The short answer
VA disability rates 2027 are not official yet: as of November 7, 2026, VA.gov still shows the rates effective December 1, 2025. Projected, our calculation: applying Social Security’s 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment to those rates would lift 100% pay for a veteran alone from $3,938.58 to about $4,080.37 a month. VA has not confirmed that figure.
- Projected range, our calculation: $186.92 a month at 10% to $4,080.37 at 100%, veteran alone
- Official status: VA has not posted the December 1, 2026 table, and Congress has not passed this year’s COLA bill
- First higher payment: December 31, 2026, if the increase is in place by then, because January 1 is a federal holiday
- Do you need to apply? No claim is required for the yearly increase, according to Newsweek’s reporting and the bill’s text
- Dependents: added pay starts at a 30% combined rating
3.6%
SSA COLA for 2027
$1,173.68
Projected 50%, veteran alone
$4,080.37
Projected 100%, veteran alone
Dec 31
Likely first higher payment
In this article
VA disability compensation is a monthly tax-free payment to veterans who got sick or injured while serving, or whose service worsened a condition, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). VA sets the amount from your disability rating and your dependents. Each year the rates change with the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), the inflation raise that the Social Security Administration (SSA) announces every fall.
This page is for veterans and families who want to plan ahead. When VA posts its own table, we will replace the projections with VA’s figures.
Watch out. Every 2027 dollar amount on this page is a projection, not a VA figure. VA could publish amounts that differ. Budget on your current payment until the official table appears.
Has VA Published the 2027 Rates?
No. VA has not published its 2027 rates as of November 7, 2026. VA’s rate page still labels its tables effective December 1, 2025, and the compensation rates hub was last updated October 26, 2026 with no new amounts.
The 3.6% itself is settled on the Social Security side. SSA announced the 2027 COLA on October 14, 2026. VA’s rate page also says the agency is required by law to match Social Security’s COLA percentage. However, the annual raise still runs through its own bill, and that bill is not law yet.
- H.R. 8552: the latest action is June 30, 2026, when a House subcommittee forwarded it to the full committee by voice vote.
- S. 4487: the latest action is May 11, 2026, when it was referred to the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
- What the bill says: the House text raises the covered amounts on December 1, 2026 by the same percentage as Social Security.
- Last year’s timing: Public Law 119-42, the 2025 version, was approved on November 25, 2025, six days before its effective date.
Based on that timeline, we expect VA’s table around December 1, 2026. That date is our estimate, not VA’s. Those bill actions come from the official congressional status files, checked November 7, 2026.
VA Disability Rates 2027 Pay Chart (Projected)
Projected, our calculation: VA disability rates 2027 would run from $186.92 at 10% to $4,080.37 at 100% for a veteran alone. The second column is the official amount VA pays today, so you can see exactly what we started from.
| Rating | 2026 official, veteran alone | Projected 2027, veteran alone | Projected, with spouse | Projected, with 1 child | Projected, spouse + 1 child |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | $186.92 | No added pay | No added pay | No added pay |
| 20% | $356.66 | $369.50 | No added pay | No added pay | No added pay |
| 30% | $552.47 | $572.36 | $640.36 | $617.36 | $690.36 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $824.49 | $915.49 | $884.49 | $981.49 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,173.68 | $1,286.68 | $1,249.68 | $1,370.68 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,486.68 | $1,622.68 | $1,577.68 | $1,722.68 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,873.55 | $2,032.55 | $1,979.55 | $2,148.55 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,177.83 | $2,359.83 | $2,298.83 | $2,492.83 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,447.34 | $2,651.34 | $2,583.34 | $2,801.34 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,080.37 | $4,307.87 | $4,232.51 | $4,474.47 |
VA disability rates 2027 with spouse and child
The spouse and child columns above assume no dependent parents. At 70%, for example, the projected rate with a spouse and one child is $2,148.55, compared with $2,074.45 today. Ratings of 10% and 20% stay flat regardless of family size, because VA says those veterans do not receive a higher rate for a dependent.
How much is the raise at 80%, 90% and 100%?
