The "20-year rule" veterans refer to comes from 38 CFR 3.951(b), which provides that a disability rating that has been continuously in effect for 20 or more years cannot be reduced except upon a showing that the original rating was based on fraud. This is a strong protection, and it does apply to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) once that rating has been continuously in effect for 20 years or longer.
A few important clarifications matter here. First, the 20-year clock generally runs from the effective date of the rating that has been continuously in effect, not necessarily from the original date of the underlying service-connected disability. If your combined disability picture or your TDIU status changed at some point (for example, TDIU was granted later than your original service connection, or your combined rating went up and down over the years), the VA looks at whether the specific rating level being challenged has been continuous for 20 years, not just whether you've had some rating for that long.
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 →Second, this protection applies to reductions initiated by the VA through a routine or scheduled reexamination process. It does not prevent the VA from ever reviewing your file, and it does not stop you from voluntarily requesting an increase or filing a new claim. It also does not protect against situations where fraud in obtaining the original rating is demonstrated, though this is rare and requires a high evidentiary bar on VA's part.
Third, this protection is specific to reduction protection and is separate from the total disability permanent and total (P&T) designation, though many veterans with 20-year continuous 100% or TDIU ratings also carry a P&T designation, which affords additional protections such as exemption from future exams in most cases.
In practice, once you hit the 20-year mark on a continuous rating, the VA is not supposed to schedule you for reduction-focused reexaminations, and any reduction proposal would face a much higher bar than the standard "material improvement" reduction rules under 38 CFR 3.343 and 3.344.
If you are approaching or have passed the 20-year mark on a continuous TDIU or 100% rating, the concrete next step is to check your VA decision letters to confirm the exact effective date the rating became continuous, and keep those letters on file in case you ever need to cite 38 CFR 3.951(b) in response to any future reduction proposal.
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