Veterans Disability Compensation Rates — Go After the Money You Deserve
Veterans Disability Compensation Rates — Go After the Money You DeserveWe’ll make sure you don’t miss out on any VA disability benefits
If you are applying for or receiving veterans disability benefits from the U.S. government, your objective should be to obtain every dollar you are entitled to. It is certainly what we aim for at Disabled Vets.
There is no reason to leave VA disability benefit money on the table. Our VA benefits advocates want you to have ALL of the benefits you have earned. Our advocacy group can provide close and thorough scrutiny of your medical records, as well as your views about your condition, to determine the VA benefits that may be available to you. Then we can develop a strong and persuasive claim for benefits on your behalf, and fight for you to get them
Our advocacy group has worked with many disabled vets to get them the benefits they deserve – FAST. We can do the same for you!
How the VA Calculates Payments to Disabled Military Veterans
If you are like most disabled vets, you know the government promised to take care of you if you were injured or became ill during your military service. And now, as you look for that assistance, you find lengthy and confusing explanations of benefits you may be due, plus demanding instructions for only possibly obtaining them.
Some VA rules for disability compensation are straightforward. The amount of the basic benefit paid depends on how disabled the veteran is. The VA decides the severity of a vet’s disability based on evidence submitted as part of their claim, or that the VA obtains from military records.
The VA rates disability from 0% to 100% in 10% increments (10%, 20%, 30% etc.). However, multiple disabilities are combined and rated in a manner that is not a straightforward process. If a veteran has one disability rated 60% and a second 20% disability, the combined rating is not 80%. Instead, the VA goes by its Combined Ratings Table, a grid that resembles the old multiplication tables from schooldays, but doesn’t always add up like you’d expect.
The VA’s combined rating method works like this: if you’re 60% disabled, the VA treats you as 40% “whole.” A second rating of 20% is applied to that remaining 40%, adding 8 points, bringing the total to 68%, which rounds to 70%. Each additional rating contributes less than the last.
What the VA pays disabled veterans
Disabled veterans benefits are provided as a tax-free monthly payment. Cost-of-living adjustments match Social Security COLAs.
Effective December 1, 2025, the VA applied a 2.8% COLA increase. These are the rates in effect through December 2026.
2026 VA disability pay rates
The table below shows 2026 monthly rates for all dependent statuses, veterans without children on the left, veterans with one child on the right. Added amounts for Aid & Attendance spouses and additional children are in the footer rows. Rates at 10% and 20% do not vary by dependent status.
| Rating | Without dependent children | With dependent children (1 child) | ||||||||||
| Veteran alone | With spouse | With spouse & 1 parent | With spouse & 2 parents | With 1 parent | With 2 parents | With child only | With child & spouse | With child, spouse & 1 parent | With child, spouse & 2 parents | With child & 1 parent | With child & 2 parents | |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 | $4,334.41 | $4,510.65 | $4,114.82 | $4,291.06 | $4,085.43 | $4,318.99 | $4,495.23 | $4,671.47 | $4,261.67 | $4,437.91 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,559.30 | $2,717.30 | $2,875.30 | $2,520.30 | $2,678.30 | $2,494.30 | $2,704.30 | $2,862.30 | $3,020.30 | $2,652.30 | $2,810.30 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 | $2,417.15 | $2,557.15 | $2,242.15 | $2,382.15 | $2,219.15 | $2,406.15 | $2,546.15 | $2,686.15 | $2,359.15 | $2,499.15 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 | $2,084.45 | $2,207.45 | $1,931.45 | $2,054.45 | $1,910.45 | $2,074.45 | $2,197.45 | $2,320.45 | $2,033.45 | $2,156.45 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,566.02 | $1,671.02 | $1,776.02 | $1,540.02 | $1,645.02 | $1,523.02 | $1,663.02 | $1,768.02 | $1,873.02 | $1,628.02 | $1,733.02 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 | $1,329.90 | $1,417.90 | $1,220.90 | $1,308.90 | $1,205.90 | $1,322.90 | $1,410.90 | $1,498.90 | $1,293.90 | $1,381.90 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $882.84 | $952.84 | $1,022.84 | $865.84 | $935.84 | $853.84 | $947.84 | $1,017.84 | $1,087.84 | $923.84 | $993.84 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 | $669.47 | $721.47 | $604.47 | $656.47 | $596.47 | $666.47 | $718.47 | $770.47 | $648.47 | $700.47 |
| 10% = $180.42 | 20% = $356.66 — No additional amounts for dependents at 10% or 20% ratings. | ||||||||||||
| Spouse receiving Aid & Attendance — add: $201.41 (100%) / $181.00 (90%) / $161.00 (80%) / $141.00 (70%) / $121.00 (60%) / $101.00 (50%) / $81.00 (40%) / $61.00 (30%) | ||||||||||||
| Each additional child under 18 — add: $109.11 (100%) / $98.00 (90%) / $87.00 (80%) / $76.00 (70%) / $65.00 (60%) / $54.00 (50%) / $43.00 (40%) / $32.00 (30%) | ||||||||||||
| Each additional child over 18 in a qualifying school program — add: $352.45 (100%) / $317.00 (90%) / $281.00 (80%) / $246.00 (70%) / $211.00 (60%) / $176.00 (50%) / $140.00 (40%) / $105.00 (30%) | ||||||||||||
Do You Know What the VA Pays Disabled Military Veterans?
