Do VA rating protections (5-year, 10-year, 20-year) still apply if I go back on active duty orders?

Returning to active duty does not reset or pause the clock on VA's rating protection rules. Those protections are tied to how long a rating or service connection has been continuously in effect, not to whether you are actively receiving payment. Under 38 CFR 3.957, service connection that has been in effect for 10 or more years cannot be severed except in cases of fraud or a finding that the original grant was clearly erroneous. Under 38 CFR 3.344, a rating that has been continuously in effect for 5 years or more cannot be reduced unless the medical evidence shows sustained material improvement under the ordinary conditions of life, and the VA must consider the entire disability history, not just one exam. Under 38 CFR 3.951(b), a total (100%) rating that has been in effect for 20 years cannot be reduced below that level except for fraud. Going on orders and having compensation suspended under 38 USC 5304 (the bar on concurrent receipt of full active duty pay and VA disability compensation) does not sever service connection or terminate the rating — it only pauses payment through a waiver election. The rating stays on the books, so time continues to accrue toward the 5-, 10-, and 20-year marks. When compensation resumes after separation, VA reactivates the existing award rather than adjudicating it as a brand new claim, though you would still need to notify VA of your release from active duty and may need to submit updated exams if any conditions changed materially during the additional service. As for filing complexity after a long gap, the main practical issues are usually administrative: updating VA of the new period of service, submitting any new claims for conditions that arose or worsened during the additional active duty time, and possibly undergoing new C&P exams if VA has reason to reassess. A gap of a decade or more does not, by itself, jeopardize the previously established ratings or their protections.

The concrete next step is to contact a VSO or VA regional office before going on orders to formally document your rating status and elect how you want compensation handled (waiver vs. active duty pay) so there is a clear administrative record when you separate again.