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2025 VA Pay Rates and COLA Announced

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Posted on October 11, 2024 in

If you receive monthly income benefits through the Veterans Administration (the VA), you may already know that every year, the VA changes your benefits based on a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) calculation.

This COLA is based on the same one the Social Security Administration uses for Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. 

How Much will Your VA Monthly Benefits Increase in 2025?

The Social Security COLA for 2025 is 2.5%, the same amount that your VA monthly disability compensation will increase by.

This COLA increase is smaller than in recent years. The increase for 2024 was 3.2%, and the increase for 2023 was 8.7%.

When Will the VA 2025 COLA Increase Take Effect?

The VA will make the new 2025 disability COLA increase effective on December 1, 2024.

The VA pays your monthly disability benefit payment on the first business day of the month unless that day is a holiday. In that case, your payment would be made on the last business day of the current month. 

How Much Will My VA Monthly Compensation Be in 2025?

The following table shows the monthly disability compensation rates for 2024 for a single veteran with no dependents as a baseline, along with the rates for 2025.

VA Disability Rating2024 Monthly Compensation 2025 Monthly Compensation
10%$171.23$175.51
20%$338.49$346.95
30%$524.31$537.42
40%$755.28$774.16
50%$1,075.16$1,102.04
60%$1,361.88$1,395.93
70%$1,716.27$1,759.19
80%$1,995.01$2,044.89
90%$2,241.91$2,297.96
100%$3,737.85$3,831.30

Additional Monthly Compensation for Qualifying Dependents 

If you have one or more dependents, and your combined disability rating is at least 30%, then you can qualify for additional monthly compensation depending on how many qualifying dependents you have.

A qualifying dependent can include:

  • Your spouse
  • Your dependent parent or parents
  • Your children who are under the age of 18
  • Your children between the ages of 18 and 23 who are still in a course of study

Additional Special Monthly Compensation for Qualifying Disabled Veterans

Special monthly compensation (SMC) is available if you are a disabled veteran whose service-connected disability is severe enough that you need more than what a 100% disability rating provides.

SMC is available depending on criteria including specific disabilities like the loss of a limb or creative organ, whether you need aid and attendance from someone else, if you are completely and permanently housebound, or if you have suffered a traumatic brain injury and need regular aid and attendance as a result. 

Except for SMC category K, SMC benefits replace the monthly compensation benefit you would otherwise receive.

The VA rates SMC benefits through the letters K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, and T.

  • The L, M, and N categories also have an additional “½” rating.
  • The R and S levels each have two numbered subcategories (R-1 and R-2 and S-1 and S-2). 

All SMC categories will increase by the same 2.5% COLA increase as monthly disability compensation.

With this in mind, here are the 2025 SMC compensation amounts, with the COLA increase factored in.

SMC Category2025 SMC Monthly BenefitNotes
K$136.06Paid in addition to your 100% monthly disability compensation
L$4,767.34
L-½ $5,013.79
M$5,261.24
M-½ $5,622.75
N$5,985.06
N-½ $6,337.11
O and P$6,689.22No difference in pay between these two categories
R-1$9,559.22
R-2 and T$10,964.66No difference in pay between these two categories
S$4,288.45

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for 2025

If you are a qualifying surviving dependent of a veteran whose death was caused by that person’s military service, then you may be eligible for dependency and indemnity compensation, or DIC. 

This compensation is also subject to the VA 2.5% COLA increase.

With this increase built in, the base DIC monthly compensation amount for 2025 will be $1,653.06. This amount can increase based on factors like whether the deceased veteran was totally disabled, whether a surviving spouse requires aid and attendance services or is housebound because of a disability, and whether a surviving spouse has children under age 18.

Call Stone Rose Law to Learn More About Your VA Disability Benefits

If you have any questions about how much your current VA disability monthly compensation will increase in 2025 or about qualifying for VA disability benefits, then call Stone Rose Law at (480) 498-8998. You can reach us by telephone at any hour of the day or night, any day of the week.

If you are currently disabled because of one or more service-connected disabilities or are considering making a first-time or supplemental claim for VA disability compensation, see our VA Disability Calculator.

Or, if you have a question and would prefer to communicate with us in writing, you can contact us here.