What a 0% rating does not unlock

A 0% rating opens the door to a good deal. It does not open every door, and three of the ones it does not open are the ones veterans most often assume it does.

The home-loan funding fee

The VA funding fee is waived for veterans who receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability, for veterans who would receive it but for retirement or active-duty pay, for certain surviving spouses, and for service members with a Purple Heart on active duty. The waiver is tied to receiving compensation. A 0% rating that pays nothing does not, on its own, waive the fee.

Vocational rehabilitation (VR&E)

VA's eligibility page sets the floor at a service-connected rating of at least 10%. The regulation behind it entitles a veteran rated 20% or more who has an employment handicap, and a veteran rated under 20% who has a serious employment handicap, after an evaluation. A 0% rating does not reach the 10% floor. If a condition worsens and is rated higher later, this can change.

Dental care

VA dental care is organised into classes, and a 0% rating alone is not one of the classes that provides comprehensive dental care. A service-connected dental condition rated 0% can qualify for treatment of that condition. Other routes to dental care exist, including 100% ratings, former prisoner of war status, and dental conditions arising from service; VA's dental page lists them. Enrolled veterans without dental eligibility can buy dental insurance through VA's dental insurance program.

The pattern

Each of these keys off something beyond service connection: a payment, a percentage, or a specific class. When the rating goes up, the answer can change, which is one reason to keep the evidence for a condition current even when it is rated 0%.

Related

• What a 0% rating does unlock: A 0% VA rating still counts.
• Free care for the condition is the health benefit a 0% rating does reach.