Won Your VA Claim? This reference will help you calculate your retroactive pay.
VA Disability rates listed below are for calculating your retroactive pay once you win your claim. For example, if you were awarded 50% from 1997 to the present, you will be paid at the 50% rate for the corresponding years.
VA disability compensation (pay) offers a monthly tax-free payment to Veterans who got sick or injured while serving in the military and to Veterans whose service made an existing condition worse. You may qualify for VA disability benefits for physical conditions (like a chronic illness or injury) and mental health conditions (like PTSD) that developed before, during, or after service. Find out how to apply for and manage the Veteran’s disability benefits you’ve earned.
Source of Data: Veterans Affairs Compensation and Pension Benefits Website
Quick Reference
- VA Disability Rates for Compensation
- Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) Current Rates
- Dependency Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Current Rates
- Parents’ DIC Current Rates
- Automobile Allowance, Clothing Allowance, and Medal of Honor Rates
- Birth Defects (Spina Bifida, Children of Women Vietnam Veterans) Rates
- You may wonder how the VA decides if I’m 70% or 30%. Well, there are many reasons but let’s start with the basics and move on from there.
VA Claims Are Ruled by Law 38CFR
CFR 38 or Title 38 is how the USC 38 is to be interpreted. Then the VA has manuals that tell the VA how to apply the law in CFR 38.
FYI:
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C.F.R. Code of Federal Regulations The C.F.R. is the interpretation of the law.
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VA Manuals – Manuals take the interpretation of the law from the Code of Federal Regulations and tell the VA how to apply the law.
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U.S.C. United States Code United States Code is the law and the U.S.C. is the government’s official copy of the code.
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First, your disability is listed in the law 38CFR4 Schedule for Rating Disabilities this document is dry reading, read it anyway. It will list your disability/diagnosis and it will tell you what symptoms equal what percentage.
Now the compensation and pension exam doctor will examine you and make notes indicating your disability and your limitations. Then a VA rater will look at the doctor’s results, look at the evidence, look at your claim (contentions) and look at the law and then make a decision. So the moral of the story spending some time looking at the 38CFR4 Schedule for Rating Disabilities
While I’m here, check out the side effects of any medications you are on for your service-connected condition. Those can be claimed as secondary to your service-connected disability. You are your best advocate.
For Current VA Disability Compensation Rates, Click Here
Past VA Disability rates: Calculate your retroactive pay after you win.
The research was unable to find rates for 1983 and 1999
Effective
|
10%
|
20%
|
30%
|
40%
|
50%
|
Effective
|
5/1/74
|
$32
|
$59
|
$89
|
$122
|
$171
|
5/1/74
|
8/1/75
|
$35
|
$65
|
$98
|
$134
|
$188
|
8/1/75
|
10/1/76
|
$38
|
$70
|
$106
|
$145
|
$203
|
10/1/76
|
10/1/77
|
$41
|
$75
|
$113
|
$155
|
$216
|
10/1/77
|
10/1/78
|
$44
|
$80
|
$121
|
$166
|
$232
|
10/1/78
|
10/1/79
|
$48
|
$88
|
$133
|
$182
|
$255
|
10/1/79
|
10/1/80
|
$54
|
$99
|
$150
|
$206
|
$291
|
10/1/80
|
10/1/81
|
$58
|
$107
|
$162
|
$232
|
$328
|
10/1/81
|
10/1/82
|
$62
|
$114
|
$173
|
