When the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) assigns a disability rating, that rating reflects the severity of your condition at that point in time.
But life doesn’t stand still.
Many service-connected conditions can worsen as the years go by. Chronic pain may become more severe. Mental health symptoms can intensify. Mobility may decrease. New complications may develop.
If your condition has changed since your original rating decision, you may be wondering:
“Can my VA disability rating increase?”
In many cases, the answer is yes.
You can also use our VA Disability Calculator to better understand how disability ratings are combined and how a potential increase may affect your overall rating.
Link: VA Disability Calculator
One common misconception is that a VA disability rating is locked in forever.
While some Veterans receive ratings that remain unchanged, others experience worsening symptoms that may warrant a higher evaluation.
The VA’s disability rating system is designed to reflect the current severity of a service-connected condition. If that condition becomes more limiting over time, Veterans may have options to pursue an increased rating.
Every situation is unique, but some common indicators include:
The key isn’t simply having a diagnosis.
The key is whether the condition now causes a greater level of impairment than when it was originally evaluated.
When seeking an increased VA disability rating, evidence plays an important role.
The VA generally looks for documentation that shows how your condition has changed over time.
Examples may include:
Strong evidence helps create a clearer picture of your current level of disability.
Sometimes the original condition isn’t the only issue.
As service-connected conditions progress, they can contribute to additional health concerns.
For example:
These situations are often referred to as secondary conditions because they develop as a result of an existing service-connected disability.
Many Veterans are surprised to learn that worsening health issues aren’t always limited to the condition that was originally rated.
Possibly.
In some situations, the VA may schedule a Compensation & Pension (C&P) examination to assess the current severity of a condition.
The purpose of the examination is to evaluate how the condition affects you today—not how it affected you years ago.
This is one reason why current medical evidence and treatment documentation can be so important.
One of the most common things we hear from Veterans is:
“I didn’t realize things had gotten that much worse.”
When symptoms gradually increase over time, it can be easy to adapt without realizing how significantly a condition now impacts your daily life.
The rating you received years ago was based on the evidence available at that time.
If your condition has changed, the facts of your situation may have changed as well.
One question many Veterans ask is whether there is a time limit on requesting an increase.
The short answer is no.
If a service-connected condition worsens years—or even decades—after your original decision, you may still have options available. What matters most is whether current evidence demonstrates that the condition has become more severe.
Service-connected conditions don’t always stay the same.
For many Veterans, physical injuries, chronic illnesses, and mental health conditions evolve over time. When they do, it’s important to understand that your original disability rating may not necessarily reflect your current reality.
If your condition has worsened, taking the time to understand your options and gather the appropriate evidence can help ensure your situation is accurately evaluated.
Because the goal isn’t simply to document where you’ve been.
It’s to accurately reflect where you are today.