Abstract
Fibromyalgia crept into Tina’s life, slowly stealing away her energy and inflicting pain on her body. She experienced a myriad of symptoms including severe and constant pain, fatigue, and memory issues; as she put it, “brain fog.” Her symptoms were so intense she could barely get out of bed, let alone engage in the activities she once loved. Doctors blamed her hormones, believed her pain was psychosomatic, or dismissed her as someone seeking drugs. After several years of severe symptoms and missing work, she was fired from her job. As a United States Air Force veteran who served in the Persian Gulf, Tina turned to the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”) for help. The VA finally diagnosed her with fibromyalgia and determined that her illness was related to her military service in Southwest Asia. The VA gave Tina a 40% disability rating, a measure intended to reflect how her disability and its symptoms would likely impact her employment. Although grateful that her unrecognized condition was finally being seen, Tina did not understand how her experiences only amounted to a 40% rating when, in reality, she was physically unable to work. As she would later discover, 40% was the maximum rating for fibromyalgia.
Recommended Citation
Yelena Duterte,
A Feminist Critique of the VA Rating Schedule,
31
Mich. J. Gender & L.
311
(2024).
Available at:
https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjgl/vol31/iss2/3