2026 VA Disability Compensation Rates (Effective Dec 1, 2025)
TL;DR. The 2026 VA disability rates took effect December 1, 2025, reflecting a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment under 38 USC 5312. Veteran-alone rates run from $171.23/mo (10%) to $3,737.85/mo (100%). Dependent additions kick in at 30% and scale with rating. A 100% veteran with spouse and two children under 18 receives roughly $4,324/mo before SMC overlays. Use the calculator for your exact figure.
How VA disability rates are set
Under 38 USC 5312, VA disability compensation receives an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) equal to the COLA applied to Social Security retirement and survivor benefits. The Social Security Administration calculates the COLA from the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the third quarter of the year, comparing it against the prior year's Q3 average. The number is announced by the SSA each October and takes effect the following December 1.
For 2026, the COLA was 2.5 percent. That percentage was applied to every monthly compensation figure published in the 2025 rate table, producing the figures below. The new rates appear on the veteran's first benefit deposit of January (VA pays one month in arrears).
The rates apply uniformly to all veterans rated at the same combined percentage in the same dependent configuration. There is no state-by-state adjustment to VA disability compensation, no urban/rural differential, and no income-based variation. The Schedule for Rating Disabilities (38 CFR Part 4) determines the percentage; the rate table here determines what that percentage pays per month.
Veteran-alone rates (no dependents)
These are the base monthly amounts paid to a veteran with no spouse, no children, and no dependent parents. They are also the rates that apply at any combined rating between 10% and 20%, regardless of family status, because dependent additions only begin at 30% (38 CFR 3.4(b)(1)).
| Combined rating | Monthly compensation | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $171.23 | $2,054.76 |
| 20% | $338.49 | $4,061.88 |
| 30% | $524.31 | $6,291.72 |
| 40% | $755.28 | $9,063.36 |
| 50% | $1,075.16 | $12,901.92 |
| 60% | $1,361.88 | $16,342.56 |
| 70% | $1,716.28 | $20,595.36 |
| 80% | $1,995.01 | $23,940.12 |
| 90% | $2,241.91 | $26,902.92 |
| 100% | $3,737.85 | $44,854.20 |
Note the discontinuity between 90% and 100%. The 90% rate is approximately $2,242/mo; the 100% rate is approximately $3,738/mo. The 100% bracket carries a roughly $1,500/mo premium over the 90% bracket — far more than the proportional step between any other adjacent brackets. This reflects the regulation's distinction between schedular disability (partial impairment) and total disability (complete loss of substantial gainful employment).
Dependent additions (rated 30% and above)
At combined ratings of 30% and higher, the VA pays additional fixed amounts on top of the veteran-alone rate for each qualifying dependent. The add-ons scale with the rating bracket: a spouse adds roughly $64/mo at 30%, ~$148/mo at 70%, and ~$212/mo at 100%.
| Rating | + Spouse | + Child <18 | + Child 18–23 in school | + Dependent parent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% | $63.64 | $56.04 | $181.18 | $29.31 |
| 40% | $84.85 | $74.72 | $241.57 | $39.08 |
| 50% | $106.06 | $93.41 | $301.97 | $48.85 |
| 60% | $127.27 | $112.09 | $362.36 | $58.61 |
| 70% | $148.49 | $130.77 | $422.76 | $68.38 |
| 80% | $169.70 | $149.45 | $483.15 | $78.15 |
| 90% | $190.91 | $168.13 | $543.55 | $87.92 |
| 100% | $212.13 | $186.81 | $603.94 | $97.69 |
The school-age child rate is roughly three times the under-18 rate because the under-18 amount also covers food, shelter, and clothing while the over-18 rate is meant to support a college- or trade-school-enrolled adult. The child-in-school benefit ends on the earliest of: (a) the child's 23rd birthday, (b) the end of the academic program, or (c) the child's marriage. Status is verified annually via VA Form 21-674.
