AI-summarized from official sources and checked against the source text. Each item links to the official page.
In this update: 1 potentially negative.
Evaluative Rating: Impact of MedicationLink to “Evaluative Rating: Impact of Medication”
Potentially negative for veteransWho: Veterans whose service-connected conditions are controlled by medication or treatment, including those with pending claimsWhy: VA would rate a veteran on how the condition presents while medicated, and examiners would no longer estimate how severe it would be without treatment. Veterans whose medication controls symptoms, across potentially hundreds of diagnostic codes, would lose the more favorable approach from Ingram v. Collins and could get lower ratings or be denied increases. The rule is already in effect as an
What changed. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amends 38 CFR 4.10 within the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD). This amendment clarifies VA's longstanding interpretation of Sec. 4.10 and, in doing so, amends the text to correct judicial interpretations that VA has concluded misconstrue the role of medication and treatment in evaluating functional impairment.
Who it affects. Specifically, this amendment clarifies that veterans should be compensated for the actual level of functional impairment they experience and, therefore, that the ameliorative effects of medication should not be estimated or discounted when evaluating the severity of a veteran's disability at the time of the disability examination.
What to do / key dates. Effective date: 2026-02-17 Comments close: 2026-04-20
Source quotes
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) amends 38 CFR 4.10 within the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD).
This amendment clarifies VA's longstanding interpretation of Sec. 4.10 and, in doing so, amends the text to correct judicial interpretations that VA has concluded misconstrue the role of medication and treatment in evaluating functional impairment.
Specifically, this amendment clarifies that veterans should be compensated for the actual level of functional impairment they experience and, therefore, that the ameliorative effects of medication should not be estimated or discounted when evaluating the severity of a veteran's disability at the time of the disability examination.
Effective date: 2026-02-17 Comments close: 2026-04-20