Is submitting VA form Health Benefits Update 10-10EZR “poking the bear?”

No, submitting VA Form 10-10EZR to update your contact information, register for exposure screenings, and add deployment documentation is **not** considered "poking the bear" and will not trigger a reevaluation of your 100% Permanent and Total (P&T) rating. This is a routine administrative update to your health benefits enrollment file, separate from your compensation file. The "poking the bear" adage applies to proactively filing new claims or increases that invite scrutiny of your entire file per 38 CFR 3.104(c); it does not apply to administrative updates or the pursuit of presumptive conditions for healthcare purposes. For your mental health rating, your protected status is governed by 38 CFR 3.327(b) and 38 CFR 3.951(b), which prohibit routine future examinations for stabilized P&T conditions. Adding documentation of deployment for exposure registries (e.g., for AFFF or radiation under 38 CFR 3.309) is a proactive health step, not a claim. Your actionable next steps are: 1) Submit the 10-10EZR without concern, 2) Separately, consider filing a "Intent to File" (VA Form 21-0966) to preserve an effective date for any future service-connection claim for newly diagnosed presumptive conditions, which would be adjudicated independently without affecting your current P&T rating, as supported by case law like *Buchanan v. Nicholson* which holds that separate issues can be decided without reopening others. **Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes regarding VA policy and procedure and is not intended as legal or medical advice.**