Asthma is rated under 38 CFR 4.97, Diagnostic Code 6602. The higher rating brackets require evidence of intermittent (at least 3 times per year) or, for the next level up, near-daily/monthly systemic (oral or parenteral) corticosteroid courses, in addition to pulmonary function test results. The key word is "systemic" — inhaled steroids like Trelegy do not count toward this criterion, but oral prednisone bursts, steroid injections, and similar treatments do.
For a supplemental claim (VA Form 20-0995), you must submit new and relevant evidence. There is no single "gold standard" format, but the strongest packages combine several types of evidence rather than relying on one document. A pharmacy fill history (such as a Walgreens printout) is genuinely useful because it shows objective dates, drug names, dosages, and quantities dispensed, which helps establish frequency. However, a pharmacy record alone does not explain why the medication was prescribed or tie it to asthma exacerbations, so it's best paired with treatment notes or a statement from the prescribing provider.
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 |
Does your rating decision hold up under a real audit?
Upload your decision letter and C&P exams — VetAid's analyzer reads the full file, checks every examiner statement word-for-word against your records, and shows which arguments for a higher rating actually hold. Free, and we never take a cut of your back pay.
Analyze my claim free →A Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) completed by your private PCP can be very effective because it directly addresses the rating criteria in the format VA raters are used to seeing, and your doctor can specifically state the number of systemic steroid courses per year and reference the underlying chart notes. If your doctor doesn't have chart software to print full records, ask for a signed narrative summary or letter listing dates and courses of treatment, plus whatever notes or prescription printouts the practice can produce; that combination, along with the pharmacy fill history, is usually sufficient. A private medical opinion or DBQ carries more evidentiary weight when it's grounded in identifiable underlying records rather than standing alone.
On the effective date issue: because more than a year has passed since the February 2025 decision, a new supplemental claim generally will not get the original effective date reinstated automatically. Effective dates for supplemental claims are governed by 38 CFR 3.400 and 3.2500, generally based on the date of the new claim or when entitlement arose, unless you can show clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the original decision or that relevant records existed but were not associated with the file through no fault of your own, which can sometimes support an earlier effective date argument.
As a next step, request that your PCP complete the respiratory DBQ addressing systemic steroid frequency and pair it with whatever pharmacy printouts and available chart notes you can gather, then file VA Form 20-0995 with that evidence attached.
Need a deeper analysis?
Our AI checks your situation against outcome data from 1,300,000+ Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) decisions (2009–2025).
Analyze Your Claim Free