Carlton H. Ingram Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act

The Carlton H. Ingram Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act amends federal law to change how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) rates disabilities for veterans. The bill requires the VA's disability rating schedule to discount the beneficial effects of medication or treatment when assessing a veteran's condition, if a baseline without those effects can be established. This means the VA should rate the underlying severity of a service-connected disability, rather than its improved state due to ongoing treatment. However, the bill clarifies that this change does not prevent veterans from seeking compensation for additional disabilities caused by their medication or treatment, or for the aggravation of a pre-existing service-connected condition.