Who rates my condition!?

Who rates my condition?

The question as to who has the authority to rate disabilities for compensation is frequent, and the answer, surprisingly is – it depends.  Fortunately, no matter which authority is rating your condition, they are required to adhere to the laws of the VASRD (for more information on the VASRD please see our discussion). 

Now, you are probably wondering, what does it depend on?  To answer that, consider that prior to 2009, the DoD had its own rating authority.  With the inception of IDES, the disability rating process was merged.  Currently, the VA makes all rating decisions and the DoD uses those ratings as their own.  However, if you are placed on TDRL, the DoD will regularly review the conditions that placed you on TDRL and adjust your ratings to reflect changes in the condition.  As a reminder, placement in TDRL occurs when a service member has a condition that makes them unfit for duty but that conditions is expected to improve or worsen significantly within the next 5 years.  Certain conditions require placement on TDRL.

We will discuss next: What if my rating is wrong!?