VA Disability for MM Machinists Mate: Common Conditions & Presumptives

VA Disability for MM (Machinists Mate)

Navy MM (Machinists Mate) is a job that typically involved hazardous noise, heavy loads and impact, chemicals and solvents, and asbestos. That pattern is why veterans who held it commonly claim conditions like tinnitus, hearing loss, back or neck strain, and eczema or dermatitis. This page covers the general pattern for the job, not your record.

Typical exposures for MM

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.
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.
Asbestos
Older ships, buildings, brake and insulation work. About this exposure →
Heat and cold
Hot flight lines, engine rooms, galleys, desert operations, and cold-weather training.

Conditions commonly associated with MM

Veterans who held this job commonly claim the conditions below. Each still needs a current diagnosis and evidence linking it to your service.

TinnitusDC 6260Frequently claimed
Engine room machinery, steam systems, turbines
Hearing lossDC 6100Frequently claimed
Constant high-decibel engine room noise
Lumbosacral/cervical strainDC 5237Frequently claimed
Lifting heavy engine components, confined spaces
Eczema/dermatitisDC 7806Frequently claimed
Oils, lubricants, solvents, steam burns
Shoulder, limitation of motionDC 5201Also commonly claimed
Overhead valve operations, pipe work
AsthmaDC 6602Also commonly claimed
Engine fumes, oil mist, confined spaces
Burn scars (head/face/neck)DC 7800Also commonly claimed
Steam burns, hot surface contact
Degenerative arthritisDC 5003Also commonly claimed
Repetitive manual operations
Knee, limitation of flexionDC 5260Also commonly claimed
Running, jumping, and kneeling under load across basic training and unit PT
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

PACT Act presumptives for MM 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.

Get your version in the app

See your personalized Claim Intel, your exact conditions merged across every MOS you held, your specific exposures cross-referenced, and your combined rating in the app. The combined-rating calculator is free with no account. Claim Intel is part of VA Ready Pro.

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Common questions

Does the VA have a list of conditions for MM?

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 MM Machinists Mate is useful.

What conditions do MM veterans commonly claim?

Veterans who served as Navy MM (Machinists Mate) commonly claim conditions such as tinnitus, hearing loss, back or neck strain, eczema or dermatitis, limited shoulder motion, and asthma. Each one still needs its own diagnosis and a link to service.

Are MM 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

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.