How to file for an increased rating
Existing service-connected condition has worsened? Ask VA to bump the rating up.
When to file
- Symptoms have noticeably worsened since your last rating decision.
- You've started new treatments (CPAP for sleep apnea, prescription medications, etc.).
- Frequency, severity, or functional impact has increased.
- You have a new DBQ from your provider documenting current severity.
- You discover the original rating missed evidence (consider a Higher-Level Review instead in some cases).
Effective date — the 1-year rule
Step by step
- Get current medical documentation. See your VA or civilian provider. Be specific about how the condition has worsened — frequency, severity, functional impact. Have them update your medical record.
- Get a current DBQ if possible. The Disability Benefits Questionnaire is the gold standard — it maps directly to VA rating criteria. Download the DBQ for your condition ↗.
- Start (or continue) a symptom diary. Daily log of severity, frequency, what triggered flares, what activities were limited. Especially important for musculoskeletal and migraine claims under Mitchell v. Shinseki flare-up doctrine.
- Write a 21-4138 Statement using the generator — select "Increase" as the claim type. Focus the timeline section on when symptoms got worse.
- File 21-526EZ online at VA.gov. In Section II, list the condition and select "Increase" as the claim type. In "How does this relate to your service?" write something like:
"Service-connected since 2018 at 30%. Symptoms have substantially worsened over the past 8 months — see attached medical records and DBQ dated [date]."
- Attach the new medical records, DBQ, symptom diary excerpt, and 21-4138.
- Submit. VA will likely order a new C&P exam.
The C&P exam will be the deciding factor
For an increase, the C&P exam is everything. The examiner's findings on current severity directly drive the new rating. Prep harder for this exam than for an initial claim — read the C&P chapter, bring your symptom diary, document flare-ups verbally, and don't tough out painful range-of-motion tests.