30 Percent VA Disability Rating

How much does 30% VA disability pay in 2026?

Tax-free, and not reported as income. Rates effective December 1, 2025, from the VA’s published table.

What a 30% rating actually means

Thirty percent is the dependent threshold, and that makes it the most consequential line in the whole rate table for anyone with a family. It is also where the VA starts asking you to keep dependent records current, because the payment now depends on them.

How the VA arrives at 30%

Commonly one condition rated at 30% on its own — mental health at the level where symptoms occasionally interfere with work, migraines with characteristic prostrating attacks, moderate ankylosis — or several smaller conditions combined.

What one more condition would actually add at 30%

VA ratings do not add up. Each new one applies only to the part of you the VA still counts as unimpaired, and the final figure is rounded to the nearest ten. From 30%, that arithmetic produces this:

From 30%, most new conditions still move you a full step. That changes above 50%, so this is a good level at which to understand the curve you are climbing rather than discovering it later.

From 30%, even a 10% condition moves your combined rating. That stops being true higher up the scale.

This models one new condition against your current combined figure. The VA re-combines every condition from scratch, which can differ by a rounding step — the VA math calculator runs the exact version with your real list, and shows each step of the arithmetic.

What benefits come with 30%?

Health-care priority, copays, education, home-loan treatment and dependent eligibility all shift as the rating climbs, and the thresholds are not evenly spaced. Rather than repeat them here, the full breakdown lives in one place:

VA benefits by rating level — what unlocks at each step

VA.gov is the authority on current priority groups and eligibility.

Frequently asked questions about 30% VA disability

How much does the VA add for a spouse at 30%?

The addition is set by the VA’s published table and is a fixed dollar amount per dependent type. The table on this page computes your figure from the current rates rather than quoting a national average.

Do I have to tell the VA about my dependents?

Yes — dependent pay is not automatic. The VA pays it once dependents are added to your file, and the effective date generally follows when you notified them, which is why it is worth doing promptly.

Is 30% enough for VA health care?

Service-connected veterans are enrolled in a priority group, and the group improves as the rating rises. The rating level guide covers what changes at each step.