Understanding Your VA Rating Decision

When the VA decides your disability claim, you receive a rating decision — a formal legal document that explains what was decided and why. Per VA.gov, your decision letter includes:

• Your disability rating (a percentage from 0% to 100%)
• The amount of your monthly compensation payment
• The effective date your payments will start
• Details about how the decision was made — which conditions were granted, denied, or deferred
• Your appeal rights and the three decision review options (Supplemental Claim, Higher-Level Review, Board Appeal)

The decision letter arrives by mail within approximately 10 business days of the decision. Veterans can also access and download decision letters through the VA.gov claim status tool.

va.gov/disability/after-you-file-claim/

These terms are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different documents:

The Narrative Section

The narrative is the written explanation of the decision. For each claimed condition, it states:

• Whether service connection was granted, denied, or deferred
• The diagnostic code (DC) assigned
• The rating percentage assigned
• The effective date of the rating
• The evidence considered (medical records, C&P exam results, lay statements)
• The rationale for the decision

Per M21-1, Part V, Subpart iv, Chapter 1, Section A, the rating narrative must address all issues raised by the veteran's claim and explain the basis for each determination.

The Codesheet

The codesheet is a standardized summary document that lists all service-connected disabilities. Per M21-1, Part V, Subpart iv, Chapter 1, Section B, it contains:

• Each service-connected condition by name
• The diagnostic code (a 4-digit number from 38 CFR Part 4, Schedule for Rating Disabilities)
• The rating percentage for each condition
• The effective date for each rating
• Whether the condition is considered static or subject to future reexamination
• The combined rating after VA math
• Any Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) entitlements
• Protected rating status indicators

Effective Dates

Effective dates determine when your benefits begin. Common rules per 38 CFR 3.400:

• Original claim: Generally the date VA received the claim or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later
• Intent to File (ITF): If you filed an ITF, the effective date can go back up to one year before the formal claim, to the date the ITF was received
• Increased rating: Date of claim or date entitlement arose, whichever is later; if an increase is factually ascertainable within one year before the claim, the effective date may be the date of the increase
• Liberalizing law (e.g., PACT Act): Can be the date the law took effect, if the claim is filed within one year of the law's effective date
• Supplemental claim with new and relevant evidence: Generally the date of the supplemental claim

38 CFR 3.400; M21-1, Part V, Subpart iv, Ch. 1

Every rated condition is assigned a diagnostic code (DC) from 38 CFR Part 4, the Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD). The DC determines which rating criteria apply to your condition.

Body System Ranges

Hyphenated (Analogous) Codes

When a condition is not listed in the VASRD, it is rated by analogy using a hyphenated code. The first code represents the diagnosed condition; the second represents the closest analogous condition with rating criteria.

38 CFR Part 4, Schedule for Rating Disabilities

The VA does not add disability ratings together. Instead, it uses a "combined ratings" formula based on the principle that each additional disability reduces the remaining efficiency, not the original whole.

Per 38 CFR 4.25: "Table I, Combined Ratings Table, results from the consideration of the efficiency of the individual as affected first by the most disabling condition, then by the less disabling condition, then by other less disabling conditions, if any, in the order of severity."

How It Works — Step by Step

1. Arrange all disabilities from highest to lowest rating
2. Start with the highest-rated disability — this reduces the veteran's efficiency by that percentage
3. Apply the next disability to the remaining efficiency, not the original 100%
4. Repeat for each additional disability
5. Round the final combined value to the nearest 10% (values ending in 5–9 round up; 1–4 round down)

CFR Example: 60% + 30%

Worked Example: Three Conditions

38 CFR 4.25; va.gov/disability/about-disability-ratings/

The bilateral factor is a bonus added when a veteran has compensable disabilities affecting both paired extremities (both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles).

Per 38 CFR 4.26: "When a partial disability results from disease or injury of both arms, or of both legs, or of paired skeletal muscles, the ratings for the disabilities of the right and left sides will be combined as usual, and 10 percent of this value will be added (i.e., not combined) before proceeding with further combinations."

