The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) rescinded a new disability rating rule just after 48 hours. The change in the rule received massive backlash from veterans since it would have changed disability ratings and impacted their compensation.
As a result, a huge chunk of veterans could lose their benefits.
The new rule would have lowered disability ratings by taking into consideration symptom management with medication. After receiving more than 20,000 comments from veterans criticizing the rule, the department decided to rescind the rule. It was restored to the previous standard, where disability compensation was calculated with the prior rating for the veterans.
After major backlash, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs quickly rescinded a controversial new rule it issued this week.
The new rule would have changed how disability ratings were assessed, taking into account medications and other treatments into the final calculations.… pic.twitter.com/Kbq2XCoQYZ
— PBS News (@NewsHour) February 21, 2026
The rule, which was supposed to take effect immediately, would only consider how a veteran’s health and symptoms would be on medication and ignore the overall impairment. The interim rule was titled “Evaluative Rating: Impact of Medication.”
The VA said the rule aimed to prevent overpayment of benefits. However, the new rating would not have taken into consideration the preexisting disability and would have only focused on current health. The department’s statement revealed that disability was being paid to veterans who were not experiencing symptoms.
Thousands of veterans slammed the new rule in less than a week. War veteran William Stark wrote on Regulations.gov, “Veterans should not be penalized for properly managing their service-connected conditions with medication. Medication often controls symptoms but does not cure the underlying disability.”
Collins was facing enormous backlash from veterans groups. There was also a lot of bipartisan confusion on the Hill.
This rule was widely seen as effectively cutting disability for veterans using medication & potentially other treatments – but came with no specifics. https://t.co/1dzANxxkl1
— Steven Beynon (@StevenBeynon) February 19, 2026
Veterans groups pointed out how the new rule would have punished several disabled veterans for complying with their prescribed treatments. VA Secretary Doug Collins released a statement on social media about ending the interim rule, and said public comments would remain open for feedback.
The disability rating will again be calculated using illness and injury without the impact of current medication and treatment. Furthermore, the department defended itself, saying that veterans interpreted the rule as having “adverse consequences.” The VA said it is always working to protect veterans and pay attention to their concerns with new initiatives.
