If your combined VA rating feels lower than how you actually live day to day, you are not stuck with it. There are three main levers veterans use to raise a rating — and the right one depends on your situation. Knowing which lever fits saves months of effort spent on the wrong path.
Lever 1: Document severity more completely
Ratings are set by how severely a condition affects you — frequency, intensity, and functional impact on work and daily life. Many veterans are rated low simply because the record never captured how bad it really gets. A claim for an increased rating, backed by current exam findings and a clear account of your worst days, targets this directly.
Lever 2: Add secondary conditions
A condition the VA already recognizes can cause or worsen others. Each new service-connected secondary carries its own rating and feeds into your combined total. This is one of the most common ways veterans move up without re-fighting old battles. (Combined ratings use VA math, not simple addition — and cap at 100% schedular.)
Lever 3: TDIU when work is the issue
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) can pay at the 100% rate even when your combined rating is below 100%, if your service-connected conditions prevent you from holding steady, gainful work. It is an option many eligible veterans never hear about.
Choosing the right lever
If your symptoms worsened, lever 1. If new problems developed, lever 2. If work has become impossible, lever 3. For exact current pay figures, always check the rates tables on VA.gov — they change each December.
Build your rating roadmap — free
Use the free AVOY Rating Roadmap to see which lever fits your situation, then take it to AVOY Veteran Navigator AI for an educational, step-by-step plan.
Important disclaimer — educational use only (tap to expand)
Educational information only — not legal, medical, or claim representation, and not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For help filing or appealing, contact a VA-accredited VSO (often free), claims agent, or attorney. For current rates, forms, and deadlines, see VA.gov.
