Update on VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities
Additional Information
The Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing changes to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities specifically pertaining to the respiratory, auditory and mental disorders body systems.
The proposed updates to the rating schedule for these conditions will enable VA to incorporate modern medical data and terminology to provide Veterans with more accurate and consistent decisions.
Veterans who currently receive compensation for a service-connected condition in these body systems will not have their disability rating impacted when the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities is updated. Updating the rating schedule allows Veterans to receive decisions based on the most current medical knowledge relating to their condition.
By incorporating modern medical data in the assessment of disabilities and how they impact earning capacity, Veterans will receive evaluations which more accurately compensate them for their service-connected disabilities. Proposed updates include:
Modernizing the evaluative rating criteria for sleep apnea, using developments in medical knowledge to evaluate it based on its responsiveness to treatment, bringing the rating criteria for sleep apnea more closely in line with the stated purpose of the rating schedule.
Evaluating tinnitus (ringing in the ears) as a symptom of the underlying disease which causes it, rather than as a stand-alone disability.
Evaluating mental health conditions based on a more robust and holistic approach that assesses how impactful the disability is to cognition, interpersonal relationships, task completion, life activities and self-care. Additionally, the proposed evaluation criteria include a 10% minimum evaluation for having one or more service-connected mental health conditions and will no longer require “total occupational and social impairment” to attain a 100% evaluation.
No change to a Veteran’s current rating would occur due to these proposed changes. If the proposed changes are finalized, Veterans who currently receive compensation for a service-connected condition can apply for increased compensation, but no reductions shall be made unless an improvement in the Veteran’s disability is shown to have occurred.
The public has 60 days to provide comments to VA regarding the two proposed updates via the Federal Register notices located here and here.
Thomas J. Murphy Director, Northeast District Performing the Delegable Duties of the Under Secretary for Benefits
New Lactation Pods in VA Clinics
Mamava Lactation Pod in the Eugene VA Clinic
Roseburg VA opens lactation pods in Roseburg and Eugene
"Hello, mamas!" reads the sign on the two new Mamava Lactation Pods that Roseburg VA Health Care System (RVAHCS) proudly launched on February 1, 2022. One is located at the Roseburg VA Medical Center, in Building 1 on the 5th floor, just outside the elevators.
The other is located at the Eugene VA Health Care Center on the 2nd floor, next to the elevator banks.
Mamava Pods are available for mothers, Veterans, and VA employees who need a private, safe, and clean area to breastfeed, bottle-feed, or pump.
They can also be utilized as a quiet space for parents who need a parenting moment with their child. The pods are ADA accessible, have easy to wipe seats, counter space, electrical plugs, USB ports, and a mirror.
The Mamava app is available from the AppStore and Google Play. Registration is required to use the app; however, it only requires an email address, password, and first and last name. With the app, you can unlock the pod, reserve times, receive vacancy alerts, see if the pod is open, adjust the light and fan, and search for other Mamava Pods while traveling. Pods can also be accessed with a code using the keypad.
Mamava Lactation Pods offer parents on-the-go a friendlier, cleaner, and more comfortable alternative, and RVAHCS is delighted to be able to provide them. Inside lactation pod
The point of contact for this release is Traci Palmer, Acting Public Affairs Officer, Roseburg VA Health Care System; traci.palmer@va.gov; 541-440-1000, Ext. 43026.
