Ratings are a snapshot. The VA rated your condition as it looked when the evidence was gathered, and conditions do not agree to hold still. When a service-connected condition gets worse, the system has a path for saying so: the claim for increase. This guide explains how that path works, what it turns on, and what it sets in motion. It does not tell you whether to file; the VA re-evaluates the condition when you ask, and thinking that through against your own facts is exactly the conversation to have with a free accredited VSO first.
What a claim for increase is
A claim for increase asks the VA to look at the current severity of a condition it has already service connected. There is no separate form: it rides on VA Form 21-526EZ, the same form as an original claim, with the condition identified as one already service connected. Nothing about the underlying service connection is re-argued; the question is only "how severe is it now?"
The situation it fits
The claim for increase fits one situation: the condition itself has worsened since it was last rated. It is worth separating from the neighbors, because the paperwork differs:
- If you think the rating was wrong when it was made, that is a disagreement with a decision, which runs through the decision review lanes, not a claim for increase.
- If a service-connected condition has caused a new condition, that is a secondary claim.
- If the condition is simply worse than the rating reflects, you are in the right guide.
The evidence that shows worsening
"Worse" has to live in the record, and it is a comparison: the condition now versus the condition when it was last rated. The evidence that makes that comparison visible:
- Recent treatment records. New visits, changed medications, referrals, procedures. A condition being actively treated leaves a trail.
- Current test results, where the condition has measurable markers.
- A dated symptom record. Frequency, severity, and what the condition now prevents: missed work, tasks handed off, activities dropped. The rating schedule cares about functional impact, and a symptom journalis how that impact gets dates on it instead of "it's been bad for a while."
How it gets filed
Online at VA.gov, by mail, in person, or through an accredited representative, the same routes as any claim on Form 21-526EZ. After filing, the claim moves through the same stages as any other, and the VA will usually schedule a C&P examto measure current severity. For an increase claim that exam carries real weight: it is the VA's own current snapshot, taken against the rating schedule's criteria.
What the VA re-evaluates
Asking the VA to look again means the VA looks again. It rates the condition's current severity on the evidence in front of it, and the regulations allow ratings to move in either direction, subject to protections that depend on things like how long the rating has been in place. This is stated here as a fact about the system, not as a reason to file or not to file. What those rules mean against your specific rating, its age, and your evidence is precisely the question an accredited VSO answers for free, before the form goes in. Bring your decision letters and your records; here is what that meeting looks like.
Effective dates for increases
For increases, the effective date is generally the date the VA receives the claim or the date entitlement arose. There is one increase-specific wrinkle worth knowing exists: the VA's rules allow an effective date up to one year before the claim when the records show the worsening became apparent in that window. The details live on the VA's effective date page, and your decision letter states the date the VA used. What a date is worth in dollars is what the back pay calculator is for.
What a higher rating changes
A single-condition increase changes that condition's percentage, and then the combined ratings table decides what your overall rating does, which is not simple addition and sometimes moves less than veterans expect. The system is explained in how VA combined-rating math works; the combined rating calculator and the current pay rate tables turn the result into a monthly number.
The record that makes the case
Every part of an increase claim is a record-keeping problem: the old decision letter that set the baseline, the treatment records that show the change, the dated journal that shows the impact. MusterVault keeps all of it encrypted and organized on your own computer, so the comparison the VA needs to see is one folder, not an archaeology project. The app organizes your records and never gives claims advice; that is your VSO's job, and they are free.