Are You Getting the Rating You Deserve?
Every year, tens of thousands of veterans receive disability ratings from the VA that don't accurately reflect the severity of their conditions. Whether it's an initial rating that was too low from the start or a condition that has worsened over time, an underrated disability means less monthly compensation, fewer benefits, and a lower quality of life than you've earned through your service.
The good news is that the VA allows you to request increases and file supplemental claims when your situation changes. But first, you need to recognize whether your rating is actually too low. Here are five clear signs that the VA may have underrated your disability, along with actionable advice for each one.
1. Your Symptoms Have Worsened Since Your Last C&P Exam
This is the most common reason veterans are underrated. The VA assigns your rating based on the evidence available at the time of your Compensation and Pension exam. If your condition has deteriorated since that exam, your current rating no longer reflects your actual level of disability.
For example, if you were rated at 30% for a knee condition three years ago but now struggle to walk more than a block, experience daily pain that disrupts your sleep, and have lost significant range of motion, your condition has clearly progressed beyond what a 30% rating covers.
Conditions like PTSD, migraines, back injuries, and joint problems are especially prone to worsening over time. If you find yourself relying on more medication, missing more work, or avoiding activities you used to handle, those are red flags that your rating is outdated.
What to do: File a claim for an increased rating. Schedule an appointment with your doctor to document your current symptoms and get updated medical records. The VA will schedule a new C&P exam, and your rating will be reassessed based on your present condition, not the old one.
2. You Have Conditions the VA Didn't Consider as Secondary
Secondary service connection is one of the most overlooked paths to a higher overall rating. A secondary condition is one that was caused or aggravated by a condition you're already service-connected for. The VA doesn't always connect these dots for you, and many veterans don't realize they can claim them.
Common examples include radiculopathy secondary to a back injury, sleep apnea secondary to PTSD, erectile dysfunction secondary to medication for a service-connected condition, migraines secondary to a traumatic brain injury, and depression secondary to chronic pain. If you have any of these or similar situations, you may be entitled to additional ratings that stack on top of your current one.
The key to a successful secondary claim is a medical nexus letter that clearly states your secondary condition is "at least as likely as not" caused or aggravated by your primary service-connected disability. Without that nexus, the VA is likely to deny the claim.
What to do: Make a list of all your current health conditions and compare them to your service-connected disabilities. Talk to a doctor who understands VA claims about whether any of your conditions could be secondary. Use our nexus letter generator to help build the medical argument you need.
3. Your Rating Doesn't Match the Diagnostic Code Criteria
Every VA disability rating is tied to a specific diagnostic code in the Code of Federal Regulations (38 CFR Part 4). Each code has clearly defined criteria for each rating level: 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100%. If your symptoms meet the criteria for a higher rating level than what you were assigned, your disability is underrated.
For example, PTSD is rated under diagnostic code 9411. A 50% rating requires evidence of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. A 70% rating requires deficiencies in most areas such as work, family relations, judgment, thinking, and mood. If you're at 50% but you've lost jobs due to your PTSD, your marriage is strained, and you have difficulty concentrating on daily tasks, you may meet the criteria for 70%.
Many veterans never look up their diagnostic code criteria and simply accept whatever rating the VA assigns. This is a mistake. The criteria are public information, and understanding them gives you a clear target for what evidence you need to submit.
What to do: Look up your diagnostic code in 38 CFR Part 4 and compare the criteria for your current rating level to the next level up. If your symptoms align more closely with the higher rating, gather medical evidence that documents each criterion and file for an increase.
4. You Were Rated on an Old DBQ That Missed Current Symptoms
Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) are the standardized forms that C&P examiners use to evaluate your condition. These forms have specific sections and questions, and they get updated periodically. If your exam was conducted using an older version of the DBQ, it may not have captured symptoms or functional limitations that newer versions now assess.
Additionally, some examiners rush through the DBQ and skip sections or mark them as not applicable when they should be filled out. If the examiner didn't measure your range of motion during a flare-up, didn't ask about the frequency and severity of your symptoms, or didn't document how your condition affects your ability to work, the resulting rating may be based on incomplete information.
You have the right to request a copy of your C&P exam results. Review them carefully and compare what the examiner documented against what you actually experience. If there are significant gaps, that's strong evidence your rating is based on a flawed evaluation.
What to do: Request your C&P exam results through your VA file. Review every section of the DBQ for accuracy. If you find errors or omissions, you can file a supplemental claim with a personal statement pointing out the inaccuracies and submit new medical evidence that fills the gaps the examiner missed.
5. You Have New Evidence That Wasn't in Your Original Claim
The VA decides your rating based on the evidence in your file at the time of the decision. If important evidence was missing when your claim was decided, your rating may not reflect the full picture. This includes buddy statements from fellow service members, private medical records your VA provider didn't have, occupational records showing how your condition affects your work, and personal statements describing your daily limitations.
New and relevant evidence is the foundation of a supplemental claim. Under the Appeals Modernization Act, you can file a supplemental claim at any time as long as you have new and relevant evidence that wasn't previously considered. This is often the fastest and most straightforward path to a higher rating.
One of the most powerful pieces of new evidence is a well-written nexus letter from a qualified medical professional. If your original claim was denied or underrated because the VA said there was no link between your condition and your service, a nexus letter can provide that missing connection.
What to do: Gather any evidence that wasn't part of your original claim. This could be new medical records, a nexus letter, buddy statements, or updated documentation of your symptoms. File a supplemental claim with this new evidence and a clear explanation of why it supports a higher rating.
Take the First Step Toward the Rating You Deserve
If any of these signs sound familiar, you may be leaving money on the table every single month. The difference between a 50% and a 70% rating can be over $600 per month in tax-free compensation. Over a lifetime, that adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Don't wait to take action. Use our free VA Disability Calculator to estimate what your rating should be based on your current conditions. It takes less than two minutes and gives you a clear picture of where you stand and what a higher rating could mean for your monthly compensation.
You served. You sacrificed. Now make sure the VA is giving you what you've earned.
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