Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal has voiced concern over a new interim final rule from the Trump Administration at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that changes how disability ratings for veterans are evaluated. The change is expected to lower disability ratings and compensation awards by not considering veterans' baseline medical conditions.
“Each day, thousands of veterans take medications to cope and better control their service-connected conditions, or to reduce their symptoms. This new Trump Administration policy - aimed at tanking earned disability compensation for these veterans - appears ripped straight out of Project 2025. The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims recently ruled that a veteran’s disability rating must be based on their worst day. That is how VA should accurately assess the true extent of a veteran’s condition. This new Administration policy will do nothing but reduce the compensation veterans are due, and scare them into avoiding the life-improving medication they need – thereby posing an imminent risk to veterans’ physical and mental health,” said Blumenthal.
Blumenthal's concerns were echoed by Veterans Service Organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
The VA published its interim final rule without a standard public comment period, reversing the previous approach set by the Ingram v. Collins court case in 2025. That decision required VA to disregard improvements from medication when evaluating claim severity unless explicitly stated in regulations. Under the new rule, examiners must rate disabilities as they appear with medication use, often resulting in lower ratings even if evidence suggests higher levels are warranted.
The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee works with agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs to oversee benefits and health care programs supporting veterans nationwide (https://www.veterans.senate.gov/). The committee also helps improve access to VA health care services and supports veterans' transitions back into civilian life (https://www.veterans.senate.gov/). With offices located in the U.S. Capitol complex, it maintains jurisdiction over various programs designed for veterans throughout the United States (https://www.veterans.senate.gov/). Jerry Moran serves as chairman while Richard Blumenthal is ranking member according to official records (https://www.veterans.senate.gov/).
Through Ingram v. Collins, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims had required VA adjudicators not to factor in medication effects unless specified in rating criteria, especially for maintenance medications used by many disabled veterans.
