Secondary Conditions

This is the cluster that ties everything together. A secondary condition is one caused or aggravated by a disability you are already service-connected for — a bad knee that ruins a hip, chronic pain that leads to depression, back damage that pinches a nerve. Secondary claims are one of the most overlooked ways to raise a combined rating, because they do not require proving a new in-service event; they require proving the medical link between one condition and another. That link is exactly what a nexus letter provides. These guides show how it works.