The Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing a change to disabilities ratings which will hurt our veterans by potentially reducing their award for service-connected afflictions. Details of the proposed change appear as an Interim Federal Regulation (IFR) in the Federal Register.
“For years, courts held that VA could not reduce ratings based on the effects of medication, requiring evaluation of a veteran’s true functional impairment when evaluating a service-connected disability. This new rule reverses that standard, directing examiners to rate disabilities as they present, including the impact of medication, and to disregard unmedicated baseline severity,” warns the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in a press release published today. 1
The National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) shared the VFW’s sentiment in a post published yesterday. In the post, National Commander Coleman Nee cited two decisions from the VA Court of Appeals for Claims Cases which he asserts the proposal violates. He also estimated that over 6 million Veterans may be affected by the proposed ruling. 2
Example in Plain English
Suppose I filed a claim to the VA for diabetes, which I believe I contracted as a result of exposure to toxic herbicides and pesticides during my service in Panama. I would undergo a thorough medical examination. All of the findings would get baked into a disability rating recommendation.
The standard has been to make a recommendation based on the progression of the condition and its impact on my health and physical abilities. The new proposal would also factor in the effects the ten medications I take to control these symptoms.
Say I present with neuropathy in my feet and hands, with diabetic nerve pain. Uncontrolled, let’s say that rates (on an arbitrary scale for this exercise) a 6 of 10 (I don’t know what scale is actually used). But if I present with the same conditions but the neuropathy is fairly well controlled through medication, that rate could now be a 1 or 2 on the same scale because I don’t appear all that affected.
Now let’s include other symptoms of diabetes, like high blood pressure. Maybe a rating if uncontrolled would be an 8 of 10. But maybe I worked very hard to drop a bunch of weight, eat healthily, exercise, and now my blood pressure is very well controlled. That rating could now be at 0. Diabetic retinopathy could lead to blindness if uncontrolled. Let’s call that a 10/10. But my latest exam showed my eyes are completely healthy — again, 0.
Taken together, I could have been rated at 24 of 30. Instead, I’m now rated at 1 or 2 of 30. That original rating of 24 would qualify me for certain benefits, including a monthly disability check. But because I value my health and have worked hard, under the proposed system, I’d likely receive nothing. Same conditions, same maladies, wildly different outcomes.
Call to Action
Especially if you’re a Veteran like me, please consider commenting on the IFR. Tell the VA exactly what you think about the proposed regulation. If you concur that it will hurt Veterans, please tell them so.
My actual comment follows. It’s a bit verbose, but it do be like that sometimes.
I am a NAVY CHIEF who served overseas in locations with dense foliage and disease-carrying insects in the 1980s and 1990s. I take ten different medications to combat the effects of diabetes mellitus II, which I believe I contracted as a result of exposure to toxic herbicides and pesticides during my service.
Because I have worked very hard to manage my health — radical changes in diet, inclusion of exercise, significant weight loss — I feel my diabetes is well controlled.
Under the standard, if I was rated by the VA, I’d likely receive some nonzero rating of disability based on the presence of multiple symptoms (renal failure, neuropathy, retinopathy, etc.)
But under the IFR, I would likely receive nothing. Same conditions. Same health threats (kidney failure, blindness, hypertension, heart attack, stroke). Same medical expenses. Wildly different outcomes.
The proposed change is obscenely unfair to those of us who served our nation with honor and distinction. IT SMACKS OF TRADING VETERANS’ LIVES TO SAVE MONEY.
It also seems punishment for getting healthy and doing my very best to continue to provide for the family I have today.
It’s an absolute insult and a betrayal. You state on your landing page “We’re here to help you get the care and benefits you deserve.” — ACT LIKE IT.
On-Brand for This Administration
I think by now we’re all clear on what Trumptopia IS and what it ISN’T: a country club for wealthy whites.
Just like Ozzy told you, the military is responsible for working the messes politicians make. And nobody joins the service to get wealthy. Anybody who’s served can tell you that. 3
The VA is the second-largest bureaucracy in the world — succeeded only by the U.S. Department of Defense. Reducing the benefits awarded to Veterans isn’t just a cost-cutting measure. It furthers an unspoken goal of the current administration to further displace people who don’t look or spend like Mr. Trump and his cronies.
(Ironically, military veterans have historically been overwhelmingly Republican in their voting preferences. Little wonder why: Republicans used to be very good to the Armed Forces. Bases opened and the military budget tended to expand under Republican leadership. So harming Veterans in this way *could* work in favor of the Blue Team at the mid-terms and beyond.)
- VFW raises serious concerns over VA Disability Rating Policy interim rule change. (n.d.). https://www.vfw.org/media-and-events/latest-releases/archives/2026/2/vfw-raises-serious-concerns-over-va-disability-rating-policy-interim-rule-change ↩︎
- Nee, C. (2026, February 17). DAV statement on VA Interim Final Rule concerning disability ratings and medication. DAV. https://www.dav.org/learn-more/news/2026/dav-statement-on-va-interim-final-rule-concerning-disability-ratings-and-medication/ ↩︎
- A reference to “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath. ↩︎
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