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What are the best benefits of 80% VA disability? There are many!
Reaching an 80% VA disability rating unlocks a wide range of benefits designed to support you and your family.
These benefits include higher VA disability monthly compensation pay, health care, educational assistance, home loan advantages, and more.
In this post, we reveal and explain the top 20 VA benefits you may be eligible for—so you don’t leave money or other benefits on the table!
Table of Contents
Summary of Key Points
- The best benefits of 80% VA disability include healthcare, education benefits for dependents, dental care, and access to commissaries and exchanges.
- Your monthly compensation for an 80% VA disability rating varies based on your dependent status, including whether you have a spouse, children, or dependent parents.
- You may qualify for additional financial support through VA Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) if you have severe disabilities, need aid and attendance, or have lost the use of a body part.
- Some states offer property tax exemptions or discounts for veterans with an 80% VA rating.
Did You Know?
- According to the Veterans Benefits Administration data reported to Congress, 9.93% of disabled veterans, or 562,086 out of 5,662,273 currently have an 80% VA disability rating.
How Much is 80% VA Disability Pay?
An 80% VA rating provides more than $2,044 of tax-free monthly compensation. Your exact 80% VA disability monthly compensation depends on how many dependents you have.
Basic monthly amounts are calculated based on whether you have a spouse, children, or parents claimed as dependents.
Additional amounts may be added if you have additional eligible children and/or your spouse is receiving aid and attendance. Remember, there are qualifications for dependent children, including age and whether they are married or not.
For example, if you are married with one child under 18, you’ll receive over $3,800 in monthly compensation with your 80% VA rating pay.
List of Top 20 Benefits of 80% VA Disability
1. 80% VA Disability Compensation Pay
If you have an 80% VA disability rating, you will receive over $2,000 a month in tax-free compensation as a single veteran and even more if you have dependents.
The VA adjusts disability payments annually through a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) to help keep pace with inflation.
Current Veterans Disability Compensation Rates
2. No-Cost Health Care and Prescription Medications
Veterans with 80 percent disability VA health benefits qualify for priority medical care, low-cost prescriptions, and specialized treatment through the VA healthcare system.
If needed, you may also have access to vision and hearing care, prosthetic devices, and home health care services.
If you require long-term care, such as nursing home services or in-home assistance, the VA provides options based on medical necessity.
3. Additional VA Compensation for Eligible Dependents
Additional benefits of 80% VA disability include a higher monthly compensation amount for eligible dependents.
The VA recognizes the following as dependents:
- A spouse
- A parent, if you’re directly caring for them and their income and net worth are below a certain amount
- An unmarried child (including an adopted child or stepchild – age restrictions apply)
View or Update Dependent Status
4. Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA)
The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program, also known as Chapter 35, provides education and training benefits to eligible dependents of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected condition or who have died because of their service.
DEA helps spouses and children pay for college, career training, certification programs, and, in some cases, on-the-job training or apprenticeships
5. VA Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)
Veterans with an 80% VA rating may qualify for Special Monthly Compensation. VA Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) is a higher rate of compensation paid to veterans, their spouses, and surviving spouses due to special circumstances.
This includes severe disabilities, the need for aid and attendance, loss of use of a body part, or other conditions that require extra financial support.
SMC is separate from the standard VA disability compensation and is awarded based on the severity of a veteran’s condition and their specific needs.
See More: What is VA Special Monthly Compensation?
6. Veterans Benefits Banking Program (VBBP)
The Veterans Benefits Banking Program (VBBP) helps veterans, beneficiaries, and caregivers receive and manage VA monetary benefits.
VBBP links VA benefits recipients with banks and credit unions that understand veterans’ financial needs and offer top-quality service to them and their families.
The program is available to all VA benefit recipients, regardless of credit or legal history, and even assists homeless veterans in opening a checking or savings account.
7. Travel Allowance for Scheduled Appointments
The VA offers travel pay reimbursement for scheduled appointments for care at a VA medical facility or VA-authorized healthcare facility if you have a service-connected disability with a 30% or greater VA rating.
Travel pay reimbursement includes:
- Regular transportation, such as by car, plane, train, bus, taxi, or light rail
- Approved meals and lodging expenses
Caregivers may receive travel reimbursement, including transportation and related lodging and meals, in some situations, too.
8. Property Tax Exemptions (State-Specific)
Veterans with service-connected disabilities are eligible for tax breaks and discounts in many states. In most cases, the tax breaks reduce taxes by lowering the property’s assessed value.
