The 50% Rating Is Going Away
For years, a 50% disability rating for sleep apnea, tied to CPAP therapy, has shaped how some Veterans budgeted their lives. If you’re an entrepreneur in the veteran community, this shift isn’t just administrative—it could ripple into how you plan payroll, benefits, and long-term stability for your team. As of March 2026, changes proposed by the VA would reframe how sleep apnea is rated. Instead of basing the rating on the treatment prescribed, the new structure would assess how effectively the treatment works. In practical terms, that could lower many CPAP-related ratings from 50% to 10%, and the 30% tier might disappear altogether. This isn’t just a number shift—it changes the financial and operational reality for affected Veterans and their families, including veteran-owned small businesses that rely on stable, tax-free compensation to support growth and retention. What does this mean for veteran entrepreneurs? First, compensation instability can influence hiring decisions. If a ...