Thanks to the 3.2% COLA increase for 2024, 100 VA disability pay is worth more than ever.
The minimum 100% VA pay rate for a veteran alone in 2024 is $3,737.85 per month.
The actual amount you’ll receive depends upon several factors including the number of dependents and whether you qualify for additional pay such as Special Monthly Compensation (SMC).
Okay, let’s explore the value of a 100 percent VA disability rating this year!
100 VA Disability Pay Chart [2024]
| Dependent Status | 100% VA Pay Rate |
|---|---|
| Veteran Alone | $3,737.85 |
| Veteran & 1 Child | $3,877.22 |
| Veteran & 1 Parent | $3,905.11 |
| Veteran & Spouse | $3,946.25 |
| Veteran, 1 Parent, & 1 Child | $4,044.48 |
| Veteran & 2 Parents | $4,072.36 |
| Veteran, Spouse, & 1 Child | $4,098.88 |
| Veteran, Spouse, & 2 Children | $4,202.43 |
| Veteran, Spouse, & 3 Children | $4,305.98 |
| Veteran, Spouse, & 1 Parent | $4,113.51 |
| Veteran, 2 Parents, & 1 Child | $4,211.74 |
| Veteran, Spouse, 1 Parent, & 1 Child | $4,266.13 |
| Veteran, Spouse, & 2 Parents | $4,280.77 |
| Veteran, Spouse, 2 Parents, & 1 Child | $4,433.39 |
| Veteran Alone & Housebound SMC(S) | $4,183.85 |
| Each Additional Children Under 18 | $103.55 |
| Each Child Ages 18-23 | $334.49 |
| Aid and Attendance (A/A) Spouse | $191.14 |
Important Notes:
- The 2024 100% VA disability pay chart for each school child is shown with up to 3 children under the age of 18. To find the amount payable to a 100% disabled veteran with a spouse and 4 children, one of whom is over 18 and attending school, take the 100% rate for a veteran with a spouse and 3 children and add the rate for one school age child 18-23.
- The Veteran Alone & Housebound SMC(S) is paid in-place of VA disability compensation pay. You don’t get both. For example, if a veteran is “housebound,” he/she will be paid the full SMC(S) rate, which for 2024 is a minimum of $4,183.85. The amount will be even higher based on dependent status.
- Where the veteran has a spouse who is determined to require Aid and Attendance (A/A), add the figure shown as “Aid and Attendance (A/A) Spouse” to the amount shown for the proper dependency code.
What Are the Different Types of 100 VA Disability?
100% Scheduler VA Disability Rating:
This refers to a standard 100 percent VA disability rating according to the rating schedule.
You might have a combination of individually rated disabilities that equals 95.00 in the VA’s fuzzy math calculation, which rounds up to a 100% VA rating.
You could also have a single disability rated at 100%.
100% Permanent and Total (P&T) VA Disability Rating:
This refers to a 100 percent VA disability rating that’s Permanent and Total (P&T).
This means your disabilities are unlike to improve over time (e.g., they are “static” and shouldn’t be reevaluated because they aren’t going to get better).
- Permanent Disability means the impairment is reasonably certain to continue throughout the life of the disabled veteran. This means your disability is “static” and unlike to improve over time.
- Total Disability is any impairment of mind or body which is sufficient to render it impossible for the average veteran to follow a substantially gainful occupation.
According to 38 CFR § 3.340, “Total and Permanent VA Ratings” a 100% Permanent and Total disability exists when:
- Such impairment is reasonably certain to continue throughout the life of the disabled person. This means your disability is unlikely to improve. This is the most common reason why the VA grants Permanent and Total (P&T) disability status.
- The permanent loss or loss of use of both hands, or of both feet, or of one hand and one foot, or of the sight of both eyes, or becoming permanently helpless or bedridden constitutes permanent total disability.
- Diseases and injuries of long-standing which are totally incapacitating will be regarded as permanent and total when the probability of permanent improvement under treatment is remote.
