The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union) has voiced strong opposition to a new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) interim rule that changes the way veterans’ disabilities are evaluated when medication is involved.
According to the IAM, the new rule assesses disabilities based only on how veterans function while their symptoms are controlled by medication. The union argues this approach overlooks flare-ups, worsening conditions, and real-world limitations that veterans face both at work and in daily life. “In effect, this tells Veterans that if medication helps you get through the day, your disability doesn’t count as much,” the IAM stated.
The union represents hundreds of thousands of workers in industries such as aerospace, defense, shipbuilding, rail, and federal service. Many members are military veterans who often rely on medication to remain employed in physically demanding and safety-critical jobs. The IAM emphasized that taking medication does not mean a veteran’s service-connected disability has disappeared.
The interim rule also comes after Ingram v. Collins (2025), a federal court decision reaffirming that the VA cannot base disability ratings solely on symptoms suppressed by medication. The IAM contends that instead of following this ruling, the VA issued a regulation intended to sidestep it. “Veterans should not lose hard-won legal protections because an agency finds them inconvenient. Disability compensation exists to reflect lost earning capacity and functional impairment, not how well medication masks pain during a brief exam,” the union said.
Through its Veterans Services Program, the IAM became the first labor union officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as a national Veterans Service Organization (VSO). This designation allows IAM military veterans and their families direct access to benefits and representation.
“Veterans earned these benefits through service and sacrifice. They deserve better,” said the IAM statement.
The union is calling on the VA to withdraw or significantly revise the interim rule.
