Increased disability rating for time in a hospital
Did you spend time in a VA hospital or a VA-approved hospital for a disability related to your military service (called a service-connected disability)? If you did, you may be able to get added disability compensation or benefits with a temporary 100% disability rating for the time you spent in the hospital. Find out if you can get this benefit.
Am I eligible for disability benefits from VA?
You may be eligible for disability benefits if you meet one of the requirements listed below.
One of these must be true:
- You spent more than 21 days in a VA hospital or other approved hospital for a service-connected disability, or
- You were under hospital observation for more than 21 days at our expense for a service-connected disability
Who’s covered?
Veterans
What kind of disability benefits can I get?
- Health care
- Increased compensation (payments) for the time you spent in the hospital
How do I get these benefits?
You’ll need to file a claim for disability compensation.
Find out how to file a claim for disability compensation
Note: If you weren’t in a VA hospital, when filing your claim you’ll need to give us your hospital discharge summary showing the length and cause of your hospital stay.
Example: A Veteran with a 40% service-connected disability rating for diabetes had to stay in a VA hospital after going into a diabetic coma. He needed to stay in the hospital for 25 days because of the coma and related infections. We raised his rating to 100% during his hospital stay. After he got out of the hospital, his disability rating went back to 40%.