- The age of the disabled veteran may be considered in determining permanence.
100% Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU):
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) is specifically designated for veterans whose combined VA disability rating falls short of 100 percent but are deemed incapable of securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment due to their service-connected disabilities.
For example, you might have a 90% scheduler VA rating, but are paid at the 100% level because you qualify for TDIU status.
You may be eligible for TDIU benefits if you meet both requirements.
- You have at least 1 service-connected disability rated at 60% or more disabling, or 2 or more service-connected disabilities—with at least 1 rated at 40% or more disabling and a combined rating of 70% or more, AND
- You can’t hold down a steady job that supports you financially (known as substantially gainful employment) because of your service-connected disability. Odd jobs (marginal employment) don’t count.
Pro Tip: You may qualify for 100% TDIU at a lower disability rating depending on the unique circumstances of your situation.
100% with Housebound Status SMC(S):
Being deemed permanently “housebound” for a veteran signifies their inability to depart from their residence, hospital room, or care facility due to a disability connected to their military service.
Housebound veterans are expected to endure this condition for the remainder of their lives, suggesting that the likelihood of improvement in their condition is low.
Veterans can also become eligible for Special Monthly Compensation SMC(S) Housebound by meeting certain criteria, such as having one disability rated at 100 percent (or qualifying for Total Disability Individual Unemployability based on a single disability) in combination with an additional disability (or multiple disabilities) rated at 60 percent or higher.
For example, if you have a 100% VA rating for PTSD and a 60% rating for GERD, you should qualify for SMC-S status.
100% Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) Category L – O:
You could also be 100% SMC based on a number of other categories.
The VA assigns SMC levels L through O based on very specific situations and combinations of situations, including but not limited to:
- The amputation of one or more limbs or extremities
- The loss of use of one or more limbs or extremities (meaning you have no effective function remaining)
- The physical loss of one or both eyes
- The loss of sight or total blindness in one or both eyes
- You are permanently bedridden (unable to get out of bed)
- You need daily help with basic needs (like eating, dressing, and bathing), also called “Aid and Attendance”
100% Temporary Disability Rating After Surgery or Cast:
You may be able to get a temporary 100% disability rating and disability compensation or benefits if you have this kind of immobilizing disability.
You may be eligible for disability benefits if you’ve had surgery or received other treatment at a VA hospital, approved hospital, or outpatient center for a disability related to your military service (service-connected VA disability).
If you had surgery, the following must be true:
The surgery required a recovery time of at least one month or reports show that the surgery or treatment was for a service-connected disability, AND the surgery resulted in severe issues such as:
- Surgical wounds that haven’t totally healed
- Stumps of recent amputations
- Being unable to move due to being put in splints or casts to help with healing (known as therapeutic immobilizations)
- Being unable to leave your house (known as house confinement)
- Being required to use a wheelchair or crutches
Pro Tip: If you didn’t have surgery, you must have had one or more major joints immobilized by a cast.
About the Author
Brian Reese
Brian Reese is one of the top VA disability benefits experts in the world and bestselling author of You Deserve It: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Veteran Benefits You’ve Earned (Second Edition).
Brian’s frustration with the VA claim process led him to create VA Claims Insider, which provides disabled veterans with tips, strategies, and lessons learned to win their VA disability compensation claim, faster, even if they’ve already filed, been denied, gave up, or don’t know where to start.
As the founder of VA Claims Insider and CEO of Military Disability Made Easy, he has helped serve more than 10 million military members and veterans since 2013 through free online educational resources.
He is a former active duty Air Force officer with extensive experience leading hundreds of individuals and multi-functional teams in challenging international environments, including a combat tour to Afghanistan in 2011 supporting Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.
Brian is a Distinguished Graduate of Management from the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, and he holds an MBA from Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business, Stillwater, OK, where he was a National Honor Scholar (Top 1% of Graduate School class).
