Service connection and disability rating are two separate legal findings, and it is possible to win one without the other producing a compensable percentage. Being 'service connected at 0%' means the VA agrees the condition is at least as likely as not related to service, but concluded the current symptoms do not meet the schedular criteria for a compensable rating. For fibromyalgia, 38 CFR 4.71a, Diagnostic Code 5025, allows for 0%, 10%, 20%, or 40% depending on how continuous, refractory, and disabling the symptoms are and how they respond to treatment. A 0% rating usually means the rater found the symptoms intermittent or not severe enough to meet the 20% threshold requiring symptoms that are constant or nearly so.
The nexus language in the decision is a separate issue from the rating percentage, and it can seem contradictory when a claim is filed as presumptive. Not every condition tied to burn pit, radiation, or other toxic exposure (TERA) is automatically presumptive; the PACT Act and other presumptive provisions list specific diagnoses tied to specific exposures and locations. If fibromyalgia was not on the presumptive list for the claimed exposure, or if the exposure itself was not conceded, the rater would still need direct medical nexus evidence linking the condition to service, and denying that nexus while still granting service connection on another theory (such as a in-service event or secondary connection) is legally possible, though it can look inconsistent on paper.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →Options besides a Higher-Level Review include filing a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995) with new and relevant evidence, such as a medical opinion addressing the specific TERA exposure and nexus, or appealing directly to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (VA Form 10182) if no new evidence exists but the veteran believes the rater misapplied the law or facts. A Higher-Level Review (VA Form 20-0996) is appropriate when no new evidence is needed and the veteran believes the existing record was misread, but it cannot introduce new evidence, so if additional medical opinion evidence would help, a Supplemental Claim is often the stronger path.
The concrete next step is to request the C&P exam report and claims file, compare the examiner's findings against the DC 5025 criteria and the specific exposure presumption at issue, and if a stronger nexus or a more complete symptom picture can be documented, file a Supplemental Claim rather than an HLR.
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