Veterans have a legal right to request that VA correct or amend information in their medical records under the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) and VA's implementing regulations at 38 CFR 1.579. This is different from a VA disability claim; it is a records-accuracy process handled through the facility's Privacy Officer or Release of Information (ROI) office, not the Veterans Service Center.
When you submit an amendment request, the treating provider is asked to review the note and either agree to change it, add an addendum, or decline. If the provider does not respond, the facility cannot indefinitely sit on the request. Federal regulation requires VA to act on amendment requests within a defined timeframe, and if the provider is non-responsive, the Privacy Officer is supposed to escalate it, not simply tell you to start over with the patient advocate. Contacting the patient advocate is a reasonable next step, but you can also put your amendment request in writing (if you have not already) and ask the Privacy Officer, in writing, for a formal decision — either the amendment is granted, or you receive a written statement of disagreement that you can attach to your record and to any future rating decision.
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 →If the provider ultimately declines to change the note, you have the right under 38 CFR 1.579(d) to submit a concise written statement explaining why you disagree, and VA must include that statement in your file and share it any time the disputed record is used, including for rating purposes. This protects you even without the provider's cooperation.
Separately, one note in one visit rarely controls a rating decision on its own. Reductions and rating decisions are based on the totality of the medical evidence, including your ongoing treatment records for chronic sinusitis and your PCP's diagnosis and prescriptions. A single ENT note stating no history of sinusitis is unlikely to override a documented longitudinal treatment history unless it is the only evidence in the file.
You do not need to wait three months to resolve this before filing your rhinitis increase. The amendment process and the disability claim can proceed on separate tracks; you can file the increase now and let the amendment or statement of disagreement process run in parallel, since VA is required to consider all evidence of record regardless of when it is added.
As a concrete next step, put your amendment request and any follow-up in writing to the Privacy Officer, ask explicitly for either an amendment or a formal denial with your right to file a statement of disagreement, and proceed with filing your increase claim now rather than waiting for that process to finish.
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