$249
|
$352
|
10/1/82
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4/1/84
|
$64
|
$118
|
$179
|
$258
|
$364
|
4/1/84
|
12/1/84
|
$66
|
$122
|
$185
|
$266
|
$376
|
12/1/84
|
12/1/85
|
$68
|
$126
|
$191
|
$274
|
$388
|
12/1/85
|
12/1/86
|
$69
|
$128
|
$194
|
$278
|
$394
|
12/1/86
|
12/1/87
|
$71
|
$133
|
$202
|
$289
|
$410
|
12/1/87
|
12/1/88
|
$73
|
$138
|
$210
|
$300
|
$426
|
12/1/88
|
12/1/89
|
$76
|
$144
|
$220
|
$314
|
$446
|
12/1/89
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1/1/91
|
$80
|
$151
|
$231
|
$330
|
$470
|
1/1/91
|
12/1/91
|
$83
|
$157
|
$240
|
$342
|
$487
|
12/1/91
|
12/1/92
|
$85
|
$162
|
$247
|
$352
|
$502
|
12/1/92
|
12/1/93
|
$87
|
$166
|
$253
|
$361
|
$515
|
12/1/93
|
12/1/94
|
$89
|
$170
|
$260
|
$371
|
$529
|
12/1/94
|
12/1/95
|
$91
|
$174
|
$266
|
$380
|
$542
|
12/1/95
|
12/1/96
|
$94
|
$179
|
$274
|
$391
|
$558
|
12/1/96
|
12/1/97
|
$95
|
$182
|
$279
|
$399
|
$569
|
12/1/97
|
12/1/98
|
$96
|
$184
|
$282
|
$404
|
$576
|
12/1/98
|
12/1/99
|
$98
|
$188
|
$288
|
$413
|
$589
|
12/1/99
|
12/1/00
|
$101
|
$194
|
$298
|
$427
|
$609
|
12/1/00
|
12/1/01
|
$103
|
$199
|
$306
|
$439
|
$625
|
12/1/01
|
12/2/02
|
$104
|
$201
|
$310
|
$445
|
$633
|
12/1/02
|
12/1/03
|
$106
|
$205
|
$316
|
$454
|
$646
|
12/1/03
|
12/1/04
|
$108
|
$210
|
$324
|
$466
|
$663
|
12/1/04
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effective
|
60%
|
70%
|
80%
|
90%
|
100%
|
Effective
|
5/1/74
|
$211
|
$250
|
$289
|
$325
|
$584
|
5/1/74
|
8/1/75
|
$236
|
$280
|
$324
|
$364
|
$665
|
8/1/75
|
10/1/76
|
$255
|
$302
|
$350
|
$393
|
$707
|
10/1/76
|
10/1/77
|
$272
|
$322
|
$373
|
$419
|
$754
|
10/1/77
|
10/1/78
|
$292
|
$346
|
$400
|
$450
|
$809
|
10/1/78
|
10/1/79
|
$321
|
$380
|
$440
|
$495
|
$889
|
10/1/79
|
10/1/80
|
$367
|
$434
|
$503
|
$566
|
$1,016
|
10/1/80
|
10/1/81
|
$413
|
$521
|
$604
|
$679
|
$1,130
|
10/1/81
|
10/1/82
|
$443
|
$559
|
$648
|
$729
|
$1,213
|
10/1/82
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4/1/84
|
$459
|
$579
|
$671
|
$755
|
$1,255
|
4/1/84
|
12/1/84
|
$474
|
$598
|
$692
|
$779
|
$1,295
|
12/1/84
|
12/1/85
|
$489
|
$617
|
$713
|
$803
|
$1,335
|
12/1/85
|
12/1/86
|
$496
|
$626
|
$724
|
$815
|
$1,355
|
12/1/86
|
12/1/87
|
$516
|
$652
|
$754
|
$849
|
$1,411
|
12/1/87
|
12/1/88
|
$537
|
$678
|
$784
|
$883
|
$1,468
|
12/1/88
|
12/1/89
|
$562
|
$710
|
$821
|
$925
|
$1,537
|
12/1/89
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1/1/91
|
$592
|
$748
|
$865
|
$974
|
$1,620
|
1/1/91
|
12/1/91
|
$614
|
$776
|
$897
|
$1,010
|
$1,680
|
12/1/91
|
12/1/92
|
$632
|
$799
|
$924
|
$1,040
|
$1,730
|
12/1/92
|
12/1/93
|
$648
|
$819
|
$948
|
$1,067
|
$1,774
|
12/1/93
|
12/1/94
|
$666
|
$841
|
$974
|
$1,096
|
$1,823
|
12/1/94
|
12/1/95
|
$683
|
$862
|
$999
|
$1,124
|
$1,870
|
12/1/95
|
12/1/96
|
$703
|
$887
|
$1,028
|
$1,157
|
$1,924
|
12/1/96
|
12/1/97
|
$717
|
$905
|
$1,049
|
$1,181
|
$1,964
|
12/1/97
|
12/1/98
|
$726
|
$916
|
$1,062
|
$1,196
|
$1,989
|
12/1/98
|
12/1/99
|
$743
|
$937
|
$1,087
|
$1,224
|
$2,036
|
12/1/99
|
12/1/00
|
$769
|
$969
|
$1,125
|
$1,266
|
$2,107
|
12/1/00
|
12/1/01
|
$790
|
$995
|
$1,155
|
$1,299
|
$2,163
|
12/1/01
|
12/2/02
|
$801
|
$1,008
|
$1,171
|
$1,317
|
$2,193
|
12/1/02
|
12/1/03
|
$817
|
$1,029
|
$1,195
|
$1,344
|
$2,239
|
12/1/03
|
12/1/04
|
$839
|
$1,056
|
$1,227
|
$1,380
|
$2,299
|
12/1/04
|
Past VA Disability Compensation Rates
2023 rates (effective December 1, 2022)
2022 rates (effective December 1, 2021)
2017 rates (effective December 1, 2017)
2015 rates (effective December 1, 2015) – not found
2010 rates (effective December 1, 2010) – not found