United States – October 27, 2026 -- Veterans who have held a VA disability rating for years have federal protection against cuts, and that protection gets stronger the longer the rating has been in place. Three regulations, 38 C.F.R. § 3.344, § 3.957 and § 3.951(b), set the 5-year, 10-year and 20-year rules. Trinidad Aguirre, CEO and co-founder of VetsForever, explains them on the Beyond the Rating series.
After five years, one good exam can't cut your rating
Under § 3.344, a rating in place for five years or more can't be reduced based on a single good exam. The VA needs sustained, documented improvement across more than one exam, judged under the ordinary conditions of daily life.
The VA can still schedule reexaminations on a protected rating, and a re-exam notice is not a reduction notice. Skipping the exam or going in unprepared can turn that appointment into the first data point in a reduction case.
After ten years, the VA can't sever service connection
Under § 3.957, service connection in effect for ten years or more can't be severed, except for fraud or a failure to meet the character-of-discharge requirement. The question of whether your condition relates to your service is closed.
The percentage is not covered. A veteran with ten years of protected service connection can still receive a reduction letter, sometimes for a sharp cut.
After twenty years, your rating has a permanent floor
Under § 3.951(b), a rating held continuously at or above a given level for twenty years or more can't be reduced below that level, short of fraud. Someone who has held 70% for two decades keeps at least 70%. Combined with the 10-year rule, that gives a locked service connection with a rating floor beneath it.
Your effective date starts every clock
Each clock runs from the effective date, which is when the original claim was filed, not when the VA approved it. Some veterans who filed years ago already have one or more protections in force.
The rules apply to each disability's own rating or service connection, not the combined percentage. A 30% rating held for twenty years gets the same floor as a 100% rating held for twenty years. A newly raised rating hasn't earned its own floor, so the VA could still reduce it to the older level held for two decades.
A proposed reduction gives you 60 days to respond
Under § 3.105(e), a proposed reduction gives you 60 days to submit evidence that the rating should stay. You also have 30 days to request a predetermination hearing. If you request it on time, payments continue at the current rate until a final decision. Missing both windows makes the proposed reduction final.
The hearing doesn't guarantee the outcome. The VA can still finalize a reduction if the evidence doesn't support keeping the rating.