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Plain-English explanations of VA rules, evidence, conditions, and review options. Educational only; no guaranteed outcomes.
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Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 8 min read
Scars are rated under live 38 CFR 4.118, DCs 7800, 7801, 7802, 7804, and 7805. Area, depth, pain, instability, and disfigurement each have their own row. 7803 is not in the live schedule.
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Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 8 min read
Flatfoot is live DC 5276. Plantar fasciitis is live DC 5269 after the foot rewrite. They are different codes with different evidence. 5284 is "foot injuries, other," not the plantar code.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 8 min read
Live DC 5201 is a flexion-and-abduction table with major/minor columns. 25° is 40/30, 45° is 30/20, shoulder level (90°) is 20/20. Painful motion and other 5200-series codes still matter.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 9 min read
Live DC 8045 still uses three dysfunction areas and a ten-facet table. The highest facet sets 0, 10, 40, 70, or 100. Distinct diagnoses can be rated separately if the signs do not overlap.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 7 min read
The 2024 GI overhaul rewrote IBS criteria but kept DC 7319. Live percentages are 10, 20, and 30. There is no 60 percent IBS row on the current code.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 8 min read
Live DC 7913 is a treatment-and-regulation table. Diet-only is 10. Oral or insulin plus diet is 20. The 40 and above add regulation of activities and, higher up, episodes.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 8 min read
The May 19, 2024 digestive rewrite moved GERD to DC 7206. Live criteria are stricture, dysphagia, dilatation, and documented studies. The old 7346 table is not current law.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 8 min read
High blood pressure is rated under live DC 7101. Service connection is a separate question: one-year chronic, Agent Orange on VA.gov, or ordinary direct proof.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 8 min read
38 CFR 3.317 is not a burn-pit list. It is undiagnosed illness, MUCMI, Southwest Asia theater, and a deadline the live regulation still prints as December 31, 2026.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 8 min read
"Vietnam-era" is not a map grid. Korea DMZ and Thailand herbicide claims turn on location, dates, and which source you are reading.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 9 min read
Procopio read "Republic of Vietnam" to include the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea. Congress then wrote a coordinate-based offshore line into Public Law 116-23. A Vietnam Service Medal is not the proof.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 9 min read
Nehmer is a class-action effective-date rule for certain Agent Orange awards. It can reach a previously denied claim, not just the date a new presumption was published. It is not the ordinary back-pay clock.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 9 min read
A competency decision is about whether a beneficiary can manage VA funds. It is not a new diagnostic code, and it is not a court ruling that the person cannot vote or handle non-VA money.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 10 min read
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation is a survivor claim. A service-connected death is one path. A total disability rating for a required period is another. Confirm the live VA.gov rules. They have been debated, and the page date matters.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 9 min read
Priority groups decide enrollment order and many copays. They are not a second disability rating, and a compensation award does not automatically enroll you in VA health care.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 8 min read
Beneficiary travel is a reimbursement program, not a travel voucher in your rating decision. Eligibility, the 41.5-cent mileage rate, the monthly deductible, and the 30-day filing window all come from the live VA.gov pages.
Read article →Data validated on August 16, 2026 · 9 min read
The clothing allowance pays for outer garments wrecked by a qualifying prosthetic, brace, or skin medicine. The auto grant and adaptive-equipment program are a different Chapter 39 benefit. Neither is a home grant.
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