Once the VA assigns a disability rating, that rating is not automatically permanent. The VA can propose reductions if it believes a condition has improved. However, federal regulations impose significant procedural requirements before any reduction can take effect — and the longer a rating has been in place, the harder it is to reduce.
Understanding these protections helps Veterans recognize when a proposed reduction is legally vulnerable and what steps to take in response.
The Three Time-Based Protections
5-Year Rule — Stabilized Ratings
A rating that has been continuously in effect for five or more years is considered stabilized. To reduce it, the VA must demonstrate sustained improvement under the ordinary conditions of life — not just a single better examination. The VA must review the entire history of the condition, and a temporary improvement does not meet the standard. The examiner must specifically address whether improvement is likely to be maintained.
10-Year Rule — Service Connection Cannot Be Severed
After a service-connected disability has been continuously in effect for 10 or more years, the VA cannot sever service connection — except in cases of fraud. This means the VA can still reduce the rating percentage, but it cannot remove the condition from your record entirely by finding that it was never service-connected or that service connection was granted in error.
20-Year Rule — Rating Floor Is Permanent
A disability rating that has been continuously rated at or above a certain level for 20 or more years cannot be reduced below its lowest level during that 20-year period. This creates a permanent floor. Even if a later examination shows significant improvement, the rating can never drop below that floor absent fraud.
Permanent and Total (P&T) Status
If the VA finds that a Veteran is permanently and totally disabled — meaning the combined rating is 100% and the disabilities are static with no expectation of improvement — the VA designates the rating as Permanent and Total (P&T). P&T status appears on the rating decision letter and the Veteran's benefit summary.
No future reexaminations
The VA cannot schedule routine reexaminations for P&T Veterans. The rating is assumed to be permanent, and the VA has no legal basis to look for improvement.
Dependents' benefits
P&T status unlocks Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA / Chapter 35), CHAMPVA health coverage for dependents, and Survivors Benefit Plan (SBP) premium waiver for some retirees.
Property tax exemptions
Many states offer full or partial property tax exemptions to P&T Veterans. Eligibility and amounts vary by state. Check your state's Veterans affairs office for current rules.
How to request P&T designation
P&T is not always automatically assigned even when warranted. You can specifically request P&T designation in a claim or ask your VSO to flag it if your conditions are clearly static (e.g., amputations, permanent neurological damage, chronic mental illness with longstanding 100% rating).
Procedures the VA Must Follow Before Reducing a Rating
Even when a rating is not time-protected, the VA cannot simply lower it after a single exam. Federal regulations require specific procedural steps — and skipping any of them makes the reduction legally defective.
Predetermination Notice
Before proposing a reduction, the VA must send written notice explaining the proposed action, the evidence it is relying on, and your right to respond. This notice must be sent at least 60 days before the reduction takes effect.
Right to a Hearing
You have the right to request a predetermination hearing before the reduction goes into effect. At the hearing, you can present evidence and argument. Requesting a hearing does not waive your right to appeal. Always request a hearing if you receive a proposed reduction notice.
Sustained Improvement Required
The VA must show that the condition has genuinely and sustainably improved — not just that a single examination showed a better result. A temporary remission, a good day during the exam, or an examiner's opinion that contradicts years of treating physician records is not sufficient.
Full Medical History Must Be Reviewed
The rater must review all evidence of record — not just the most recent exam. If treating physician records, prior exams, and lay statements consistently show a chronic condition, a single outlier exam cannot support a reduction.
Effective Date of Reduction
A rating reduction does not take effect the day of the decision. The reduction becomes effective the first day of the month following a 60-day notice period, unless the Veteran waives the waiting period. This gives you time to gather evidence and appeal.
When the VA Cannot Schedule a Reexamination
Under 38 CFR §3.327, the VA may not schedule a routine reexamination in these circumstances:
- ▸The disability is permanent in nature — such as loss of a limb, loss of an organ, or a clearly static condition like a spinal fusion.
- ▸The Veteran is age 55 or older at the time the reexamination would be scheduled.
- ▸The rating is the prescribed minimum for the condition — there is nowhere lower to go on the rating schedule.
- ▸A reexamination would not result in a change of rating (the condition is so well-documented that it cannot be disputed).
Source: 38 C.F.R. §3.105 (revision of decisions), §3.327 (reexaminations), §3.344 (stabilization of disability evaluations), and §3.951 (continuance of ratings). For the full text, see eCFR Title 38, Part 3.