A high VA disability rating is a surefire way to get a high amount of non-taxable monthly income. When a veteran has a 70% rating, that usually means that their conditions are pretty severe, persistent, and dire. So, the VA pays a generous amount as compensation.
However, many surveys have concluded that so many veterans deserve a higher VA rating by law. While the current number of veterans with 70% disability is over 1.9 million, many of them need a rating of 80%, 90%, or even 100%. Maybe you are one of them.
Hence, this article will provide the necessary information to help you raise your disability rating from 70% to 100%.
Is It Possible to Increase the VA Disability Rating from 70% to 100%?
There is more than one way that a veteran with service-connected disabilities may try in hopes of a higher disability rating. If their conditions have worsened from before, they may submit an increased disability claim. If the VA accepts it, they will raise your rating.
There are other ways as well. For example, the TDIU benefit is perfect for those with a 70% rating if they are eligible. In addition, one may also file a claim for a new service-related condition that they haven’t done before.
How to Increase VA Disability Rating from 70% to 100%?
If you want to raise your VA disability rating from 70% to anything higher, like 100%, you can try any of the several options available to you. They are as follows-
- If your conditions have worsened, the best course of action is to file for an increased claim. Ensure you provide the necessary information and evidence, including your recent medical report and supporting letters to prove your statement.
- VA reevaluates veterans receiving monthly compensations, usually once every two to five years. If they schedule a reexamination for you and you think your disability has worsened, make sure to explain it in detail during both the health checkup and the questionnaire part.
- There are chances that you noticed some new disability that you haven’t reported to the VA before, even though you are getting VA benefits for other conditions. In that case, file an increased claim where you mention that new disease or injury.
It may also be that you failed to get the proper evidence for a disability before, making it impossible for the VA to find its connection to your service. But if you manage to find the evidence now, you can also submit it to the VA to reevaluate your claim.
- Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU), or just IU, is an excellent benefit the VA offers to qualified veterans. You need to meet the criteria and have a specific disability rating in order to get this benefit. It pays an amount equivalent to a 100% VA rating.
- Finally, if you feel like the VA should have increased your rating following an evaluation, but they didn’t (which does happen a lot), you can go for a court appeal. Hire a VA-accredited lawyer, claimant agent, or VSO to handle your case.
How to File an Increased Claim to VA?
Filing an increased VA compensation claim is almost similar to filing a regular one. You only need to fill out a different form. We highly recommend you use the online portal for any claims.
- First, head to VA.gov and sign up or log in with your account.
- Then go to VA Form 21-526EZ. You need to fill it out correctly before you submit it. There is a lot of optional information, which we suggest filling out if you can. You will get one year to file it from the day you start.
- You will notice that the form mentions and recommends which evidence and details you should submit. While you can leave them out, it is not ideal. Get as many proofs as possible and add them to the form.
- Once you are done, submit it.
Note that if you don’t sign in with your account while filling out the form, your progress won’t be saved, and you may have to start over the next time you enter.
If you can get it, a nexus letter will be an outstanding and excellent addition to your claim. Additionally, try gathering buddy letters and supporting letters, which are valuable evidence.
If your application mentions a new condition, the VA will have to examine it properly via a Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam. And if you state that one of your preexisting disability that you are already getting compensation for has worsened, the VA will reexamine your conditions before giving their verdict. Once the VA has everything they need, it usually takes them a couple of weeks to inform you of their decision.
Does Having a New Disability Guarantee a Higher Rating?
Unfortunately, even if the VA confirms you have a new service-connected disability aside from your preexisting ones, it doesn’t guarantee that you will get a higher disability rating. There are two reasons for that. They are-
- Some disabilities may only have a 0% rating if it is not severe enough. So, it doesn’t contribute anything to your overall rating. Note that even having a 0% rating overall still makes you eligible for certain other VA benefits.
- The way the VA calculates the combined rating of a veteran is not just the addition of all the ratings from every condition they have. Instead, they use a huge chart and a different method to combine the ratings to avoid going over 100%.
Because of this method, if someone already has a high rating, like 70% or 90%, another disability with a 10% rating won’t increase them much or not at all.
Final Note
While there are many ways to increase a person’s VA rating past 70%, it can be challenging. An increased rating claim may help you get it. If you plan to go this route, consider getting an eligibility review from VA Disability Coach to help you better prepare for your C&P exam. It is always better to have an extra medical report as concrete evidence.