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The VA has revised the M21-1 manual section governing how raters handle claims for disabilities linked to mustard gas and Lewisite exposure. If you or a family member served in an era with documented chemical warfare agent testing or exposure, this update affects how your claim is processed.
The VA has relocated its COVID-19 presumptive service connection guidance into a dedicated M21-1 chapter at Part VIII, Subpart iii, Chapter 11. If you served during the pandemic and developed lasting health issues tied to COVID-19, this organizational change affects how raters evaluate your claim.
The VA revised M21-1, Part II, Subpart iii, Chapter 1, Section A to clarify guidance on unclaimed theories of service connection. If you filed a claim without specifying every legal path to service connection, this change directly affects how your claim should be developed.
The VA revised M21-1, Part X, Subpart ii, Chapter 5, Section B, updating how adjudicators sever service connection. If you hold a rating that could be reexamined, the new guidance shapes the burden of proof and procedures the VA must follow before taking your benefits away.
The VA revised M21-1, Part IV, Subpart i, Chapter 1, Section B, clarifying when adjudicators must order a C&P exam or medical opinion in claims alleging aggravation of a non-service-connected condition by a service-connected disability. Here is how the change affects your secondary claim strategy.
The VA revised M21-1, Part VIII, Subpart iv, Chapter 4, Section A to incorporate the CAVC decision in Laska v. McDonough and clarify how adjudicators establish entitlement to Special Monthly Compensation under subsection (t). If you have a severe traumatic brain injury claim or any SMC issue under review, this matters.
How VA applies 38 CFR 4.59 to painful motion, minimum compensable ratings, flare-ups, functional loss, and the evidence a joint exam should capture.
The VA updated M21-1, Part V, Subpart ii, Chapter 2, Section D to incorporate Spicer v. McDonough and clarify how raters evaluate aggravation of a non-service-connected condition by a service-connected one. If you have a secondary claim or an Allen aggravation theory pending, this revision changes how your evidence will be read.
The VA revised M21-1, Part V, Subpart ii, Chapter 2, Section D to align secondary service connection and aggravation rules with the holding in Spicer v. McDonough. If you have a non-service-connected condition worsened by a service-connected one, this update affects how your claim gets decided.
The VA amended 38 CFR 14.636, the rule governing payment of fees to accredited agents and attorneys representing veterans before Agencies of Original Jurisdiction and the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The substantive change took effect April 1, 2025. Here's what it means for your claim.
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