Navy rating
VA Disability for MA (Master-at-Arms (Master at Arms / MA / MAA))
Navy MA (Master-at-Arms (Master at Arms / MA / MAA)) is a job that typically involved hazardous noise, combat and traumatic stress, heavy loads and impact, and chemicals and solvents. That pattern is why veterans who held it commonly claim conditions like PTSD, tinnitus, back or neck strain, and hearing loss. This page covers the general pattern for the job, not your record.
Typical exposures for MA
These are the general hazards that came with the job. Your own exposure depends on your units, deployments, and duties.
- Hazardous noise
Weapons fire, engines, aircraft, generators, or machinery at levels linked to tinnitus and hearing loss.
- Combat and traumatic stress
Firefights, casualties, mass-casualty care, and sustained threat, the kind of experience behind PTSD and depression claims.
- Heavy loads and impact
Rucks, body armor, lifting, carrying patients or ammunition, and hard landings that wear on the back, knees, and feet.
- Chemicals and solvents
Solvents, degreasers, paints, cleaning agents, and other industrial chemicals used in the field, the shop, or on the line.
Conditions commonly associated with MA
Veterans who held this job commonly claim the conditions below. Each still needs a current diagnosis and evidence linking it to your service.
- PTSDDC 9411Frequently claimed
Force protection, detainee operations, combat zones
- TinnitusDC 6260Frequently claimed
Weapons fire, vehicle noise, shipboard noise
- Lumbosacral/cervical strainDC 5237Frequently claimed
Body armor, duty gear, standing watch
- Hearing lossDC 6100Also commonly claimed
Weapons qualification, shipboard machinery
- Knee, limitation of flexionDC 5260Also commonly claimed
Standing long watches, foot patrols
- Major depressive disorderDC 9434Also commonly claimed
High-stress security operations
- Sleep apneaDC 6847Also commonly claimed
Rotating watch schedules
- Ankle, limited motionDC 5271Also commonly claimed
Uneven terrain, ruck marches, and obstacle-course training throughout service
- Foot injuries, otherDC 5284Also commonly claimed
Boots, marching, long days on feet, cumulative across any military role
- Migraine headachesDC 8100Also commonly claimed
High-stress security operations, rotating watch schedules, and sleep deprivation
- Degenerative arthritisDC 5003Also commonly claimed
Cumulative wear from body armor and duty gear
PACT Act presumptives for MA veterans
Many Sailors in this job deployed to Southwest Asia or the post-9/11 theater. Under the PACT Act, the presumption is based on where and when you served, not on your job title. It covers Gulf War service on or after August 2, 1990 in places such as Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the United Arab Emirates, and post-9/11 service on or after September 11, 2001 in places such as Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
If you served in a qualifying location and are later diagnosed, the VA treats certain conditions as presumed service-connected, so you do not have to prove the exposure caused them. The list includes asthma diagnosed after service, chronic bronchitis, COPD, chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, constrictive bronchiolitis, and a range of cancers. Holding this job does not by itself mean you have any of them.
Full PACT Act burn pit list and locations → Gulf War Illness →
Earlier eras carry their own location-based presumptives, such as Agent Orange and Camp Lejeune water contamination.
This is the general pattern, not your claim. Most veterans held more than one job, served at specific bases, and worked specific aircraft or ships. Which conditions fit you, how they combine, and what they rate together depends on that full record.
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Common questions
Does the VA have a list of conditions for MA?
No. The VA does not keep a list of disabilities by MOS, AFSC, or rating. It decides each claim on your own service records, medical evidence, and exam. What a job typically exposed people to can help explain how a condition started, which is why knowing the pattern for MA Master-at-Arms (Master at Arms / MA / MAA) is useful.
What conditions do MA veterans commonly claim?
Veterans who served as Navy MA (Master-at-Arms (Master at Arms / MA / MAA)) commonly claim conditions such as PTSD, tinnitus, back or neck strain, hearing loss, limited knee flexion, and depression. Each one still needs its own diagnosis and a link to service.
Are MA veterans covered by the PACT Act?
The PACT Act presumptions are based on where and when you served, not on your job. If you served in a qualifying Gulf War or post-9/11 location, certain respiratory conditions and cancers are presumed service-connected.
Other Navy jobs
More from VA Ready: all MOS pages · ratings by condition · toxic exposures
This page is for general informational purposes only and is not legal or medical advice. It describes what a job typically involved, not what any one veteran experienced, and the VA does not keep a list of conditions by MOS, AFSC, or rating. The VA decides service connection and ratings from your own records, evidence, and exam. VA Ready is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For free help filing, work with a
VA-accredited VSO.