For many veterans, the hardest part of a VA disability claim is not getting the first rating. It is figuring out what happens when a service-connected condition gets worse later.
That situation is exactly what an increased rating claim is for. In general terms, an increased rating claim asks VA to re-evaluate a condition that is already service connected because the symptoms, limitations, or functional impact are now more severe than they were when VA assigned the current percentage. VA states that, for an increased claim, the file generally needs current evidence showing the disability has worsened, and VA may also use a Compensation and Pension exam to measure current severity (VA evidence guidance, VA ratings overview, VA claim exam page).
If you want the bigger picture first, it may help to start with our overview of how veterans benefits claims and appeals fit together. If you are earlier in the process, you may also want a simpler walkthrough on asking VA for more compensation when a condition gets worse.
In this post, you’ll learn what an increased rating claim is, what “worsening” usually looks like in VA terms, what updated evidence tends to matter most, how re-evaluation works, how effective dates can change back pay, and where veterans often run into avoidable problems.
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An increased rating claim involves a disability that VA has already recognized as service connected. The question is no longer whether the condition is related to service. The question is whether the current rating percentage still matches the present severity of the condition.
VA explains that disability ratings are based on severity, and that VA considers the evidence a veteran submits, the results of any VA claim exam, and other information it obtains from appropriate sources when assigning or changing a rating (VA ratings overview). VA’s evidence guidance also says that for an increased claim, the record generally needs current medical or lay evidence showing the disability has gotten worse (VA evidence guidance).
That sounds simple, but the legal and factual question is often more specific than “I feel worse.” VA usually looks for evidence that maps onto the applicable rating criteria for that condition. In many cases, that means frequency, duration, intensity, loss of function, flare-ups, treatment history, work impact, and daily limitations matter more than a broad statement that symptoms are harder than before.
“Worsening” is often less about a diagnosis label and more about documented severity.
VA regulations frame disability ratings around impairment in earning capacity and functional loss, and the rating schedule is built to compare actual symptom patterns to percentage criteria (38 C.F.R. § 4.7, VA ratings overview). VA also explains that ratings are based on how severe the disability is at the time of evaluation, using the available evidence and claim exam findings (VA ratings overview).
Here are common examples of what worsening may look like in practice: