How do I get my VA disability rating increased?

If a service-connected condition has gotten worse, you can ask VA to raise its rating by filing a claim for increase on VA Form 21-526EZ. The key is current medical evidence showing your symptoms now meet the criteria for a higher rating. You can also raise your combined rating by adding new or secondary conditions.

Who can ask for an increase

You can request an increase for any condition VA has already service-connected. It doesn't matter whether your current rating is 0% or 70%. What matters is whether your symptoms have changed since VA last rated them.

VA rates each condition using the rating schedule, which lists the symptoms and test results needed for each percentage. To get a higher rating, your evidence has to show you meet the criteria for that higher level. Feeling worse in general isn't enough on its own. The evidence has to describe the specific symptoms VA looks for.

Three ways to raise your combined rating

1. Claim an increase for a worsened condition. This is the most direct route. For example, your knee now needs a brace, or your migraines have become more frequent.
2. Add secondary conditions. A secondary condition is one caused or made worse by a condition you're already rated for. A back injury that changes how you walk and leads to hip pain is a common example.
3. Add new conditions. If you have other problems that started in service and were never claimed, you can file for them too.

Keep in mind that VA doesn't add ratings together. It combines them using a “whole person” method, so two 10% ratings make 19%, which rounds to 20%. The VA disability ratings page explains the math.

The evidence VA needs

For an increase, VA says you need current evidence showing the condition has gotten worse. That can be medical records or a lay statement. Strong claims usually have both.

• Recent treatment records from VA or private doctors that describe your current symptoms.
• A completed DBQ (Disability Benefits Questionnaire) from your own provider, filled out against VA's rating criteria.
• Personal and buddy statements describing how the condition affects your work, sleep and daily life.
• Test results, such as range-of-motion measurements, hearing tests or sleep studies, when they apply.

See VA's evidence page for the full list. If you want VA to request private records for you, it will ask you to sign a release form.

Step by step

1. Submit an intent to file. This gives you up to 1 year to gather evidence. If VA approves your claim, your payments can start from the intent to file date. See how intent to file works.
2. Gather your evidence. Get recent records, ask your provider about a DBQ, and write your statements.
3. File the claim. Use the online disability claim and choose the condition you want reviewed.
4. Go to your exam. VA will likely schedule a VA claim exam. Describe your symptoms on your worst days, not just how you feel that morning, and be honest.
5. Read your decision. If you disagree, you have decision review options. You generally have 1 year from the decision date to choose one.

Know the risks before you file

Any time VA re-examines a condition, the rating can go down as well as up. If your condition has actually improved, an exam may show that. This is why it helps to look at the rating criteria and your recent records before you file.

Some ratings have extra protection. For example, a rating held at the same level for 20 years or more is generally protected from being reduced, except in cases of fraud. If you're unsure where you stand, talk it through before filing.

If VA doesn't raise your rating

Read the decision letter closely. It explains which rating criteria VA found you did or didn't meet. If you have new medical evidence, a Supplemental Claim lets VA look again. If you think VA misread the evidence it already had, a Higher-Level Review may fit better. Our guide to next steps after a denial covers both.

How Love4Vets can help

Our coaches walk you through the rating criteria for your condition, help you see what evidence you already have, and point out the gaps. You stay in control of your claim and file it yourself. Learn more about our rating increase coaching.

This article is general information, not legal advice. VA rules and timelines change, so check the linked VA.gov pages for the latest details.

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