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Title 38 — Veterans' BenefitsRelease 119-73

§1155 Authority for schedule for rating disabilities

Title 38 › Part PART II— - GENERAL BENEFITS › Chapter CHAPTER 11— - COMPENSATION FOR SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY OR DEATH › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VI— - GENERAL COMPENSATION PROVISIONS › § 1155

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must set a ten-level rating chart (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%) that shows how injuries reduce a person’s ability to earn a living and reflects average loss in ordinary civilian work. The Secretary may update the chart, but updates cannot lower a veteran’s rating already in effect on the update’s effective date unless the veteran’s condition has actually improved.

Full Legal Text

Title 38, §1155

Veterans' Benefits — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary shall adopt and apply a schedule of ratings of reductions in earning capacity from specific injuries or combination of injuries. The ratings shall be based, as far as practicable, upon the average impairments of earning capacity resulting from such injuries in civil occupations. The schedule shall be constructed so as to provide ten grades of disability and no more, upon which payments of compensation shall be based, namely, 10 percent, 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent, 60 percent, 70 percent, 80 percent, 90 percent, and total, 100 percent. The Secretary shall from time to time readjust this schedule of ratings in accordance with experience. However, in no event shall such a readjustment in the rating schedule cause a veteran’s disability rating in effect on the effective date of the readjustment to be reduced unless an improvement in the veteran’s disability is shown to have occurred.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1991—Pub. L. 102–86 amended this section as in effect before the redesignations made by Pub. L. 102–83, § 5, by inserting at end “However, in no event shall such a readjustment in the rating schedule cause a veteran’s disability rating in effect on the

Effective Date

of the readjustment to be reduced unless an improvement in the veteran’s disability is shown to have occurred.” Pub. L. 102–83, § 5(a), renumbered section 355 of this title as this section. Pub. L. 102–83, § 4(b)(1), (2)(E), substituted “Secretary” for “Administrator” in two places. 1984—Pub. L. 98–223 substituted “percent” for “per centum” wherever appearing.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1991 Amendment Pub. L. 102–86, title I, § 103(b), Aug. 14, 1991, 105 Stat. 415, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply with regard to changes in rating schedules that take effect after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 14, 1991].”

Effective Date

of 1984 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 98–223 effective Apr. 1, 1984, see section 107 of Pub. L. 98–223, set out as a note under section 1114 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

38 U.S.C. § 1155

Title 38 — Veterans' Benefits

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73