2016-08937: Extra-Schedular Evaluations for Individual Disabilities

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Summary

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to amend its adjudication regulation pertaining to extra-schedular consideration of a service-connected disability in exceptional compensation cases. In a recent decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit) held that VA's regulation, as written, requires VA to consider the combined effect of two or more service- connected disabilities when determining whether to refer a disability evaluation for extra-schedular consideration. VA, however, has long interpreted its regulation to provide an extra-schedular evaluation for a single disability, not the combined effect of two or more disabilities. This proposed amendment will clarify VA's regulation pertaining to exceptional compensation claims such that an extra- schedular evaluation is available only for an individual service- connected disability but not for the combined effect of more than one service-connected disability.

The agency’s own summary, as published.

What this changes

Amends 1 part of the Code of Federal Regulations — the standing rules this notice rewrites.

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