The raise grows with the rating, as the projections below show.
| Rating | Official now | Projected 2027 | Projected monthly raise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | $186.92 | $6.50 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $572.36 | $19.89 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,173.68 | $40.78 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,873.55 | $65.10 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,177.83 | $75.68 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,447.34 | $85.04 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,080.37 | $141.79 |
Current official VA rates, for comparison
These are the amounts VA pays now, copied from VA’s rate tables. They stay in force until VA replaces them.
| Rating | Veteran alone | With spouse | With 1 child | Spouse + 1 child |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | No added pay | No added pay | No added pay |
| 20% | $356.66 | No added pay | No added pay | No added pay |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 | $596.47 | $666.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $882.84 | $853.84 | $947.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 | $1,205.90 | $1,322.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,566.02 | $1,523.02 | $1,663.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 | $1,910.45 | $2,074.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 | $2,219.15 | $2,406.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,559.30 | $2,494.30 | $2,704.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 | $4,085.43 | $4,318.99 |
Added Amounts for Children, School and Aid and Attendance
VA adds set amounts on top of the basic rate if you have more than one child, a child over 18 in a qualifying school program, a spouse who receives Aid and Attendance (extra pay for a spouse who needs daily help), or a dependent parent. The basic child rates already cover your first child, so these amounts apply to each additional child.
| Rating | Each additional child under 18 | Each additional child over 18 in school | Spouse on Aid and Attendance | Each dependent parent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% | $32 to $33 | $105 to $109 | $61 to $62 | $52 to $54 |
| 40% | $43 to $45 | $140 to $146 | $81 to $83 | $70 to $73 |
| 50% | $54 to $56 | $176 to $182 | $101 to $104 | $88 to $91 |
| 60% | $65 to $67 | $211 to $219 | $121 to $125 | $105 to $109 |
| 70% | $76 to $79 | $246 to $255 | $141 to $146 | $123 to $127 |
| 80% | $87 to $90 | $281 to $292 | $161 to $166 | $140 to $146 |
| 90% | $98 to $101 | $317 to $328 | $181 to $187 | $158 to $164 |
| 100% | $109.11 to $113.04 | $352.45 to $365.14 | $201.41 to $208.66 | $176.24 to $182.58 |
A worked example with a larger family
VA’s own example is a veteran rated 70% with a spouse and three children under 18, whose spouse receives Aid and Attendance. Today, that is $2,074.45 for the basic rate, plus $76 twice for the two additional children, plus $141, for a total of $2,367.45. Projected, our calculation: the same family would receive $2,148.55 plus $79 twice plus $146, or about $2,452.55 a month.
How We Calculated These Projections
We applied the 3.6% COLA to VA’s current table, then rounded the way VA’s recent tables round. VA does not state a rounding method on its rate page, so we worked out the pattern by comparing its published tables from year to year.
- Step 1, veteran-alone rates: multiply by 1.036 and round to the nearest cent. At 50%, $1,132.90 times 1.036 is $1,173.68.
- Step 2, dependent amounts at 100%: multiply VA’s amount by 1.036 and round to the nearest cent.
- Step 3, dependent amounts at 30% to 90%: take your rating’s share of the new 100% amount and round down to a whole dollar, then add it to the veteran-alone rate.
We checked this against real data. Using the same steps with the 2.5% and 2.8% COLAs reproduced 235 of the 244 published amounts in VA’s last two tables exactly. Seven of the misses were Aid and Attendance amounts, off by $1, and two were 1 cent off. For that reason, treat the Aid and Attendance column as approximate.
Pro tip. Other sites may show slightly different dependent rates because they multiply each total by 1.036. VA’s tables do not move that way: the dependent portion rounds to whole dollars below 100%. Any gap should be small, but neither number is official until VA publishes.
When Will the First Higher Payment Arrive?
The first higher payment should arrive on Thursday, December 31, 2026, assuming the increase is in place by then. VA pays compensation in arrears: its award notice says payments come at the beginning of each month for the prior month. December benefits would normally land on January 1, but that is a federal holiday.
Federal law handles that case. Under 38 U.S.C. 5120(e), when the first of a month falls on a weekend or legal holiday, VA times the payment for the prior business day, so far as practicable. We could not find a VA payment-dates page to confirm these exact dates, so the table below applies that statute to the calendar.
| Deposit date | Benefit month | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, December 1, 2026 | November 2026 | Current rate, no raise |
| Thursday, December 31, 2026 | December 2026 | First payment at the new rate, if in place |
| Monday, February 1, 2027 | January 2027 | New rate |
Watch out. The December 1 deposit will not include the raise, because it pays for November. If Congress has not acted by late December, the first higher payment could come later than December 31.
Is the VA Raise Automatic?
For veterans, yes: you should not need to file anything. Newsweek reports that veterans do not need to submit a new claim for the increase, and the bill text directs the VA Secretary to raise the amounts. For the government, no: the increase still needs that bill to pass, so it is not automatic in the legal sense.
How Combined Disability Ratings Work
VA does not add disability ratings together. Instead, VA uses a combined ratings table that ranks your ratings from highest to lowest, finds the combined value and then rounds to the nearest 10%. VA rounds values ending in 1 to 4 down and values ending in 5 to 9 up.
VA’s worked example: 50% and 30%
- Rank them: 50%, then 30%.
