When the VA proposes to reduce or sever a disability rating, it must follow the due process procedures in 38 CFR 3.105. A proposed reduction letter is not a final decision — it is notice that the VA is considering a change and is giving you a chance to respond before anything actually happens to your monthly payment. You generally have 30 days from the date of the letter to submit evidence and argument explaining why the reduction should not occur, and you have 60 days to request a personal hearing. If you request a hearing within that 30-day window, the VA typically will not reduce your benefits until after the hearing is held and a final decision is issued. Missing these windows allows the reduction to take effect, usually with an effective date the first day of the month after a 60-day grace period from the final decision.
The language "wrongfully given" suggests the VA may be treating this as a severance of service connection rather than a routine reduction. Severance carries a higher evidentiary bar: under 38 CFR 3.105(d), the VA must show the original grant was clearly and unmistakably erroneous (the CUE standard), not just that current symptoms are milder. If your award was based on adequate medical evidence at the time and followed proper rating criteria, an examiner's or rater's later disagreement with the original decision is not automatically enough to meet that standard.
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 this is instead a standard reduction of an already-established rating (not severance), and the rating has been in effect five years or more, the protections in 38 CFR 3.344 apply. These require the VA to show sustained material improvement under the ordinary conditions of life, based on a full and complete examination comparable in thoroughness to the one that granted the rating — not just a single reexamination showing temporary improvement.
In either scenario, the strongest response is to submit medical evidence, personal statements, and any buddy statements showing the condition is still active and rated correctly, and to request a hearing before the proposed effective date. Keep copies of everything and note all deadlines from the letter itself, since they control your rights in this process.
The concrete next step is to submit a written response with supporting medical evidence and formally request a personal hearing before the 30- and 60-day deadlines in the proposed reduction letter expire.
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