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Compensation

Benefit Rates

Access Current Rates

Select the compensation program below to view current rates. Historical rates are linked from the current rates page, as well.

Learn More about VA Compensation Rates

How VA Calculates Compensation Rates

The amount of basic benefit paid ranges, depending on how disabled you are. VA makes a determination about the severity of your disability based on the evidence you submit as part of your claim, or that VA obtains from your military records. VA rates disability from 0% to 100% in 10% increments (e.g. 10%, 20%, 30% etc.). See the Combined Ratings section below for information about how VA calculates disability percentage for multiple disabilities.

You may be paid additional amounts, in certain instances, if:

  • You have very severe disabilities or loss of limb(s)
  • you have a spouse, child(ren), or dependent parent(s)
  • you have a seriously disabled spouse

Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA)

Periodically, VA makes cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) to VA compensation and pension benefits to ensure that the purchasing power of VA benefits is not eroded by inflation. Under federal law, the cost-of-living adjustments to VA's compensation and pension rates are the same percentage as for Social Security benefits. You can learn more about COLA's on the Social Security Administration's COLA webpage.

Combined Ratings

If VA finds that a Veteran has multiple disabilities, VA uses the Combined Ratings Table below to calculate a combined disability rating. Disability ratings are not additive, meaning that if a Veteran has one disability rated 60% and a second disability 20%, the combined rating is not 80%. This is because subsequent disability ratings are applied to an already disabled Veteran, so the 20% disability is applied to a Veteran who is already 60% disabled. Below you will find the steps VA takes to combine ratings for more than one disability and examples using the Combined Ratings Table to illustrate how combined ratings are calculated.

  1. The disabilities are first arranged in the exact order of their severity, beginning with the greatest disability and then combined with use of Combined Ratings Table below
  2. The degree of one disability will be read in the left column and the degree of the other in the top row, whichever is appropriate
  3. The figures appearing in the space where the column and row intersect will represent the combined value of the two
  4. This combined value is rounded to the nearest 10%
  5. If there are more than two disabilities, the combined value for the first two will be found as previously described for two disabilities
  6. The exact combined value (without rounding yet), is combined with the degree of the third disability
  7. This process continues for subsequent disabilities and the final number is rounded to the nearest 10%

Examples of Combining Two Disabilities

If a Veteran has a 50 percent disability and a 30 percent disability, the combined value will be found to be 65 percent, but the 65 percent must be converted to 70 percent to represent the final degree of disability.

Similarly, with a disability of 40 percent, and another disability of 20 percent, the combined value is found to be 52 percent, but the 52 percent must be converted to the nearest degree divisible by 10, which is 50 percent.

Example of Combining Three Disabilities

If there are three disabilities ratable at 60 percent, 40 percent, and 20 percent, respectively, the combined value for the first two will be found opposite 60 and under 40 and is 76 percent. This 76 will be found in the left column, then the 20 rating in the top row. The intersection of these two ratings is 81. Thus, the final rating will be rounded to 80%.

Table I-Combined Ratings Table
[10 combined with 10 is 19]
  102030405060708090
19 27 35 43 51 60 68 76 84 92
20 28 36 44 52 60 68 76 84 92
21 29 37 45 53 61 68 76 84 92
22 30 38 45 53 61 69 77 84 92
23 31 38 46 54 62 69 77 85 92
24 32 39 47 54 62 70 77 85 92
25 33 40 48 55 63 70 78 85 93
26 33 41 48 56 63 70 78 85 93
27 34 42 49 56 64 71 78 85 93
28 35 42 50 57 64 71 78 86 93
29 36 43 50 57 65 72 79 86 93
30 37 44 51 58 65 72 79 86 93
31 38 45 52 59 66 72 79 86 93
32 39 46 52 59 66 73 80 86 93
33 40 46 53 60 67 73 80 87 93
34 41 47 54 60 67 74 80 87 93
35 42 48 55 61 68 74 81 87 94
36 42 49 55 62 68 74 81 87 94
37 43 50 56 62 69 75 81 87 94
38 44 50 57 63 69 75 81 88 94
39 45 51 57 63 70 76 82 88 94
40 46 52 58 64 70 76 82 88 94
41 47 53 59 65 71 76 82 88 94
42 48 54 59 65 71 77 83 88 94
43 49 54 60 66 72 77 83 89 94
44 50 55 61 66 72 78 83 89 94
45 51 56 62 67 73 78 84 89 95
46 51 57 62 68 73 78 84 89 95
47 52 58 63 68 74 79 84 89 95
48 53 58 64 69 74 79 84 90 95
49 54 59 64 69 75 80 85 90 95
50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
51 56 61 66 71 76 80 85 90 95
52 57 62 66 71 76 81 86 90 95
53 58 62 67 72 77 81 86 91 95
54 59 63 68 72 77 82 86 91 95
55 60 64 69 73 78 82 87 91 96
56 60 65 69 74 78 82 87 91 96
57 61 66 70 74 79 83 87 91 96
58 62 66 71 75 79 83 87 92 96
59 63 67 71 75 80 84 88 92 96
60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96
61 65 69 73 77 81 84 88 92 96
62 66 70 73 77 81 85 89 92 96
Table I-Combined Ratings Table (cont.)
  102030405060708090
63 67 70 74 78 82 85 89 93 96
64 68 71 75 78 82 86 89 93 96
65 69 72 76 79 83 86 90 93 97
66 69 73 76 80 83 86 90 93 97
67 70 74 77 80 84 87 90 93 97
68 71 74 78 81 84 87 90 94 97
69 72 75 78 81 85 88 91 94 97
70 73 76 79 82 85 88 91 94 97
71 74 77 80 83 86 88 91 94 97
72 75 78 80 83 86 89 92 94 97
73 76 78 81 84 87 89 92 95 97
74 77 79 82 84 87 90 92 95 97
75 78 80 83 85 88 90 93 95 98
76 78 81 83 86 88 90 93 95 98
77 79 82 84 86 89 91 93 95 98
78 80 82 85 87 89 91 93 96 98
79 81 83 85 87 90 92 94 96 98
80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98
81 83 85 87 89 91 92 94 96 98
82 84 86 87 89 91 93 95 96 98
83 85 86 88 90 92 93 95 97 98
84 86 87 89 90 92 94 95 97 98
85 87 88 90 91 93 94 96 97 99
86 87 89 90 92 93 94 96 97 99
87 88 90 91 92 94 95 96 97 99
88 89 90 92 93 94 95 96 98 99
89 90 91 92 93 95 96 97 98 99
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99
91 92 93 94 95 96 96 97 98 99
92 93 94 94 95 96 97 98 98 99
93 94 94 95 96 97 97 98 99 99
94 95 95 96 96 97 98 98 99 99
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