• What Happened: The VA published a new rule saying disability ratings must be based on how a veteran functions while on medication, not on the underlying condition itself.
  • Why It Matters: Veterans and advocates warn this will lower disability ratings and cut compensation, with some predicting veterans will stop taking medication just to keep their benefits.
  • Bottom Line: The VA claims this formalizes existing policy, but veterans are furious and a public comment period runs through April 20.

The Department of Veterans Affairs just dropped a rule that has veterans across the country sounding the alarm, and for good reason.

The new interim final rule, published in the Federal Register and effective immediately, changes how the VA determines disability compensation ratings. Under this rule, a veteran's disability level is now based on how well they function while taking their medication, not on the actual severity of the underlying condition itself.

Read that again. If your medication manages your symptoms well enough, the VA can use that as justification to lower your disability rating and cut your compensation.

Veterans and their advocates wasted no time firing back. Jason Cameron, a Marine Corps veteran and retired veterans benefits service officer, called it flat out: "This is an erosion of benefits."

The Disabled American Veterans organization issued a statement expressing "alarm" and accused the VA of rushing through the rule-making process in a way that "effectively shut out veterans from providing any meaningful input."

Then came the warning that should stop everyone cold. Charles Garbarino, a retired Army colonel and physician who did three tours in Iraq, said veterans will simply stop taking their medication rather than lose compensation. He is especially concerned about veterans with PTSD who could spiral into depression or worse if they abandon treatment to protect their benefits.

"A lot of veterans prescribed medication for their service-related medical problems will cut it off, rather than lose compensation," Garbarino said.

The VA insists this formalizes policy that has been in place since 1958 and says no current ratings will be affected. But veterans have heard that kind of reassurance before.

These men and women served this country. They deserve better than bureaucratic fine print that punishes them for getting treatment.