When the VA proposes to reduce a disability rating, it must follow the due process procedure in 38 CFR 3.105(e). This requires a proposal letter explaining the planned reduction and giving the veteran at least 60 days to submit additional evidence or request a hearing before the reduction becomes final. During that 60-day window, the VA continues paying compensation at the current (higher) rate. This is not an advance or a loan that gets clawed back later — it is simply how long the veteran remains entitled to the old rating while the due process period runs. If no additional evidence is submitted and no hearing is requested, the reduction becomes effective on the last day of the month in which that 60-day period expires. In other words, the payment covering the month in which the 60 days ends is typically the last payment at the higher rate, and the reduced rate (in this case, 0 percent) begins the following month. There is generally no overpayment or repayment obligation tied to those 60 days of continued payments, because they represent the rating that was legally still in effect during the notice period.
The situation changes if a veteran requests a hearing within 30 days of the proposal notice. In that case, payments at the current rate continue until a decision is issued after the hearing, but if the reduction is ultimately upheld, VA can sometimes make the reduction effective back to the date it originally would have applied, which can create an overpayment for the additional months paid during the hearing process. Since the veteran here is not disputing the reduction, that scenario would not apply, and the standard 3.105(e) timeline should control the effective date.
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 →Because exact effective dates depend on the specific date of the proposal letter and the date it is presumed received, and because administrative processing can shift a payment by a month, the only way to get a firm date is to read the actual reduction decision letter once it is issued, which will state the specific effective date of the 0 percent rating. Until that final decision arrives, the payment schedule reflects the prior 100 percent rate and is not subject to repayment.
The concrete next step is to wait for the final rating decision letter (not just the proposal), since it will state the exact effective date of the reduction and confirm which month's payment is the last one at the higher rate.
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