Dependent parents are capped at two and require a separately filed dependency claim (VA Form 21P-509). The dependency standard is income-based.
Worked example: 70% veteran with spouse and two children
Veteran combined-rated at 70%, with spouse and two children under 18.
- 70% veteran-alone base: $1,716.28
- + spouse (70% bracket): +$148.49
- + first child (70% bracket): +$130.77
- + second child (70% bracket): +$130.77
Total: $2,126.31/mo ≈ $25,516/yr
If the same veteran qualifies for TDIU (see our TDIU guide), the payment jumps to the 100% bracket: $3,737.85 + $212.13 + 2 × $186.81 = $4,323.60/mo. That's roughly $26,400/year more than the schedular 70% rate.
Run your scenario through the calculator →Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) overlays
SMC is paid in addition to the schedular compensation above when the veteran has certain severe service-connected losses or conditions.
| SMC tier | 2026 monthly add-on | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| SMC-K | $136.06 per loss | Loss of use of hand, foot, eye, creative organ, both breasts. Stacks with everything. |
| SMC-S | $425.21 | Housebound — single 100% rating + separate 60%+ rating OR substantially confined. |
| SMC-L | $4,651.06 | Aid & Attendance, loss of use of both feet, blindness 5/200. |
| SMC-O | $6,531.91 | Specific combinations of anatomical losses with A&A. |
| SMC-R1 | $9,343.51 | Higher A&A — multiple SMC-O qualifiers. |
| SMC-R2 | $10,708.30 | Daily skilled nursing required at home. |
SMC-K is the only tier that stacks freely. Per anatomical loss, it adds $136.06 on top of the schedular rate AND on top of any higher SMC tier. SMC-L through R use special total-rate tables that replace (not add to) certain schedular calculations. Use the SMC tier calculator to identify the most likely tier from your losses.
How to read your VA decision letter
The VA decision letter ("Notification of Decision") lists each service-connected condition with its individual percentage, then states the "combined evaluation" percentage. The dollar figure is on a separate page labeled "Statement of the Case" or in the cover letter under "Award" or "Monthly Compensation."
The letter does not always show the math used to combine ratings (38 CFR 4.25). If you suspect the combined percentage is wrong, run the individual ratings through the combined rating calculator to verify. If the decision letter combined percentage differs, the most common explanations are:
- The VA applied the bilateral factor (38 CFR 4.26) — a 10% bonus for paired-extremity conditions.
- One of your individual ratings is reduced from the published number due to a "pyramiding" exception (38 CFR 4.14).
- You have a temporary 100% rating under 38 CFR 4.29 (hospital stay) or 4.30 (convalescence) mixed with schedular ratings.
Year-over-year comparison
| Year | COLA % | 10% rate | 100% rate (alone) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 8.7% | $165.92 | $3,621.95 |
| 2024 | 3.2% | $171.23 | $3,737.85 |
| 2025 | 2.5% | $171.23 | $3,737.85 |
| 2026 | 2.5% | $171.23 | $3,737.85 |
The 2023 COLA was exceptionally high (8.7%) reflecting the post-pandemic inflation spike. Subsequent years have returned to a more typical 2–3% range. For 2027 forecasting, watch the BLS CPI-W release schedule each October — the SSA's COLA announcement follows within days, and the VA's December 1 rate change tracks that number exactly.
Sources cited in this article
- 38 USC 5312 — Cost-of-living adjustments
- 38 CFR 3.4 — Compensation
- 38 CFR 3.350 — Special monthly compensation rules
- VA.gov — Current VA disability compensation rates
- VA.gov — Special monthly compensation rates
- SSA — Cost-of-living adjustment
VetDisabilityCalc is an independent reference site operated by Zoom Lifestyle LLC. We are not VA-accredited and we do not prepare or present VA claims. Rate figures verified against VA.gov as of December 2025; verify against the official VA.gov page before relying on a specific dollar figure for a real-world decision.