Key Details

• "Arms" and "legs" refer to the entire upper or lower extremity — a right shoulder disability and a left hand disability still count as bilateral (38 CFR 4.26(a))
• Added, not combined: The 10% is added arithmetically to the bilateral combined value, not run through the combined ratings table again
• Applied first: The bilateral group (with the factor added) is treated as a single disability for ordering and further combinations
• Minimum threshold: The bilateral factor only applies when there is a compensable disability (at least 10%) in each of two paired extremities (38 CFR 4.26(c))
• Four extremities: When all four extremities are affected, combine all four by severity, then add 10% of the combined value (38 CFR 4.26(b))

Example

2023 Amendment — Veteran-Favorable Exception

An amendment effective April 14, 2023 (88 FR 22917) added 38 CFR 4.26(d): if excluding certain bilateral disabilities from the bilateral factor calculation produces a higher combined evaluation, those disabilities are removed from the bilateral calculation and combined separately. This ensures the bilateral factor always helps, never hurts.

38 CFR 4.26; 88 FR 22917 (April 14, 2023)

When a condition is listed as "deferred" on your rating decision, it means the VA has not yet made a decision on that condition. The claim for that condition remains open and pending.

Common Reasons for Deferral

• Waiting on additional evidence — the VA needs more medical records, a C&P exam, or other documentation
• Intertwined issues — the condition is intertwined with another pending claim and must be decided together
• Pending development — additional development (records requests, exams) was ordered but not yet completed

These terms on the codesheet indicate whether the VA expects the condition to change over time.

Static (Permanent)

• The VA has determined the condition is permanent and not expected to improve
• No routine future reexamination (C&P exam) will be scheduled for this condition
• The rating cannot be reduced unless there is evidence of fraud or Clear and Unmistakable Error (CUE) in the original decision

Not Static (Subject to Future Examination)

• The VA believes the condition may improve over time
• A routine reexamination is typically scheduled 2 to 5 years from the date of the rating decision
• The VA may reduce the rating if the reexamination shows improvement
• However, under 38 CFR 3.344, ratings in effect for 5 or more years cannot be reduced unless sustained improvement is demonstrated under ordinary conditions of life
• Rating reductions must follow specific procedural requirements: proposed reduction, 60-day response period, and predetermination hearing rights

Time-Based Protections

You can check whether your conditions are static by looking at the codesheet or viewing your disability ratings at va.gov/disability/view-disability-rating/.

Common Errors to Look For

1. Wrong diagnostic code: The assigned DC doesn't match your condition, resulting in incorrect rating criteria
2. Missing conditions: A claimed condition was not addressed at all (not granted, denied, or deferred)
3. Wrong effective date: The date doesn't account for an Intent to File, earlier claim date, or date entitlement arose
4. Math errors: The combined rating calculation is incorrect — use the combined ratings calculator or the table in 38 CFR 4.25 to verify
5. Missing bilateral factor: Paired extremity disabilities were combined without the bilateral factor from 38 CFR 4.26
6. Evidence not considered: The narrative doesn't mention relevant medical evidence, lay statements, or the C&P exam report
7. Incorrect factual findings: The decision states facts about your medical history or symptoms that are wrong
8. Failure to consider SMC: You qualify for Special Monthly Compensation but it was not awarded (e.g., SMC-S housebound when a single disability is rated 100% plus additional disabilities at 60%+)
9. Rating criteria misapplied: The decision identifies the correct DC but applies the wrong rating level under that code's criteria
10. Deferred conditions forgotten: A condition was deferred but no follow-up decision was ever issued

What to Do About Errors

38 CFR 3.105(a); va.gov/decision-reviews/

Helpful Resources

• VA.gov Claim Status Tool — check the status of your claim and download decision letters
• View Your VA Disability Rating — see your current ratings and whether conditions are static
• About VA Disability Ratings — VA's explanation of how ratings work
• 38 CFR 4.25 — Combined Ratings Table — the official combined ratings table
• VetAtlas Rating Calculator — calculate your combined VA rating and estimate monthly compensation
• VA Decision Reviews — overview of all three decision review options

Forms for This Topic

The official VA forms relevant to this page, in one place. Select a form to view, download, or add it to your report.

• VA Form 20-10206 — Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or Privacy Act (PA) RequestFOIA/Privacy Act request — get your C-file, C&P exam report, or full rating decision
• VA Form 20-0995 — Decision Review Request: Supplemental ClaimUse VA Form 20-0995 if you disagree with a VA decision and want to provide new evidence to support your claim.
• VA Form 20-0996 — Decision Review Request: Higher-Level ReviewUse this form to request a Higher-Level review of the decision you received by the Department of Veterans Affairs based on the evidence of record at the time VA issued of the prior decision.
• VA Form 10182 — VA Form 10182 ↗(opens VA.gov in a new tab)Board Appeal — the Notice of Disagreement that sends your case to a Veterans Law Judge