There are several protections in place for veterans to ensure their disability rating is not lowered and their compensation amount is not altered. The 10-year rule states that a disability rating that has been in place for 10 years cannot be reduced unless there is medical evidence of condition improvement.
After 20 years, the disability rating cannot be reduced by the Veterans Health Administration even if medical evidence shows the condition has improved. Other protections apply to disability ratings of 100%, which many asbestos-related lung cancer diagnoses are rated, and veterans 55 years of age or older.