Veterans slam new VA rule for determining disability ratings

Stars and Stripes ^ | 17 February 2026 | Linda Hershey

[napscoordinator]

WASHINGTON — Veterans and their advocates slammed a new rule by the Department of Veterans Affairs for determining disability compensation, predicting it will lower their payments for service-related illnesses and injuries. The rule, effective immediately, states that a disability level must be based on how well a veteran functions while on medication and not on the underlying impairment itself. Titled “Evaluative Rating: Impact of Medication,” the interim final rule was published in the Federal Register and affects how the VA rates a veteran’s disability for new claims and when reevaluating disabilities through clinical

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TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: congress; elections; impactofmedication; lindahershey; tds; veterans

[napscoordinator]

Regardless of this being needed or not, I find it rather strange to do this right before midterms. The veteran sites are going nuts over this.

I hope the administration gets a handle on this if they want veterans to vote.

Just saying.

[gnarledmaw]

Unfortunately there are too many of us with a sense of entitlement.

[napscoordinator]

Perhaps and I agree. But there is a time issue that needs to be remembered. Why not release February 2027? A full year plus before 2028?

[pfflier]

While I agree with you, the size of the veteran voting bloc is smaller that the alphabet crowd.

It will become a question of how much the media puts a negative spin on this. You always hear about homeless veteran stories but never murderous trannie stories.

[napscoordinator]

That’s true. I hadn’t notice. It was only 6 percent of the voting population. Luckily republicans can win without them. Thank goodness.

[rktman]

Let me go nutz for a second. Hearing....what? No meds for the tinnitus that I know of. Hearing aids? No cure for the high freq pitch constantly. 10% hearing. Asbestosis. Diagnosed, but I can still breath so........per the va, I’m only 10% messed up so........ I know guys who somehow got 100% PTSD ratings even though they arent. And so it goes.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

As a Vet, I’m not disabled in any way, thank goodness. I do know a gal who had her breasts removed due to having that breast cancer gene and she’s on a 75% disability. She marvels at it as well, but she’s not asking them to stop it.

So, yeah. Some weird disability cases out there. I can see them wanting to clean up the fraud, waste and abuse, though.

I might feel differently were I disabled...

[stanne]

“ Perhaps and I agree. But there is a time issue that needs to be remembered. Why not release February 2027? A full year plus before 2028?”

Because the guys making the rules hate Trump?

I mean…hello!!!

[doorgunner69]

Yeah, no medication to cope with hearing damage, so this has no effect on me.

[cqnc]

Decision obviously made by somebody who wants democrats to win... Fired?

[rktman]

What? 👂.

[edweena]

I’m definitely getting that feeling. It seems like President Trump’s inner circle wants him to be seen in a poor light. They may think they’d be better off if President Trump were removed before 2028, so voters would be voting for VP Vance as the incumbent. It’s hard to understand some of the decisions coming out of the White House right now, without making that assumption.

[jacknhoo]

I have a friend of mine from the Navy. We’ve managed to remain friends ever since. We both got out around 1982. Around the year 2000 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and he had surgery, chemo and radiation and was fully cured and is cancer free even today. He retired a few years ago then went back to work a year ago and recently re-retired. His doctor a year ago advised him to apply for VA disability. So he did and got 70% disability because he had prostate cancer in the past. Then he all-of-sudden just got 100% disability from the VA. I asked him how they linked his cancer to the military and he said he has no idea, they just approved his disability. We were on nuclear submarines together…and I received a letter from the Navy warning my that I had exceeded my maximum lifetime acceptance of radiation and that I shouldn’t get X-rays or direct sunlight, etc. I just ignored it and just lived my life as normal. He said he never got that kind of letter. We did have a spill once on my submarine and they wouldn’t let us off the sub when we pulled in to port once. Took about 3 miserable days (we had been on patrol for 3 months and were more than ready to get off) of cleaning, etc, before they wouldn’t let us let us off.

[napscoordinator]

I’m not saying that changes are not needed. But to make people petrified that they could lose their earned benefits doesn’t seem right especially now.its not any service members fault that they over did it with the percentages. Heck your friend may have other things that the VA knew. Who knows. My main objection is timing.

[napscoordinator]

The decision was made by Doug Collins. Not sure he wants to see the democrats in charge next year as he will have to be in front of them answering for this and anything else they decide.

[Hot Tabasco]

Unfortunately there are too many of us with a sense of entitlement.

Yep, I know several vets receiving VA disability benefits of one degree or another that have no business receiving them. They're scamming the VA

[napscoordinator]

It’s Doug Collins. I always thought they got along.

[Bob Wills is still the king]

“ Perhaps and I agree. But there is a time issue that needs to be remembered. Why not release February 2027? A full year plus before 2028?”

Because the guys making the rules hate Trump?

I mean…hello!!!
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The guys making the rules were appointed by Trump.

[lastchance]

One big problem with this it amounts to forcing veterans to take medications which while improving function could cause multiple side effects which are detrimental to long term health. It is along the same lines as mandating the COVID 19 vaccine for service members. If VA is doing this to save money they are being penny wise and pound foolish. Many of the new classes medications are extremely expensive.

[Justa]

I believe a person’s MOS determines if an automatic, assumed VA disability rating applies. Sounds like nuke sub MOSs are assumed for cancer by the VA.

I was Field Artillery and was automatically rated for Tinnitus but not hearing loss. YeahIdonno ??. I have both but the tinnitus is the more irritating. Then throw in the migraines and it gets downright creepy sometimes. Audible and visual hallucinations, dizziness, etc. When I have company over the guns go in the gun safe.