{"id":5471,"date":"2023-05-01T14:17:09","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T21:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stoneroselaw.com\/veteranslaw\/?page_id=5471"},"modified":"2026-03-25T21:48:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T04:48:14","slug":"what-to-do-when-the-va-proposes-to-reduce-your-benefits","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.stoneroselaw.com\/veteranslaw\/what-to-do-when-the-va-proposes-to-reduce-your-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"What To Do When The VA Proposes To Reduce Your Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"

VA ratings are based upon the severity of the service connected disability. In certain circumstances, the VA may reduce your ratings or remove them entirely. It is important to note that the steps the VA must take to reduce a disability rating are complex and, needless to say, the VA frequently reduces benefits improperly. So, why do VA benefits get reduced and how can you stop it from happening?<\/p>\n

Static disabilities versus disabilities that are likely to improve<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A disability which has continued at the same level for 5 years or more \u2013 or one that is, by its nature, considered unlikely to improve \u2013 is considered \u2018static\u2019 or stabilized. That means that, generally, the VA will not order future examinations to determine the severity of the disability. However, the VA may still decrease a static disability if there is evidence of improvement under the ordinary conditions of life and employment.<\/p>\n

Many times, the VA will determine a disability is likely to improve with treatment and time. In these cases, the VA will schedule and order routine future examinations to determine the severity of the disability.<\/p>\n

The 5, 10, and 20 year \u2018rule\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One common misconception is that disabilities become \u201cprotected\u201d after a certain period of time. To be clear, this is not the case. The only<\/strong> protected ratings are those ratings that are in effect for 20 years or more. A 20 year rating can only be reduced via a showing of fraud.<\/p>\n

Instead, the longer a disability has been \u2018static\u2019 \u2013 i.e., rated at a certain level \u2013 the more persuasive and thorough the evidence supporting a reduction must be. The common VA rule of thumb (which isn\u2019t exactly accurate) is that after 5 years they cannot reduce a rating based off of just one exam.<\/p>\n

VA reduction general rules<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The VA may not reduce a rating unless:<\/p>\n