Are you a veteran with a service-connected disability that impacts your day-to-day life? When you submit a disability claim to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and it is approved, you are given a disability rating that is tied to the severity of your disability and its impact on your daily life, and this rating reflects your monthly compensation. 

But what do you do when you don’t think your disability rating is correct? Are there any options to change your disability rating? Many veterans who battle a service-connected disability want to know — how do I increase my VA disability rating? We hope that this step-by-step guide created by VA Benefits Attorneys will help you increase your disability rating.

4 Steps to Increase Your VA Disability Rating

Do you believe that your disability has gotten worse over time? Do you think your initial disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs was too low? If you answered yes, you have the legal option to file a claim and appeal to the VA for a higher disability rating that reflects your day-to-day reality.

When you make the decision to file a case for an increased VA disability rating, the burden of proof lies with you, and you must be able to provide evidence and documentation that outlines why your disability rating should be higher based on criteria provided by the VA Schedule for Ratings Disabilities (VASRD). 

Here is a better look at how you can take steps to increase your VA disability rating:

1. Determine the Best Method to Increase Your Rating

How you approach this process and how you pursue an increased VA disability rating will depend primarily on when you received your current rating. If your claim was approved and you received a disability rating within the past year, the best course of action is to file an appeal — and you can do this by requesting a Higher-Level Review or submitting a Supplemental Claim. Veterans who received their disability rating more than a year ago will need to file a New Claim for an Increased Rating that indicates that your service-connected injury, illness, or medical condition has gotten worse. 

2. Collect Your Evidence and Documentation

Like we highlighted above, the burden of proof to file a successful claim and increase your disability rating lies with you — which means you need to collect evidence and documents to solidify your claim. This evidence is the most important aspect of this process, and can include updated medical records from a VA or private doctor, personal symptom statements, and buddy letters submitted with VA Form 21-1021. These additional records and documents can illustrate the changes to your service-connected disability and define the why behind your increased rating claim.

3. Check for Secondary Conditions

Many veterans who have a service-connected disability will find that that disability can trigger an additional medical issue or make a minor issue worse. These medical issues that are triggered by a service-connected disability are considered a Secondary Service Connection. Veterans can file an additional disability claim for a secondary condition as a simple way to increase an overall disability rating. Key examples of secondary conditions include depression or anxiety that is a result of chronic back pain or back pain that develops due to a chronic knee injury and an abnormal gait.

4. File Your Claim and Attend the C&P Exam 

When you file a claim to increase your disability rating with VA Form 21-526EZ, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will most likely schedule you for a Compensation and Pension (C&P) Exam. This medical exam will have a major impact on the status of your case, and it is important that you don’t miss this exam and are honest about your medical condition and how it impacts you on the worst days. Missing this appointment may result in an automatic denial of your claim.

READ MORE: What Is VA Math and How Does it Work?

If you are a veteran with a service-connected disability, you may want to know — how can I increase my VA disability rating? This step-by-step guide created by VA Benefits Attorneys will help you kickstart the process and file a successful claim to increase your rating. 

Contact VA Benefits Attorneys today to get help with your disability claim!