Re: "... September of 2017. IDES found me unfit, and the VA rated my referring condition at 100%. When I got my formal letter in the mail after I retired, my other conditions totaled over 60%, so I then was eligible for SMC-S. I have a few questions about all of this. First, I want to say that I more than likely will be put on the PDRL(knock on wood), as my condition is not getting better. I am not 100%
with unemployability currently. Will the VA ever change me to 'unemployable', even though I am not currently?"
1. Generally, the VA will not change a 100% rating to IU. The compensation rate is the same, plus with 100%, one does not need an IU characterization.
Veterans with a P&T Rating (Permanent and Total) will usually not be scheduled for a reexamination. The same goes for injuries that are considered permanent or static. These include injuries that will never change, such as a missing limb.
However, some medical conditions are not considered permanent, and may be subject to reexamination and possible reduction of the VA compensation rate.
2. SMC-S
Total plus 60 percent, or housebound; 38 U.S.C. 1114(s). The special monthly compensation provided by
38 U.S.C. 1114(s) is payable where the
veteran has a single
service-connected disability rated as 100 percent and,
(1) Has additional
service-connected disability or disabilities independently ratable at 60 percent, separate and distinct from the 100 percent
service-connected disability and involving different anatomical segments or bodily systems,
or
(2) Is permanently housebound by reason of
service-connected disability or disabilities. This requirement is met when the
veteran is substantially confined as a direct result of
service-connected disabilities to his or her dwelling and the immediate premises or, if institutionalized, to the ward or clinical areas, and it is reasonably certain that the disability or disabilities and resultant confinement will continue throughout his or her lifetime.
Ron