Some states offer full exemptions for veterans who are 100% permanently and totally disabled, while others provide partial exemptions for veterans with lower disability ratings, including those at 80% disability.
9. VA Funding Fee Waiver for Home Loan
As a veteran with an 80% VA disability rating, you are exempt from the VA home loan funding fee, potentially saving you thousands of dollars on your home purchase.
This exemption applies to both first-time and repeat homebuyers using their VA loan benefit. Additionally, surviving spouses of veterans who died due to service-connected conditions may also qualify for the funding fee waiver.
10. Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E)
The Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) program offers services to help with job training, education, employment accommodations, resume development, and job-seeking skills coaching.
Eligibility for VR&E (All of these must be true):
- You didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge, and
- You have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% from the VA
11. Concurrent Receipt of Military Retired Pay
Generally, military retirees can’t receive VA disability compensation and military retired pay concurrently.
However, if you have a service-connected disability of at least 50%, you may be eligible to receive both VA disability compensation and military retired pay in full, without an offset.
This benefit is provided under the Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) or Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) programs.
Complete List of Eligibility Requirements
12. Up to $5,000 Per Year Folds of Honor Educational Scholarships for Eligible Dependents of Disabled Veterans
Folds of Honor offers educational scholarships of up to $5,000 per year to the spouses and dependents of disabled veterans.
You can use the scholarships for tuition, fees, books, and other education-related expenses at accredited schools.
Additional educational scholarships include the American Legion Legacy Scholarship and Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation
Several states provide educational benefits for dependents of disabled veterans, so check your state’s programs to explore your available options.
13. CHAMPVA Medical Insurance
CHAMPVA is a health insurance program that provides coverage for eligible dependents of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected condition or who have died from such a condition.
CHAMPVA helps cover the cost of medical services, including doctor visits, hospital stays, prescriptions, mental health care, and durable medical equipment.
See More: Top 11 Services Covered by CHAMPVA Insurance
14. Dental Care (If Unemployable)
You may be eligible for VA dental care if you have an 80% VA disability rating. As a veteran with a service-connected disability, you’re in Class I and may qualify for any necessary dental care.
See More: VA Dental Care
15. Burial and Plot Allowance
The VA offers burial benefits, including a burial allowance and veterans’ headstones, markers, medallions, plaques, and urns.
In addition, you may be eligible for a United States flag to drape over a casket or coffin or place with an urn.
16. Use of commissaries, exchanges, and morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) retail facilities, in-person and online
Additional benefits of 80% VA disability include the use of commissaries, exchanges, and morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) retail facilities, both in-person and online.
17. Special Restorative Training
The VA offers special restorative training to help reduce the effects of a physical or mental disability.
This training is meant to help eligible people work toward an education, job training, or another goal. However, it doesn’t include medical care or mental health treatment.
18. 10-Point Veteran Preference in Federal Hiring
The 10-point veteran preference gives extra points to eligible veterans when applying for federal jobs, helping them rank higher in the hiring process.
It’s available to veterans with a service-connected disability, Purple Heart recipients, and certain family members of disabled or deceased veterans.
These extra points can improve your chances of getting hired for a government job. Learn more about Veterans Preference Points.
19. Direct Hire Authority
The VA offers a direct hire authority for eligible veterans (including those with 80% VA disability!), allowing federal employers to skip the long, competitive hiring process when hiring veterans for specific jobs.
It helps speed things up, especially for roles that are hard to fill or in high demand.
20. VA TDIU or “Total Disability Individual Unemployability” Benefits
If you have an 80% VA disability rating, you may qualify for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU).
TDIU is a VA benefit that lets you receive compensation at the 100% disability rate if your service-connected conditions prevent you from working, even if your combined rating is below 100%.
To qualify for TDIU:
This must be true:
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.
And one of these must be true:
- You have at least 1 service-connected disability rated at 60% or more disabling or
- You have 2 or more service-connected disabilities, with at least 1 rated at 40% or more disabling and a combined rating of 70% or more
See More: VA TDIU Approval Rate: Top 5 Questions Answered
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About the Author
Kelly Olone
Kelly Olone is a military spouse who earned her degree in Psychology from Florida International University. After working in the non-profit sector for several years, she turned to her passion for writing. She aims to contribute to a better understanding of the valuable benefits that veterans deserve. As a mom, Kelly navigates the delicate balance between deadlines and bedtime stories with finesse.
