts. FSAD
may be entitled
to additional compensation under
Special Monthly Compensation K.
These are all of the proposed changes to the
Female Reproductive System. Again, let us know your thoughts, and we’ll send in
a report with suggested changes to the committee. We’ll also let you know when
all the changes are finalized and in effect.
