If a condition the VA already connected to your service has gotten worse, you may be able to file for a higher rating. This is called an increased claim, and it is the door you use when a service-connected condition has gotten worse since your first decision. This guide explains when an increase makes sense, what evidence reopens the review, how an increase differs from the other claim types, and the rating protections that sit in the background.
When to file for an increase
The trigger is simple: your service-connected condition has worsened. In the VA's words, an increased claim is for "a disability that we've already determined to be service connected" that has gotten worse, and you file it by submitting "up-to-date medical evidence that shows your disability has gotten worse" to request "an increase in your disability rating" or "more financial support."
So the two ingredients are an already service-connected condition and current evidence that it is worse now than when it was last rated. If your symptoms have escalated, if you are on stronger treatment, or if the condition now limits more of your daily life, those are the signals that an increase claim may fit.
What evidence reopens the review
An increase claim rises or falls on current medical evidence. The VA is comparing how the condition presents now against the level it was rated at before, so stale records do little. Gather up-to-date treatment notes, recent exam findings, and documentation of how the condition affects your work and daily functioning. If the VA needs to see the condition firsthand, it may schedule an exam, and you can learn what that looks like in VA C&P Exam Explained.
Because your combined rating is not a simple sum, a higher rating on one condition may move your overall combined rating in a way that is hard to predict by hand. Run the scenario through the combined rating calculator and read how the math works in VA Math Explained.
Increase vs the other claim types
It is easy to reach for the wrong claim type. Here is how an increase sits next to its neighbors, using the VA's own descriptions.
| Claim type | Use it when | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Increased claim | A service-connected condition has gotten worse | Up-to-date medical evidence of worsening |
| New claim | You want added benefits such as special monthly payments or Individual Unemployability | Decided based only on new evidence |
| Secondary claim | A new disability is linked to a service-connected condition you already have | Evidence linking the new condition to the service-connected one |
| Supplemental claim | A previously denied claim now has new and relevant evidence | New and relevant evidence |
If what you actually want is to be paid at the 100 percent level because your conditions keep you from working, that is not an increase, it is a different path. Read TDIU and Unemployability. If your new problem grew out of an existing service-connected condition, see Secondary Conditions Explained. And to pick the right door in general, use VA Claim Types Explained.
The protections in the background
Because an increase asks the VA to re-examine a condition, it is worth knowing the rules that limit when the VA can reduce a rating. Several protections live in the regulations. Under 38 CFR 3.344, ratings that have continued for long periods at the same level, meaning five years or more, get stabilization protection, and ratings for conditions subject to episodic improvement will not be reduced on a single examination unless the evidence clearly shows sustained improvement. Under 38 CFR 3.951, a disability continuously rated at or above a given level for 20 or more years will not be reduced below that level except on a showing that the rating was based on fraud. Under 38 CFR 3.957, service connection in effect for 10 or more years will not be severed except for fraud or a showing that the person did not have the requisite service or character of discharge. And under 38 CFR 3.105, before the VA reduces a rating it must generally issue a proposal and give you 60 days to submit evidence that payments should continue at the present level. Under 38 CFR 3.105(i), you can also request a predetermination hearing, and VA must receive that request within 30 days of the proposal notice; a timely request keeps your benefit payments at the previously established level pending a final determination on the proposed action.
You do not need to memorize these. The point is that the system is not a coin flip, and long-held ratings carry real shields. For the full picture, read VA Rating Reductions and Protected Ratings.
What happens after you file
Once your increase claim is in, it moves through the same review path as any claim. The VA gathers records, may schedule an exam to see the current severity for itself, and works toward a decision. Because an increase turns on how the condition presents now, the VA may schedule an exam, so keep your contact information current and, at any exam, answer the examiner's questions truthfully based on your actual condition. This guide does not recommend wording, select a day to emphasize, or script your exam answers. You can follow the movement of your claim through the VA's status steps, and learn what each one means, in VA Claim Status Timeline. Responding quickly to any VA request keeps the claim from stalling on your end.
What this does not mean
Filing for an increase does not freeze your current rating in place. It asks the VA to look again at the current severity of that condition, which is a fresh evaluation, not a guarantee that the number can only go up. The protections above limit when a reduction is allowed, but they do not turn every increase claim into a one-way street. If you are unsure whether the evidence supports a higher rating, have an accredited representative review your situation before you file.
Hypothetical example. A veteran we will call Priya was rated for a back condition several years ago. It has clearly worsened: she is now in physical therapy, her range of motion is more limited, and standing at work has become difficult. She gathers her recent treatment records and files an increased claim built on that current evidence. Because her file documents genuine worsening, she is filing the right kind of claim for the right reason. The outcome still depends on the VA's review of the full evidence, which no guide can promise.
Where to go next
Confirm you are filing the right type in VA Claim Types Explained, understand rating protections in VA Rating Reductions and Protected Ratings, and follow the mechanics in How to File a VA Disability Claim. Track your filing with the claim tracker, check your numbers on the combined rating calculator, and learn any unfamiliar term in the glossary. We educate and help you organize your evidence. We never prepare or file your claim.