Suffering from a disability as a result of your military service can be life-changing and, at times, overwhelming. Of course, nothing can allow you to undo the cause of your disability. But if you’ve sustained a service-connected condition, you may have a claim for disability benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The amount of your benefits will depend on many different factors, including your VA disability rating. And sometimes, even if you receive a relatively high rating, you may have a claim for a greater one. A higher disability rating can lead to greater compensation benefits.
If you have questions about the VA disability claims process generally, or if you’ve recently had a claim approved but for a lesser amount than you believe you are owed, we want to help. Contact Gerling Law to speak with one of our VA disability claim attorneys and learn more about how to go from a 90 to 100 VA disability rating today.
Is It Possible to Get Your VA Disability from 90 to 100?
In short, yes. It is certainly possible to increase your VA disability rating from 90% to 100%.
Doing so won’t always be easy. Fortunately, however, you don’t have to navigate the process alone.
If you’ve been wondering how to increase your VA disability from 90 to 100, use our guide below to learn more and see what our team of attorneys can do to help.
Going From 90 to 100 VA Disability: An Overview
Before you attempt to appeal your current disability rating, there are a few things you should know. Keep these important items in mind about what the process entails and whether appealing your rating makes sense for your situation.
What Is a VA Disability Rating?
VA disability benefits provide tax-free monthly monetary compensation to certain qualifying veterans.
Specifically, VA disability compensation is available to veterans who got sick or injured while serving in the military. It is also available to those whose service made an existing condition worse. Importantly, disability benefits are available for both physical and mental health conditions.
Disability ratings are assigned by the VA and given in 10% increments, between 0 and 100. Under this scale, a rating of 0 represents someone who is not disabled and not entitled to VA disability benefits. Conversely, a rating of 100 is assigned to an individual who is 100% disabled and entitled to maximum disability benefits.
The amount of your disability compensation will depend on your particular VA disability rating, which is determined based on the severity of your service-related condition.
In determining a disability rating, the VA will consider the following:
- Doctor’s reports,
- Medical test results,
- The results of your VA claim exam (if applicable), and
- Other information obtained by the VA from other sources.
If you have questions about how to submit your claim or whether you qualify at all, contact our team today.
Benefits of Increasing Your Disability Rating
The most obvious benefit of increasing your disability rating is the increased compensation benefits that will come with it. However, there are additional ways in which a 100 rating, as opposed to a rating of 90, can provide advantages.
For example, other potential benefits you may be eligible for with a 100% rating include:
- Priority Group 1 status for health care,
- Additional VA dental and vision care benefits,
- Emergency care outside of the VA,
- Survivors’ and Dependents’ Education Assistance (DEA) program,
- Service-disabled veterans insurance,
- Specially adapted housing program eligibility benefits, and
- Property tax waivers.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there are a number of other benefits that may be available to you. Thus, even if you have already obtained a 90% disability rating from the VA, increasing the rating to 100 can still be beneficial for a variety of reasons beyond increased pay.
How to Get From 90 to 100 VA Disability Rating
If you disagree with a VA decision on your disability rating, you have a few options available to continue your case.
Your first option is to submit a Supplemental Claim. This is most useful if you have obtained new and relevant evidence that wasn’t available to the VA when it initially reviewed your case. On receiving your Supplemental Claim, a VA reviewer will determine whether the new evidence provided changes your rating.
The second option is referred to as a Higher-Level Review. At this stage, you can request a new review of your case by a senior reviewer who did not review your case initially.
This senior reviewer will then assess your case and determine whether a difference of opinion or error justifies a change in your disability rating. Importantly, however, you cannot submit new evidence with a Higher-Level Review as you could with a Supplemental Claim.
Lastly, you can request a Board Appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. This option seeks to have a Veterans Law Judge review your case and determine your disability rating. Notably, however, you cannot request two consecutive Board Appeals for the same claim.
No matter which decision review option you choose, make sure you speak with an experienced legal professional before moving forward.
Do You Have a 90 Percent VA Disability? Wondering How to Get to 100?
If you currently have a 90% disability rating and want to learn more about how to go from a 90 to 100 VA rating, we want to help.
At Gerling Law, we are devoted to helping disabled Veterans obtain the compensation they need and deserve.
In fact, we’ve helped our injured and disabled clients recover more than $500 million since 1963. When you hire our team of attorneys, you can rest easier knowing that your case will be in knowledgable, experienced, and caring hands.
If you want to learn more about how to go from a 90 to 100 VA disability rating, contact Gerling Law for a free case review today.
Gayle Gerling Pettinga
Born and raised in Evansville, Gayle is a respected, experienced lawyer and a valued community leader. She graduated near the top of her class at Indiana University’s prestigious Maurer School of Law. She’s practiced law with one of the largest firms in Indianapolis as well as one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. And that means she knows how big law firms and big companies think and how they operate – and she will put that knowledge to work for you.
Gayle has received numerous awards and honors including Martindale-Hubbell — Peer Review Rated: AV®, American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys 10 Best Attorneys in Indiana for Exceptional and Outstanding Client Service, and YWCA Evansville 100 Years, 100 Women Honoree, 2011.
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