Dear Green Beret Foundation Community,
You’ve been asking, and you deserve a straight answer. Here is where the Green Beret Foundation stands.
On February 17, 2026, the VA published an Interim Final Rule, titled ‘Evaluative Rating: Impact of Medication’, that would base your disability rating on how you function while medicated, not on the severity of your underlying service-connected condition. In other words: if your medication or treatment makes you appear more functional, your rating could be reduced. The VA bypassed the standard public comment process and made it effective immediately.
Secretary Collins has since announced that enforcement will be “halted” while public comments are collected. We appreciate that Secretary Collins took this step. We also want to be direct with you: halting enforcement is not the same as rescinding the rule. A rule that stays in the Code of Federal Regulations can be enforced again. That is not good enough for our community.
GBF’s position: this rule must be formally removed—not paused.
We have already reached out directly to VA leadership and have made contact, and I am working to secure a meeting with Secretary Collins, as well as other members of his cabinet. Our community has a strong relationship with the VA, and the Secretary, and we intend to use it. When we go into that meeting, we want to bring your voices with us.
What This Means for You
If you have a Permanent and Total (P&T) rating, your immediate risk is lower. You are not subject to routine re-examination. But be aware: filing any new claim or requesting an increase could expose your full rating to review under this standard.
If you are currently rated for PTSD, cardiovascular conditions, musculoskeletal injuries, or any condition managed by medication, your rating could be affected at your next examination.
The VA’s existing AI-powered claims infrastructure is already capable of identifying veterans whose medicated functional levels differ from their current ratings. This is not a theoretical concern.
What You Can Do Right Now:
1) Submit a public comment
Go to regulations.gov and search for RIN 2900-AS49. The public comment period is open until April 20, 2026.
Your direct, factual account of how your condition affects your life carries weight.
2) Send your comments directly to GBF
If you would rather write your comments directly to us, you can email your comments to advocacy@greenberetfoundation.
I will personally carry written comments into my meeting with VA leadership.
Keep your comments focused on facts: how your service-connected condition affects your daily life, your family, and your ability to function, regardless of what medication does or does not manage.
Disability ratings must reflect the true cost of your service, not how you look on your best day with a prescription in your hand. That has always been GBF’s position. It remains our position today.
We will continue to keep you informed as this moves forward. In the meantime, make your voice heard.
Stronger Together,
Charlie Iacono, MBA
President and CEO
