What a VA disability rating actually pays

VA disability compensation is paid monthly and is not taxed, at the federal level or by any state. The amount depends on your combined rating and on who you support. Below 30 percent everybody gets the same rate whether or not they have a family. From 30 percent up, a spouse, children, and dependent parents each add to the monthly figure. VA adjusts every rate each December to match the cost of living increase applied to Social Security.

The gap between ratings is not even. Moving from 70 to 80 percent is worth a few hundred dollars a month. Moving from 90 to 100 more than doubles the increase you would expect, because the schedule is not linear. That is why a single condition rated correctly is usually worth more than several rated low, and why what gets written down about your worst days matters more than how many conditions you list.

Ratings themselves do not add. VA uses the combined ratings table in 38 CFR 4.25, sometimes called whole person theory. Your highest rating is applied first, and each rating after that applies only to what is left, not to the original hundred. A 50 and a 30 combine to 65, which rounds to 70. Four ratings that add to 110 on paper can still come out at 70. Understanding this is the difference between chasing more conditions and getting the ones you have rated properly.

If your service connected conditions are what keep you from holding steady work, Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability can pay you at the 100 percent rate without a 100 percent rating. Many veterans who qualify never file for it. Above 100 percent there is Special Monthly Compensation, a separate higher rate for severe loss, housebound status, or needing daily help from another person. Neither is automatic. Both have to be claimed.