- Read the table: 50 in the left column and 30 in the top row meet at 65.
- Round: 65 rounds up, so the combined rating is 70%, not 80%.
VA then adds a third disability rated 10%. It combines the unrounded 65 with 10, which gives 69, and that also rounds to 70%. So this veteran alone would receive $1,808.45 today and, projected by our calculation, $1,873.55 after the COLA.
The rating that counts for pay is the combined one, and it also decides dependent pay. VA requires a combined rating of at least 30% before you can add a dependent.
What About Special Monthly Compensation?
Special monthly compensation (SMC) is a higher level of VA pay for veterans with certain needs or disabilities, such as needing daily help or being unable to leave home because of service-connected disabilities. The figures below are VA’s current official rates for a veteran with no dependents.
| SMC level | Official monthly amount |
|---|---|
| SMC-K | $139.87, added to your basic rate |
| SMC-L | $4,900.83 |
| SMC-L 1/2 | $5,154.00 |
| SMC-M | $5,408.55 |
| SMC-M 1/2 | $5,780.00 |
| SMC-N | $6,152.64 |
| SMC-N 1/2 | $6,514.00 |
| SMC-O/P | $6,877.12 |
| SMC-R.1 | $9,826.88 |
| SMC-R.2/T | $11,271.67 |
| SMC-S | $4,408.53 |
We did not project 2027 SMC amounts. Some levels appear in VA’s table in whole dollars and others in cents, so we have no verified rounding pattern for them. Check VA’s SMC page once it updates.
What Should You Do Before the New Rates Post?
Most veterans only need to wait, but three checks can protect your payment. Who should act now: anyone whose family changed this year. Who can skip this: a veteran under 30% with no pending claim, since dependents do not change that rate.
- Add new dependents. If you had a marriage, birth or adoption, VA says that filing within a year of the event, while already rated 30% or higher, may bring back pay to that date.
- Report a school-age child. VA says a child’s benefits end at 18 unless you report full-time school enrollment, using VA Form 21-674.
- Report a divorce right away. VA can withhold overpayments from future checks until they are repaid.
Common mistakes with 2027 rate charts
- Treating a chart as official. Any 2027 table online today, including ours, is an estimate until VA publishes.
- Expecting the raise on December 1. That deposit pays November at the current rate.
- Paying someone to get the raise. The bill raises the amounts directly, and no source we read describes any application.
Our verdict
Plan on about 3.6% more, but do not spend it yet. VA disability rates 2027 are still projections: $4,080.37 at 100% and $1,173.68 at 50% for a veteran alone are our math, not VA’s table. Use the chart to estimate, and budget on your current payment until VA confirms the new amounts. We will update this page as soon as VA posts them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the VA disability rates for 2027?
VA has not published VA disability rates for 2027 as of November 7, 2026. Projected, by our calculation, a 3.6% increase would pay a veteran alone about $186.92 at 10%, $1,173.68 at 50%, $1,873.55 at 70% and $4,080.37 at 100%. Official amounts could differ, so check VA.gov.
Are VA disability rates going up in 2027?
They are expected to rise. Social Security announced a 3.6% COLA for 2027, and the VA rate page says VA must match that percentage. However, the annual bill, H.R. 8552 and S. 4487, had not passed either chamber as of November 7, 2026, so the raise is not final yet.
When will the 2027 VA disability rates be announced?
VA has not announced a date. We estimate its table will appear around December 1, 2026, the bill’s effective date, though that depends on Congress. Last year’s COLA law was approved on November 25, 2025. Until then, any 2027 chart online, including this one, is only a projection.
How much will 100 percent VA disability pay in 2027?
Projected, by our calculation, 100% pay for a veteran alone would rise from $3,938.58 to about $4,080.37 a month, a gain of about $141.79. With a spouse, the projection is about $4,307.87. VA has not confirmed these amounts, and the final table could differ slightly.
When will I see the VA COLA increase in my payment?
The first higher payment should arrive on December 31, 2026, if the increase is in place by then. VA pays for the prior month, and January 1 is a federal holiday, so the payment moves up. The December 1 deposit pays for November, so it will not include the raise.
Do I have to apply for the VA cost-of-living increase?
No claim should be needed. Newsweek reports that veterans do not have to file for the increase, and the bill directs VA to raise the amounts itself. You do need to act separately if your family changed, because adding a dependent requires a claim and a combined rating of at least 30%.
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not financial, legal or benefits advice, and Bee Bulletin is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. All 2027 amounts are our own projections and are not official VA rates. Your actual payment depends on your rating, your dependents and VA’s final table. Confirm your benefits on VA.gov or with an accredited representative.
