2026 VA Disability Pay Rates: The Complete Monthly Compensation Table

These are the official VA disability compensation rates for 2026, effective December 1, 2025, verified against the VA.gov table. All amounts are monthly and tax-free.

2026 monthly rates (veteran alone)

Two things jump out of that table if you look closely:

The jumps are not even. Going from 90% to 100% is worth over $1,576/month — by far the biggest single step. Going from 40% to 50% is worth $337. The higher you climb, the more each step matters.

A rating is worth more than its monthly number. A 50% rating is $1,132.90/month — that's about $13,595 a year and roughly $135,000 over ten years, tax-free, before annual cost-of-living increases. This is why leaving a claimable condition unclaimed is one of the most expensive mistakes a veteran can make.

Dependents raise the number (starting at 30%)

Veterans rated 10%–20% receive the flat rate regardless of dependents. From 30% up, the VA adds monthly amounts for a spouse, children, and dependent parents. Examples at the 100% level: a spouse adds $219.59/month, each child under 18 adds $109.11 beyond the first, and a child in college (18–23) adds $352.45. A married 100% veteran with two kids receives meaningfully more than the "alone" figure above.

How your combined rating actually works (it's not addition)

Here's the part that surprises everyone: 50% + 50% does not equal 100%. The VA combines ratings instead of adding them — each new rating only takes a percentage of what's left. A 50% rating leaves 50% remaining; a second 50% rating takes half of that remainder (25 more), landing at 75%, which the VA rounds to 80%.

This "VA math" is why the order and number of your rated conditions matters so much — and why secondary conditions (conditions caused by your service-connected ones) are often the realistic path from 70% to 100%.

Rates change every December

These figures include the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which tracks Social Security's. New rates take effect each December 1. Bookmark this page — we update it when the new table drops.

Source: VA.gov — Veterans disability compensation rates, verified 2026. Amounts shown are the official published figures; the VA's determination letter is always authoritative for your individual case.