
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 38USC1155]

 
                      TITLE 38--VETERANS' BENEFITS
 
                        PART II--GENERAL BENEFITS
 
   CHAPTER 11--COMPENSATION FOR SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY OR DEATH
 
             SUBCHAPTER VI--GENERAL COMPENSATION PROVISIONS
 
Sec. 1155. Authority for schedule for rating disabilities

    The Secretary shall adopt and apply a schedule of ratings of 
reductions in earning capacity from specific injuries or combination of 
injuries. The ratings shall be based, as far as practicable, upon the 
average impairments of earning capacity resulting from such injuries in 
civil occupations. The schedule shall be constructed so as to provide 
ten grades of disability and no more, upon which payments of 
compensation shall be based, namely, 10 percent, 20 percent, 30 percent, 
40 percent, 50 percent, 60 percent, 70 percent, 80 percent, 90 percent, 
and total, 100 percent. The Secretary shall from time to time readjust 
this schedule of ratings in accordance with experience. However, in no 
event shall such a readjustment in the rating schedule cause a veteran's 
disability rating in effect on the effective date of the readjustment to 
be reduced unless an improvement in the veteran's disability is shown to 
have occurred.

(Pub. L. 85-857, Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1125, Sec. 355; Pub. L. 98-223, 
title I, Sec. 101(c), Mar. 2, 1984, 98 Stat. 38; renumbered Sec. 1155 
and amended Pub. L. 102-83, Secs. 4(b)(1), (2)(E), 5(a), Aug. 6, 1991, 
105 Stat. 404-406; Pub. L. 102-86, title I, Sec. 103(a), Aug. 14, 1991, 
105 Stat. 414.)


                               Amendments

    1991--Pub. L. 102-86 amended this section as in effect before the 
redesignations made by Pub. L. 102-83, Sec. 5, by inserting at end 
``However, in no event shall such a readjustment in the rating schedule 
cause a veteran's disability rating in effect on the effective date of 
the readjustment to be reduced unless an improvement in the veteran's 
disability is shown to have occurred.''
    Pub. L. 102-83, Sec. 5(a), renumbered section 355 of this title as 
this section.
    Pub. L. 102-83, Sec. 4(b)(1), (2)(E), substituted ``Secretary'' for 
``Administrator'' in two places.
    1984--Pub. L. 98-223 substituted ``percent'' for ``per centum'' 
wherever appearing.


                    Effective Date of 1991 Amendment

    Section 103(b) of Pub. L. 102-86 provided that: ``The amendment made 
by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply with regard to 
changes in rating schedules that take effect after the date of the 
enactment of this Act [Aug. 14, 1991].''


                    Effective Date of 1984 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 98-223 effective Apr. 1, 1984, see section 107 
of Pub. L. 98-223, set out as a note under section 1114 of this title.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in sections 502, 7252, 7292 of this 
title.
