An official website of the United States government
- Home
Manage your health care with My HealtheVet on VA.govYou can now manage your VA health care in the same place you manage your other VA benefits and services.
VA claim exam (C&P exam)Find out why you might need a claim exam. Learn how to schedule and prepare for your appointment.
GI Bill® Comparison ToolLearn about education programs and compare benefits by school.
VA for VetsGet help transitioning to a civilian career and matching your skills and experiences to VA job opportunities.
Get your pension payments electronicallySign up for direct deposit or a pre-paid debit card.
National Call Center for Homeless VeteransFind out how we can help you or a Veteran you care about connect with VA and local resources 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Learn how to apply for Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife)VALife is a life insurance program for Veterans with service-connected disabilities.
Find National Cemetery Administration InformationLocate a grave, search for cemeteries, and find benefits information and resources.
Confirm your VA benefit statusDownload letters like your eligibility or award letter for certain benefits.
- Service member benefits
- Family member benefits
Agency Financial ReportView the FY 2024 report that includes VA accomplishments with taxpayer dollars and the challenges that remain.
- Find a VA Location
- My VA
- My HealtheVet
Attention A T users. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps.
1. Please switch auto forms mode to off.
2. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc).
3. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow.
You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links.
Types of Compensation
VA disability compensation provides monthly benefits to Veterans in recognition of the effects of disabilities, diseases, or injuries incurred or aggravated during active military service. The program also provides monthly payments to surviving spouses, dependent children, and dependent parents in recognition of the economic loss caused by a Veteran's death during military service or, after discharge from military service, as a result of a service-connected disability. A summary of VA's disability compensation programs is below.
Disability Compensation
A tax-free monetary benefit paid to Veterans with disabilities that are the result of a disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service. The benefit amount is graduated according to the degree of the Veteran's disability on a scale from 10 percent to 100 percent (in increments of 10 percent). Compensation may also be paid for disabilities that are considered related or secondary to disabilities occurring in service and for disabilities presumed to be related to circumstances of military service, even though they may arise after service. Generally, the degrees of disability specified are also designed to compensate for considerable loss of working time from exacerbations or illnesses.
Learn more about Disability Compensation
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
DIC is a tax-free monetary benefit generally payable to a surviving spouse, child, or parent of Servicemembers who died while on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training, or to survivors of Veterans who died from their service-connected disabilities. Parents DIC is an income-based benefit for parents who were financially dependent on of a Servicemember or Veteran who died from a service-related cause.
Learn more about DIC and Parents DIC
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)
SMC is an additional tax-free benefit that can be paid to Veterans, their spouses, surviving spouses and parents. For Veterans, Special Monthly Compensation is a higher rate of compensation paid due to special circumstances such as the need of aid and attendance by another person or by specific disability, such as loss of use of one hand or leg. For spouses and surviving spouses, this benefit is commonly referred to as aid and attendance and is paid based on the need of aid and attendance by another person.
Learn more about Special Monthly Compensation
Claims Based on Special Circumstances
Veterans may be eligible for other types of disability compensation once a disability has been determined to be service connected. Special VA disability compensation programs include: individual unemployability, automobile allowance, clothing allowance, prestabilization, hospitalization, convalescence, dental, and birth defects.
Learn more about Special Claims
