How to Raise Your VA Disability Rating (Proven Tips and Strategies!)
As a veteran, raising your VA disability rating is a big deal: it means more tax-free compensation and benefits every month for life.
Whether you’re looking to increase your rating for an existing service-connected disability or establish new connections, such as direct, secondary, or presumptive service connections, this comprehensive guide will provide you with actionable tips and strategies to help you maximize your VA disability benefits and get every penny you’ve earned for serving our country.
Without further ado, let’s begin!
Why Increase Your VA Disability Rating?
A higher VA disability rating means more tax-free monthly compensation, access to additional veteran benefits, and justice and validation for your military service and how your conditions negatively affect your work, life, and social functioning.
Did you know that getting the VA rating and benefits you deserve can potentially be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe even millions of dollars over your lifetime?
Even small percentage increases in your combined VA rating can unlock significant compensation, medical care, and other special programs that provide comprehensive aid and benefits to you and your family.
Essential Elements to Increase Your VA Disability Rating
To successfully raise your VA rating, you need to meet specific criteria known as the VA Claims Insider Golden Circle.
It’s the Caluza Triangle with an additional part in step #4 for the severity of symptoms.
These are the four elements you must prove before the VA:
- Medical Diagnosis: A current diagnosis of your disability condition from a qualified healthcare provider. This needs to be documented in a medical record.
- In-Service Event: Evidence of an event, injury, disease, or aggravation that occurred during your service. This should be documented in medical or personnel records.
- Nexus (Link): Medical evidence establishing a connection between your current disability and the in-service event. This is often provided through a Nexus Letter from a healthcare provider.
- Severity of Symptoms: Documentation of how your symptoms have worsened over time, with emphasis on frequency (how often), severity (how bad), and duration (how long). Symptoms should be documented in medical records.
Proven Tips and Strategies to Increase Your VA Disability Rating
#1. File a New VA Disability Increase Claim
If your service-connected condition has worsened, file a new claim for an increase. You’ll need to provide recent medical evidence such as Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) or new medical records to show that your symptoms have worsened.
Example: Suppose you’re currently rated at 50% for PTSD but believe your symptoms now meet the criteria for a 70% rating. You can file for an increase by submitting updated medical evidence detailing your mental health symptoms.
Pro Tip: Use a DBQ from a private healthcare provider to make your claim “decision-ready,” reducing the likelihood of needing a VA Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam.
#2. File a New Claim for Direct Service Connection
If you have a new disability related to your military service, file a new claim for direct service connection. This applies to conditions diagnosed after your service, provided you can show a direct link to your military duty.
Example: You suffer from chronic migraines due to a head injury during a combat deployment. File a new claim for direct service connection with medical records and a Nexus Letter linking the migraines to the deployments and head injury.
Pro Tip: If your condition wasn’t documented during service, obtain a strong Nexus Letter from a healthcare provider to establish the connection.
#3. File a New Claim for Secondary Service Connection
If a new disability is caused or aggravated by an already service-connected condition, you can file a secondary service connection claim.
Example: If you’re service-connected for PTSD and later develop Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) due to weight gain and other side effects of taking SSRIs, you can file a VA claim for sleep apnea secondary to PTSD.
Pro Tip: A Nexus Letter is crucial for secondary claims, as you need medical evidence showing the link between the secondary condition and the primary service-connected disability.
#4. File a New Claim for Presumptive Service Connection
Certain conditions are “presumed” to be service-connected based on specific criteria, such as exposure to toxic substances or being stationed in a particular location. The PACT Act greatly expanded presumptive conditions for many veterans.
Example: Veterans exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam who later develop Parkinson’s disease can file for presumptive service connection without needing direct evidence of the condition during service.
Pro Tip: Check if your condition is on the VA’s list of presumptive conditions. You only need to show your service records and a current diagnosis of the presumptive condition.
#5. File a New Claim for Service Connection via Aggravation
This type of claim is for conditions that existed before service but worsened due to your military duties. It can also apply to non-service-connected disabilities aggravated by service-connected conditions.
Example: Suppose you had mild flat feet before service, but your military duties aggravated the condition, making it severe to include heel pain. You can file for service connection via aggravation.
Pro Tip: Always include a Nexus Letter showing that your condition worsened beyond its natural progression due to your service.
#6. Appeal a Previously Denied VA Disability Claim
If your claim was denied, you have the right to appeal. You can choose from three options: Higher Level Review, Supplemental Claim, or the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
Pro Tip: Consider submitting a Supplemental Claim if you have new evidence to support your claim. This is one of the faster appeal routes, taking approximately 5–6 months.
#7. File for Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU)
If your service-connected conditions prevent you from maintaining substantially gainful employment, you may qualify for TDIU, which pays at the 100% rate even if your combined rating is less than 100%.
Example: A veteran with a combined 70% rating may be eligible for TDIU if their disabilities make it impossible to maintain substantially gainful employment.
Pro Tip: Be prepared to submit VA Form 21–8940 and Form 21–4192 with your TDIU claim. Provide detailed explanations of how your disabilities affect your ability to work.
#8. File for Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)
VA SMC is an additional benefit for severe disabilities, such as loss of use of a limb, need for aid and attendance, or housebound status.
Example: A veteran who needs help with daily living activities due to severe disabilities can qualify for SMC, which provides higher compensation than standard VA ratings.
Pro Tip: SMC pay rates can be much higher than regular ratings, potentially exceeding $11,000 per month for the most severe cases.
Final Thoughts: Take Action to Increase Your VA Rating
Maximizing your VA disability rating can be life-changing, providing you and your family with greater financial stability and access to healthcare, among many other veteran benefits.
Follow these proven tips and strategies, gather strong medical evidence, and don’t hesitate to seek help if you need it.
You’ve served your country — now it’s time to get the benefits you’ve earned.
If you need guidance or have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
I’ve got your six!
Fellow Veterans: Do You Deserve a VA Rating Increase?
Hi, I’m Brian Reese, the VA Claims Insider, and I’m here to help you INCREASE your VA rating FASTER — even if you’ve already filed, been denied, gave up, or don’t know where to start…
If you’re frustrated, underrated, or simply sick and tired of fighting the VA alone, I’ve got your six!
There’s always another path available to you, and I’m committed to helping you achieve VA claim victory.
My process starts with a one-on-one phone call so we can get to know your unique claim situation.
We’ll identify where you stand now, where you want to go, and how we make it happen with the right medical evidence.
If we nail your VA claim strategy, the tactics become simple and easy!
Through this gap analysis process, we’ll build a personalized VA claim strategy tailored to your needs — designed to give you the best possible chance of securing the VA rating and compensation you’ve earned for serving our country.
>> Click Here to book your FREE consultation now!
About the Author
Brian Reese is one of the world’s top VA disability benefits experts and the #1 bestselling author of VA Claim Secrets and You Deserve It. Frustrated with the VA claim process, Brian founded VA Claims Insider to help disabled veterans win their VA disability compensation faster. He has served over 10 million military members and veterans since 2013. A former Air Force officer, Brian deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. He is a Distinguished Graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy and holds an MBA from Oklahoma State University, where he was a National Honor Scholar.