Disabled veterans benefits are provided as a tax-free monthly check. Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) to the VA compensation rates, when provided, match Social Security COLAs.
Types of compensation available via the VA include:
Disability Compensation is paid to a veteran who has one disability or combined disabilities rated at 10% or more by the VA.
As of December 1, 2025 (2026 rates), monthly compensation for a veteran with no dependents ranges from $180.42 at 10% to $3,938.58 at 100%.
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) provides additional payments if a veteran requires assistance with daily living or has specific severe disabilities.
SMC-K is $139.87 per month and is added on top of a base disability rating. At the highest level, SMC-R.2 pays $11,271.67 per month for a veteran with no dependents.
Title 38 U.S.C. Section 1151 Claims allow compensation for disability or death occurring during VA medical treatment, vocational rehabilitation, or compensated work therapy. Payment is according to the veteran’s disability rating, from 10% to 100%.
A Section 1151 claim is not a malpractice suit — it does not require proving negligence. It requires showing that the disability resulted from VA treatment and that the outcome was not a reasonably expected result of that treatment.
- Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant helps veterans live independently by building or remodeling a home.
The SAH grant cap for 2026 is $117,014.
- Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) Grant assists veterans in adapting or buying a home to accommodate certain service-connected disabilities.
The SHA grant limit for 2026 is $23,444.
Temporary Residence Assistance (TRA) Grant may help veterans temporarily living in a family member’s home adapt it to meet accessibility needs.
Maximum TRA grants for 2026 are $47,130 for SAH-eligible veterans and $8,415 for SHA-eligible veterans.
Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) Grant provides funding for medically necessary home modifications.
Veterans with service-connected disabilities may receive up to $6,800. Veterans with non-service-connected disabilities may receive up to $2,000.
Additional benefits include:
Automobile Allowance – up to $27,074.99 per vehicle (effective October 1, 2025)
Clothing Allowance – $1,053.19 annually (effective December 1, 2025)
Convalescence & Hospitalization ratings for temporary recovery periods.
Individual Unemployability (TDIU) for veterans unable to maintain substantially gainful employment.
Prestabilization for recently separated veterans with unstable conditions.
Total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU)
TDIU pays at the 100% rate, currently $3,938.58 per month for a veteran with no dependents, even if your combined rating is below 100%. To qualify, you generally need a single condition rated at 60% or higher, or a combined rating of 70% or higher with at least one condition rated at 40% or more.
TDIU is one of the most underused benefits in the VA system. If your service-connected conditions prevent you from holding substantially gainful employment, ask your advocate whether a TDIU claim makes sense.
FAQS
We know the VA disability system can be confusing, so here are answers to some of the most common questions about VA disability compensation, rates, and eligibility.
Q1: How often do VA disability compensation rates increase?
VA disability compensation is adjusted each year to reflect cost-of-living changes, generally matching Social Security COLAs. The 2026 rates reflect a 2.8% increase effective December 1, 2025.
Q2: Can a veteran receive both SAH and SHA grants at the same time?
No. Veterans must qualify for either SAH or SHA based on their disability and housing needs.
Q3: How does the VA combine multiple disability ratings?
The VA uses a combined ratings table rather than simple addition. A veteran rated 60% and 20% ends up at 70%, not 80%. Each additional rating is applied to the remaining “whole,” so each one contributes less than the last.
Q: Is VA disability compensation taxable?
No. VA disability compensation is not subject to federal income tax. Most states also exempt it, though rules vary by state.
Q: Can I receive VA disability and Social Security disability at the same time?
Yes. VA disability compensation and SSDI are separate programs. Receiving one does not disqualify you from the other, and there is no offset between them.
Let Us Help You Get Full VA Disability Compensation Benefits
The VA provides a wide variety of benefits and compensation to disabled service veterans. However, due to government bureaucracy, a backlog of cases and other factors, VA workers cannot identify and alert every vet to each benefit they are owed. But our advocacy group helps disabled veterans get the full VA benefit they deserve.
The Disabled Vets advocates have the knowledge, experience and dedication required to determine what each disabled veteran we work with deserves, and then to go after it for them. We have helped thousands of disabled individuals like you. Our objective is to get ALL of the benefits you deserve into your hands as FAST as possible.
When you deserve more, you should have it. And we want you to have it ASAP.
Don’t go it alone. We will fight for you. Call Disabled Vets today!
