Will VA lower my rating because my medication works?

The short answer

VA published an interim final rule on 17 February 2026 (91 FR 7118, document 2026-03068) that added language to 38 CFR 4.10 saying the medical examiner "will not estimate or discount improvements to the disability due to the effects of medication or treatment" and that "If medication or other treatment lowers the level of disability, the rating will be based on that lowered disability level." VA rescinded that rule in a notice published 27 February 2026 (91 FR 9712, document 2026-03940), effective 27 February 2026, and "restoring the prior regulatory text." The notice says the rescission is "effective immediately upon publication." So the medication language is not in effect. The only regulation the notice amends is 38 CFR 4.10; it lists no diagnostic codes.

What happened, in order

• 17 February 2026: VA published an interim final rule, "Evaluative Rating: Impact of Medication," amending 38 CFR 4.10 (effective 17 February 2026; comments due on or before 20 April 2026). VA said the rule was needed "to minimize the negative impact of an erroneous line of cases culminating in the recent decision of Ingram v. Collins, 38 Vet. App. 130 (2025), which could be applied broadly to over 500 separate diagnostic codes, requiring readjudications of over 350,000 currently pending claims."
• 27 February 2026: VA rescinded it. The notice says VA "recognizes that many commenters construed the interim final rule as something that could result in adverse consequences," and that "Some stakeholders have expressed uncertainty about the interim final rule's effect on claims, and leaving the rule in place during a lengthy rulemaking process could undermine confidence in the benefits system."
• The notice says VA issued the rule "in the wake of an ongoing court action" and that "This action does not resolve the legal questions now before the courts; it simply restores prior regulatory text to maintain stability."