-CITE-

    38 USC Sec. 1155                                            01/03/05

-EXPCITE-

    TITLE 38 - VETERANS' BENEFITS

    PART II - GENERAL BENEFITS

    CHAPTER 11 - COMPENSATION FOR SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY OR DEATH

    SUBCHAPTER VI - GENERAL COMPENSATION PROVISIONS

-HEAD-

    Sec. 1155. Authority for schedule for rating disabilities

-STATUTE-

      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.

-SOURCE-

    (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.)

-MISC1-

                                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.