Disability Compensation
Disability compensation is a monetary benefit paid to veterans who are disabled by an injury or illness that was incurred or aggravated during active military service. These disabilities are considered to be service-connected. Disability compensation varies with the degree of disability and the number of veteran’s dependents, and is paid monthly. Veterans with certain severe disabilities may be eligible for additional special monthly compensation. The benefits are not subject to federal or state income tax.
The payment of military retirement pay, disability severance pay and separation incentive payments known as SSB (Special Separation Benefits) and VSI (Voluntary Separation Incentives) affects the amount of VA compensation paid to disabled veterans.
To be eligible, the service of the veteran must have been terminated through separation or discharge under conditions other than dishonorable. For additional details, visit the Web site at http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/.
Disability Compensation Rates for Veterans
| Veteran’s Disability Rating | Monthly Rate Paid to Veterans |
|---|---|
| 10 percent | $117 |
| 20 percent | $230 |
| 30 percent* | $356 |
| 40 percent* | $512 |
| 50 percent* | $728 |
| 60 percent* | $921 |
| 70 percent* | $1,161 |
| 80 percent* | $1,349 |
| 90 percent* | $1,517 |
| 100 percent* | $2,527 |
*Veterans with disability ratings of at least 30 percent are eligible for additional allowances for dependents, including spouses, minor children, children between the ages of 18 and 23 who are attending school, children who are permanently incapable of self-support because of a disability arising before age 18, and dependent parents. The additional amount depends on the disability rating and the number of dependents.
Receiving Disability Benefit Payments
VA offers three disability benefit payment options. Most veterans receive their payments by direct deposit to a bank, savings and loan or credit union account. In some areas, veterans who do not have a bank account can open a federally insured Electronic Transfer Account, which costs about $3 a month, provides a monthly statement and allows cash withdrawals. Other veterans may choose to receive benefits by check. To choose a payment method, call toll-free 1-877-838-2778, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:50 p.m., CST.
Presumptive Conditions for Disability Compensation
Certain veterans are eligible for disability compensation based on the presumption that their disability is service-connected.
Prisoners of War: For former POWs who were imprisoned for any length of time, the following disabilities are presumed to be service-connected if they are rated at least 10 percent disabling anytime after military service: psychosis, any of the anxiety states, dysthymic disorder, organic residuals of frostbite, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, heart disease or hypertensive vascular disease and their complications, stroke and residuals of stroke.
For former POWs who were imprisoned for at least 30 days, the following conditions are also presumed to be service-connected: avitaminosis, beriberi, chronic dysentery, helminthiasis, malnutrition (including optic atrophy), pellagra and/or other nutritional deficiencies, irritable bowel syndrome, peptic ulcer disease, peripheral neuropathy and cirrhosis of the liver.
Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange and Other Herbicides:
A veteran who served in the Republic of Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, is presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange and other herbicides used in support of military operations. Eleven illnesses are presumed by VA to be service-connected for such veterans: chloracne or other acneform disease similar to chloracne, porphyria cutanea tarda, soft-tissue sarcoma (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma or mesothelioma), Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, respiratory cancers (lung, bronchus, larynx, trachea), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy, diabetes mellitus (Type 2) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Veterans Exposed to Radiation: For veterans who participated in “radiation risk activities” as defined in VA regulations while on active duty, the following conditions are presumed to be service-connected: all forms of leukemia (except for chronic lymphocytic leukemia); cancer of the thyroid, breast, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, bile ducts, gall bladder, salivary gland, urinary tract (renal pelvis, ureter, urinary bladder and urethra), brain, bone, lung, colon, and ovary, bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma, multiple myeloma, lymphomas (other than Hodgkin’s disease), and primary liver cancer (except if cirrhosis or hepatitis B is indicated).
To determine service-connection for other conditions or exposures not eligible for presumptive service-connection, VA considers factors such as the amount of radiation exposure, duration of exposure, elapsed time between exposure and onset of the disease, gender and family history, age at time of exposure, the extent to which a non service-related exposure could contribute to disease, and the relative sensitivity of exposed tissue.
Gulf War Veterans with Chronic Disabilities: may receive disability compensation for chronic disabilities resulting from undiagnosed illnesses, medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illnesses defined by a cluster of signs or symptoms. A disability is considered chronic if it has existed for at least six months. The undiagnosed illnesses must have appeared either during active service in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations during the Gulf War or to a degree of at least 10 percent at any time since then through Dec. 31, 2011.
The following are examples of symptoms of an undiagnosed illness: chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, skin disorders, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, neurological symptoms, neuropsychological symptoms, symptoms involving the respiratory system, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal symptoms, cardiovascular symptoms, abnormal weight loss, and menstrual disorders.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, may be determined to be service-connected if the veteran served in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations anytime during the period of Aug. 2, 1990, to July 31, 1991. This Theater of Operations includes Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the airspace above these locations.
Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments
Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP) restores retired pay on a graduated 10-year schedule for retirees with a 50 to 90 percent VA-rated disability. Concurrent retirement payments increase 10 percent per year through 2013. Veterans rated 100% disabled by VA are entitled to full CRDP without being phased in. Veterans receiving benefits at the 100% rate due to individual unemployability are entitled to full CRDP in 2009.
Eligibility: To qualify, veterans must also meet all three of the following criteria:
1. Have 20 or more years on active duty, or a reservist age 60 or older with 20 or more creditable years.
2. Be in a retired status.
3. Be receiving retired pay (must be offset by VA payments).
Retirees do not need to apply for this benefit. Payment is coordinated between VA and the Department of Defense (DOD).
Combat-Related Special Compensation
Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) provides tax-free monthly payments to eligible retired veterans with combat-related injuries. With CRSC, veterans can receive both their full military retirement pay and their VA disability compensation, if the injury is combat-related.
Eligibility: Retired veterans with combat-related injuries must meet all of the following criteria to apply for CRSC:
1. Active, Reserve, or medically retired with 20 years of creditable service.
2. Receiving military retired pay.
3. Have a 10% or greater VA-rated injury.
4. Military retired pay is reduced by VA disability payments (VA Waiver).
In addition, veterans must be able to provide documentary evidence that their injuries were a result of one of the following:
• Training that simulates war (e.g., exercises, field training)
• Hazardous duty (e.g., flight, diving, parachute duty)
• An instrumentality of war (e.g. combat vehicles, weapons, Agent Orange)
• Armed conflict (e.g. gunshot wounds, Purple Heart)
For information, visit http://www.dod.mil/prhome/mppcrsc.html, or call the toll free phone number for the veteran’s branch of service: (Army) 1-866-281-3254; (Air Force) 1-800-616-3775; (Navy) 1-877-366-2772. The Army has its own Web site at https://www.hrc.army.mil/site/crsc/index.html and e-mail at crsc.info@us.army.mil.
Related Pages
Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities
Programs for Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities
Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Rates