One worry veterans carry is whether the VA can take a rating away. It can, in some cases, but there are important protections that kick in over time. The 5, 10, and 20-year rules limit what the VA can do. This guide explains each.
The 5-year rule: stabilized ratings
When a rating has been at the same level for five years or more, the VA treats it as a "stabilized" rating. To reduce it, the VA generally must show sustained improvement in your condition that holds up under the ordinary conditions of life, not just a single good exam day.
In practice, this makes it harder for the VA to reduce a long-standing rating based on one exam.
The 10-year rule: protected service connection
Once your service connection for a condition has been in place for ten years, the VA generally cannot sever (take away) that service connection. The main exception is fraud, or if it turns out your service did not actually cause the condition.
Important nuance: the 10-year rule protects the service connection itself. The VA could still adjust the rating percentage in some cases. It cannot take away the fact that the condition is service-connected.
The 20-year rule: protected rating level
When a rating has been in effect for twenty years or more (at or above a given level), the VA generally cannot reduce it below the lowest level it held during that period, except in cases of fraud.
This is the strongest of the three protections for the rating amount itself.
How these fit together
These rules stack over time. Early on, your rating has the least protection. At five years it is harder to reduce, at ten your connection is protected, and at twenty your rating level is largely locked in. Permanent and Total status (covered in a separate guide) adds protection from routine re-examinations.
What this means for you
If you receive a notice of a proposed reduction, these rules may protect you, and you generally have the right to respond and request a hearing before any reduction takes effect. Do not ignore a proposed-reduction notice.
A real-world example
A veteran received a notice proposing to reduce a rating he had held for over 20 years. Because the rating had been in effect that long, it was largely protected from reduction, and he was able to respond within the notice period.