What does the 5-year rule mean for my VA disability claim? (2024)

The VA 5-year rule protects your disability claim by not allowing the VA to reduce your disability rating unless your condition has significantly improved over time. This rule pertains to a rating that has been in effect for five years or longer. After a five-year period, the rating is considered a stabilized rating.

Changes to Your Disability Rating

What does the 5-year rule mean for my VA disability claim? (1)Under the 5-year rule, your rating is considered stabilized and cannot be changed unless there is a change in your condition’s improvement over time or if you made a complete recovery from your disability. The rating can be changed or eliminated if it was determined to be based on fraud.

The 5-year rule protects Veterans by not allowing the VA to assume that a service-connected condition has improved over time or that the Veteran has made a complete recovery. In some cases where this assumption was made, the Veteran had their benefits lowered or discontinued. The 5-year rule avoids this and does not require a Veteran to have their condition re-examined if they have received the same rating for their service-connected condition for at least five years.

Re-examination of Your Condition

The VA typically re-examines your condition within the first two to five years after your initial examination. A re-examination can also occur for the following reasons:

  • Material evidence that your condition has improved
  • Material evidence that you have made a full recovery from your condition

If you have had the same service-connected condition for certain periods of time, protections under specific rules will apply. In addition to the 5-year rule, there are also 10- and 20-year rules that provide rate protection for your disability.

Contact an Experienced Attorney

If you have questions about the VA disability 5-year rule or have concerns about your disability benefits, contact the office of Sean Kendall, Attorney-at-Law for a free, no-obligation consultation. We can help determine if you are eligible for compensation, answer any questions you may have about your disability claim, and help get you the full amount of compensation that you deserve. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

What does the 5-year rule mean for my VA disability claim? (2024)

FAQs

What does the 5-year rule mean for my VA disability claim? ›

The VA 5-year rule protects your disability claim by not allowing the VA to reduce your disability rating unless your condition has significantly improved over time. This rule pertains to a rating that has been in effect for five years or longer. After a five-year period, the rating is considered a stabilized rating.

What is the VA disability 5 year rule? ›

The VA disability 5 year rule allows the VA to ex-examine your VA disability rating within 5 years of your initial examination if your condition is expected to improve over time. However, the VA may still change your disability rating past the 5-year deadline if your condition has significantly improved.

Can the VA reduce my PTSD rating after 5 years? ›

Veterans who maintain a disability rating for at least five years are protected from a reduced rating unless the VA can prove that the veteran's medical condition has shown sustained improvement across the years.

At what age does VA disability become permanent? ›

There is no set age of when your VA disability becomes permanent. The VA rater will determine “permanence” of a VA disability if it is reasonably certain, based upon medical evidence, that the level of impairment will continue for the rest of your life. Translation: Whether you're 35 or 75 years old it does not matter.

What is the 5 year rule for VBA? ›

The VA disability 5 year rule allows the VA to reevaluate your existing VA disability rating within 5 years of your initial examination, if and only if, your disability condition is expected to show material improvement over time.

Does VA disability become permanent after 5 years? ›

Five years with no improvement is generally a reasonable timeframe indicating that the disability caused by the condition will be permanent.

Does the VA reevaluate every 5 years? ›

The VA's 5-year rule allows them to re-evaluate your disability rating within five years of your initial rating. This re-evaluation is only possible if the VA believes your condition is likely to improve with treatment.

What is the VA 100% 5 year rule? ›

The VA 5-year rule protects your disability claim by not allowing the VA to reduce your disability rating unless your condition has significantly improved over time. This rule pertains to a rating that has been in effect for five years or longer. After a five-year period, the rating is considered a stabilized rating.

Is 70% PTSD a permanent VA disability? ›

Is 70 Percent PTSD a Permanent VA Disability? Receiving a 70 percent PTSD VA rating can lead to a permanent VA disability rating when you receive TDIU, Total Disability due to Individual Unemployability.

What is the 55 rule in the VA? ›

Based on the results of the exam, your disability rating may increase, decrease, or stay the same. Once you turn 55, you are typically "protected" and will no longer have to attend an exam to prove that your condition has not changed unless there is reason to suspect fraud. This is sometimes called the 55-year rule.

Do I get my husband's VA disability if he dies? ›

Unfortunately, your spouse cannot receive your VA disability compensation after you die. However, they may get a monthly allowance if they qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. If you lived in government housing, VA might also allow them to stay in residence for up to a year.

Do I get my husband's VA benefits if he dies? ›

For more information visit the home loan web page2 or call 1-877-827-3702. If a Veteran who is receiving VA compensation or pension benefits passes away, their last month of benefits can be paid to their surviving spouse.

What happens to my VA disability when I turn 65? ›

After veterans reach Social Security's full retirement age, VA's disability payments continue at the same level. By contrast, the income that people receive from Social Security or private pensions after they retire usually is less than their earnings from wages and salary before retirement.

Why is VBA discontinued? ›

VBA macros are a common way for malicious actors to gain access to deploy malware and ransomware.

How long does it take to be proficient in VBA? ›

The time it takes for most learners to gain a solid understanding of VBA falls somewhere within the range of one to eight weeks. While this number depends on many factors, most learners who devote several solid weeks to working with VBA will be able to write basic code.

What is the limit of VBA procedure? ›

The total size of a code module should not exceed 64K (65536 characters) - beyond that, code will become unstable.

Is VA disability going away in 2024? ›

Under that phaseout, veterans whose gross household income was $170,000 or higher in calendar year 2023 and who would have received the average annual payment would no longer receive any disability compensation from VA in calendar year 2024.

What is the VA 100% 10 year rule? ›

After 10 years without any material changes to your condition, the VA goes a step further. If you have a service connection that has been in effect for 10 years or more, the VA will not sever it. This means that the VA cannot terminate your service-connected disability rating.

Can the VA take away my disability after 10 years? ›

If you have been receiving service-connected benefits for ten years or longer, your benefits receive special protection from termination. The VA cannot terminate these benefits unless you committed fraud or unless the VA made a "clear and unmistakable error" in granting you benefits (CUE).

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