VA disability rates 2023 pay chart
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Home » Blog » 2023 VA Disability Compensation Payments Will Increase 8.7% Show Millions of veterans receiving VA disability compensation will see an 8.7% increase in their monthly checks beginning in January. It is the largest VA disability pay increase in 30 years. The VA benefits cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is the same as the Social Security Administration’s COLA–a result of the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2022 signed by President Biden on Oct. 10. This is the second year that officials cited rising inflation as the reason for the higher-than-usual increase. More than 5.3 million veterans receive VA disability benefits. Here are the projected 2023 VA disability compensation rates for a veteran with no dependents. Monthly compensation is higher for veterans with one or multiple dependents.
Payments to spouses and children receiving Dependents and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) will also increase. The new monthly payment is expected to be $1,562.73. More than 445,000 people receive DIC. Monthly military pension payments are expected to increase by $87 for every $1,000 of retirement pension. Veterans should start noticing the larger amount in their January 2023 payment. If you do not see a difference in the amount, you should contact the Veterans Benefits Administration. How to Get a Free VA Claim EvaluationIf you have questions about applying for VA disability benefits or about appealing a VA decision, call Woods and Woods. Your claim evaluation is free, and if you need to appeal, our VA-certified lawyers only charge if we win your appeal. Talk to Us About Your Claim: “They brought me from being stuck at 30%. Denial after denial. Finally rated at 70%. Appealed for total and unable to work disability since 2014. Without Woods and Woods I would still be stuck at 30%.“ CompensationBenefit RatesAccess Current RatesSelect the compensation program below to view current rates. Historical rates are linked from the current rates page, as well.
Learn More about VA Compensation Rates
How VA Calculates Compensation RatesThe amount of basic benefit paid ranges, depending on how disabled you are. VA makes a determination about the severity of your disability based on the evidence you submit as part of your claim, or that VA obtains from your military records. VA rates disability from 0% to 100% in 10% increments (e.g. 10%, 20%, 30% etc.). See the Combined Ratings section below for information about how VA calculates disability percentage for multiple disabilities. You may be paid additional amounts, in certain instances, if:
Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA)Periodically, VA makes cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) to VA compensation and pension benefits to ensure that the purchasing power of VA benefits is not eroded by inflation. Under federal law, the cost-of-living adjustments to VA's compensation and pension rates are the same percentage as for Social Security benefits. You can learn more about COLA's on the Social Security Administration's COLA webpage. Combined RatingsIf VA finds that a Veteran has multiple disabilities, VA uses the Combined Ratings Table below to calculate a combined disability rating. Disability ratings are not additive, meaning that if a Veteran has one disability rated 60% and a second disability 20%, the combined rating is not 80%. This is because subsequent disability ratings are applied to an already disabled Veteran, so the 20% disability is applied to a Veteran who is already 60% disabled. Below you will find the steps VA takes to combine ratings for more than one disability and examples using the Combined Ratings Table to illustrate how combined ratings are calculated.
Examples of Combining Two DisabilitiesIf a Veteran has a 50 percent disability and a 30 percent disability, the combined value will be found to be 65 percent, but the 65 percent must be converted to 70 percent to represent the final degree of disability. Similarly, with a disability of 40 percent, and another disability of 20 percent, the combined value is found to be 52 percent, but the 52 percent must be converted to the nearest degree divisible by 10, which is 50 percent. Example of Combining Three DisabilitiesIf there are three disabilities ratable at 60 percent, 40 percent, and 20 percent, respectively, the combined value for the first two will be found opposite 60 and under 40 and is 76 percent. This 76 will be found in the left column, then the 20 rating in the top row. The intersection of these two ratings is 81. Thus, the final rating will be rounded to 80%. Table I-Combined Ratings Table[10 combined with 10 is 19]
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