VA Disability Rating Increase: How to Get a Higher Rating

Your VA disability rating isn't set in stone. If your condition has gotten worse, or you were underrated in the first place, you have the right to ask the VA for a higher rating, and for a lot of veterans, that's real money left on the table every month.

The tricky part is knowing when it's worth filing, what evidence actually moves a rating, and how to do it without putting your existing benefits at risk. Here's how it works.

Two reasons to file for an increase

There are really two situations where an increase makes sense:

• Your condition has worsened. The symptoms you have today are more severe or more frequent than when you were first rated. This is the most common reason.
• You were underrated from the start. The evidence supported a higher rating than you received, and you either didn't appeal in time or didn't realize it.

Both are valid. The path is similar, but the framing matters, and if your original decision is recent, an appeal might be the better tool than an increase. If you're unsure which situation you're in, that's a good question to bring to an accredited representative.

How VA ratings work (the quick version)

The VA rates each condition from 0 to 100 percent, in 10-point steps, based on criteria tied to how severe your symptoms are. Two things surprise people:

• The VA uses its own math. If you have multiple conditions, they aren't simply added together. A 50 and a 30 don't make 80. The VA combines them using a formula that always keeps the total at or below 100.
• Every rating maps to specific criteria. Each condition has a set of symptoms and findings that define each percentage. An increase almost always comes down to showing your symptoms now meet the criteria for the next level up.

That second point is the whole game. Getting an increase isn't about saying you feel worse, it's about documenting that your condition now matches a higher rung on the VA's own ladder.

Are you actually underrated? How to tell

Before you file, it's worth a gut check. You may be underrated if:

• Your symptoms are clearly more limiting than they were at your last rating.
• You're being treated for the condition more often, or with stronger interventions.
• You've developed secondary conditions, new problems caused by a service-connected one, that aren't rated yet.
• You can't hold down full-time work because of your service-connected conditions (more on that in a moment).

If any of these ring true, there's a good chance a review is worth your time.

The evidence that moves a rating

An increase lives or dies on current evidence showing where your condition stands today:

• Up-to-date medical records that document your current symptoms and their severity.
• A statement from your doctor describing how the condition limits you, mapped as closely as possible to the rating criteria.
• A personal statement (VA Form 21-4138) explaining, in concrete terms, how your worst days look and how the condition affects work and daily life.
• A current C&P exam. The VA will usually schedule one, and it often carries the most weight. Describe your symptoms honestly at their worst, not on a good day.

Don't overlook secondaries and unemployability

Two paths get missed all the time:

• Secondary conditions. If a rated condition has caused another problem, sleep apnea, depression, and joint issues are classic examples, you can claim the secondary. That can raise your combined rating without your original condition changing at all.
• TDIU (Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability). If your service-connected conditions keep you from holding steady, gainful work, you may be paid at the 100 percent rate even if your combined schedular rating is lower. It's one of the most valuable and most overlooked benefits in the system.

Protect your effective date

Timing affects how much back pay you receive. If the VA receives your claim within a year of when your worsening can be documented, your increase can often be backdated to when the condition actually got worse, not just the date you filed. Filing an Intent to File first can also protect your date while you gather evidence. Small step, potentially months of back pay.

One honest caution

Filing for an increase usually means a new exam, and an exam looks at your condition as it is now. For most veterans whose conditions have genuinely worsened, that's exactly the point. But it's worth knowing that the VA can adjust a rating in either direction based on current evidence. Certain long-held and total ratings carry legal protections, and a rating that reflects a genuinely worse condition is on solid ground. If you're worried about how a review could affect an existing rating, that's the clearest sign to talk it through with an accredited representative before you file.

Where help pays off

Increases reward precision, matching your current symptoms to the exact criteria the VA uses, and knowing when to pursue a secondary condition or TDIU instead of, or alongside, a straight increase. That's where an accredited representative earns their keep. They can review your current rating, spot what you're leaving on the table, and build the claim around the evidence that counts. With accredited help, you only pay if you win.

The bottom line

If your condition is worse than your rating reflects, don't leave that gap in place. Get current evidence that speaks to the VA's criteria, look hard at secondaries and TDIU, protect your effective date, and file with intention. A more accurate rating can change your monthly compensation for years to come.

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Your Benefits Path provides educational information only. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and nothing here is legal or medical advice. We don't guarantee any rating, approval, or benefit amount. Before you file, confirm your plan with a VA-accredited representative. You can always work with the VA directly, for free, at va.gov.

Sources: VA guidance on filing for an increased rating (va.gov/disability), the VA combined ratings method, VA Forms 21-526EZ and 21-4138, and VA rules on TDIU and effective dates. Rating criteria and rules change over time; re-verify on va.gov before relying on them.