How to read a VA rating decision letter
A rating decision letter is VA's written decision on a compensation claim. It states what was granted, denied, or deferred, any disability percentage assigned, the effective date, and the reasons behind each call.
It is also the document that starts the clock. If you disagree, you generally have one year from the date of the letter to choose a review option — so the date on the letter matters as much as the decision itself.
What to look for on this letter
- Each issue and its outcome — granted, denied, or deferred — read separately, because a letter can do all three at once.
- The disability percentage and the effective date for anything granted.
- The Reasons for Decision, which tell you what evidence VA weighed and what it found missing.
- The review window — usually one year from the date of the letter — and whether the letter prints an exact date or only the window.
The rules behind it, with sources
These are the sourced rules ServiceRecord uses when it reads this kind of letter. Deadlines are described as the regulations structure them — your own letter's printed dates always control.
Anatomy of a VA rating decision letter
The first page is a cover letter. It states the date of the decision, lists what was decided in plain terms (granted, denied, deferred), and points to the enclosed Rating Decision document and the 'Your Rights to Appeal Our Decision' enclosure (VA Form 4107 family).
VA decision notice requirements, 38 U.S.C. § 5104; 38 CFR § 3.103(f)
The 'Decision' section lists each claimed condition with its outcome: service connection granted (with a percentage and effective date), denied, or deferred (meaning VA needs more evidence or development before deciding that issue).
The 'Evidence' section lists what VA says it considered: service treatment records, VA and private medical records, C&P exam reports, lay statements. If something you sent is not on this list, the letter is telling you VA did not consider it for this decision.
38 U.S.C. § 5104(b)(1) — identification of evidence considered
The 'Reasons for Decision' section explains, condition by condition, why VA decided the way it did — which of the three service-connection elements (current condition, in-service event, medical link) it found satisfied or missing, and which rating criteria it applied.
AMA-era decisions must list 'favorable findings' — facts VA found in your favor. These are binding on future reviews unless there is clear and unmistakable error, so they matter even in a denial letter.
The effective date is the date your payment entitlement begins — typically the date VA received the claim, or the day after discharge if the claim was filed within one year of separation. Back pay is calculated from the effective date, but the amount is not printed in the decision letter.
Decision notices come with an appeal-rights enclosure (VA Form 4107 family) describing the decision review options and the one-year window. The deadline runs from the date on the decision notice itself.
The three AMA decision review lanes
Since February 19, 2019 (the Appeals Modernization Act), a veteran dissatisfied with a VA decision has three review options: Higher-Level Review, Supplemental Claim, and Board Appeal. Each generally must be requested within one year of the date on the decision notice. Lanes can be used in sequence, with limits.
Higher-Level Review (VA Form 20-0996): a more senior reviewer takes a fresh look at the same evidence. You may NOT submit new evidence in this lane. You may request an informal conference to point out errors. Typical fit described by VA: you believe VA made an error with the evidence it already had.
Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995): you add new and relevant evidence VA did not have before, and VA has a duty to assist in gathering it. If filed within one year of the decision, a grant generally preserves the original effective date (continuous pursuit).
Board Appeal (VA Form 10182, Notice of Disagreement): a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans' Appeals reviews the decision. Three dockets: direct review (no new evidence, no hearing), evidence submission, or hearing. Board appeals generally take longer than the other two lanes.
The standard window to request any of the three lanes is one year from the date on the decision notice. The date that matters is the date printed on the letter, not the date you received it. Missing the window generally means a later grant gets a later effective date.
Which lane fits a particular case depends on what evidence exists, what the denial reason was, timing, and strategy. That judgment is exactly what VA-accredited representatives (VSOs, accredited agents, accredited attorneys) are trained and authorized to provide — and VSO help is free.
38 CFR §§ 14.626-14.637 (accreditation); VA Office of General Counsel
How VA ratings work (38 CFR Part 4, explainer level)
VA rates service-connected conditions using the Schedule for Rating Disabilities (38 CFR Part 4). Each condition maps to a diagnostic code with criteria for percentage steps (0, 10, 20 ... 100). The percentage is meant to reflect average earning-capacity impairment, not how much the condition bothers you day to day.
Multiple ratings are NOT added — they are combined using the Combined Ratings Table (38 CFR § 4.25), which works on the 'whole person' principle. 30% + 20% combines to 44%, which rounds to 40%, not 50%. This is the single most common point of confusion in rating letters.
Where there is a question of which of two percentage evaluations applies, VA must assign the higher one if the disability picture more nearly approximates its criteria. Reasonable doubt is resolved in the veteran's favor.
A 0% (noncompensable) rating still means service connection was GRANTED. No monthly payment attaches, but it establishes the connection, can support VA health care eligibility, and can be increased later if the condition worsens.
Service connection requires three elements: (1) a current diagnosed condition, (2) an in-service event, injury, or illness, and (3) a medical nexus linking the two. Denial letters typically state which element VA found missing — that sentence is the most important one in the letter.
38 CFR § 3.303; Shedden v. Principi, 381 F.3d 1163 (Fed. Cir. 2004)
Terms to know
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This guide is general information, not legal advice, and does not replace what your own letter says. ServiceRecord is not a law firm and not accredited representatives. For your specific situation, a VSO or accredited representative can help — for free.