Claim Raven explanation
What this means
Rating officers must handle claims fairly and courteously. Personal feelings about a claimant, including a difficult interaction, must not influence how the claim is decided.
This standard concerns the handling of the claim. It does not establish service connection or a percentage by itself, so the evidence supporting the claimed benefit remains important even when there is a concern about treatment.
How this helps your claim
It helps distinguish a service concern from a disagreement about evidence or entitlement. Keep a factual record of the interaction and identify any separate effect on the processing or reasoning of the claim.
What to check in your records
Use your decision, examination reports, and relevant records to check the following points.
- Keep relevant correspondence and the dates of the interactions at issue.
- Identify any factual statements suggesting personal feelings affected the handling of the claim.
- Review the decision's evidence and reasoning separately from the conduct concern.
Separate a conduct concern from the benefit evidence
A difficult interaction should not determine whether the claim meets the law's requirements. If you are concerned about unfair treatment, identify the specific conduct or statement and keep it distinct from the medical and service evidence supporting the benefit.
The decision should still be understood through its findings and reasons. Disrespectful treatment and a factual error can both matter, but they are different concerns. Describing each precisely is more useful than assuming that an unpleasant interaction proves every unfavorable finding was wrong.
Does a rude interaction automatically entitle me to a higher rating?
No. This section sets a standard for fair and courteous handling; it does not assign benefits as a remedy for discourtesy. The disability evaluation remains governed by the relevant evidence and criteria. Keep any handling concern separate from the substantive basis for the claimed evaluation.
Official regulatory text
38 CFR § 4.23
eCFR snapshot: September 3, 2026. Layout and spacing are adapted for reading. The full section and its tables are included below.
§ 4.23 Attitude of rating officers.
It is to be remembered that the majority of applicants are disabled persons who are seeking benefits of law to which they believe themselves entitled. In the exercise of his or her functions, rating officers must not allow their personal feelings to intrude; an antagonistic, critical, or even abusive attitude on the part of a claimant should not in any instance influence the officers in the handling of the case. Fairness and courtesy must at all times be shown to applicants by all employees whose duties bring them in contact, directly or indirectly, with the Department's claimants.
[41 FR 11292, Mar. 18, 1976]
Related references
- 38 CFR § 4.1: What a VA disability rating measures
- 38 CFR § 3.159: VA duty to assist: records and examinations
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