VA disability compensation is set to rise 3.6% on December 1, 2026. The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment for 2027 on October 14, 2026. Each year VA compensation rises by the same percentage, and that is expected again this year.
Because VA pays in arrears, the first payment at the new rate arrives at the start of January 2027, covering December.
Estimated 2027 amounts
These estimates apply the 3.6% increase to the current rates, which took effect December 1, 2025. VA publishes the official table once the increase is final. Its figures can differ by a few cents because of rounding.
| Rating | Current, veteran alone | Estimated 2027 | Monthly increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | $186.92 | $6.50 |
| 20% | $356.66 | $369.50 | $12.84 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $572.36 | $19.89 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,173.68 | $40.78 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,873.55 | $65.10 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,080.37 | $141.79 |
A veteran rated 100% with a spouse would go from $4,158.17 to about $4,307.86 a month. Over a full year, that comes to roughly $1,800 more, tax-free.
How the increase works
By law, VA compensation is not tied to inflation automatically. Each year Congress passes a short bill, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act, that sets the VA increase equal to the Social Security COLA. It has passed every year for decades and is routinely signed before December.
The Social Security COLA itself comes from the change in consumer prices, specifically the CPI-W, between the third quarter of one year and the third quarter of the next. Prices rose 3.6% by that measure, which is where this year’s figure comes from.
Does anything else change?
The extra amounts for a spouse, children, dependent parents and Aid and Attendance all rise by the same 3.6%. So do special monthly compensation rates and dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors.
Your combined rating does not change. The increase applies to whatever rating you already hold. If you have a claim pending, any back pay will be calculated at the rate in effect for each month.
Compared with recent years
The December 2025 increase was 2.8%, which brought the 70% veteran-alone rate to $1,808.45. A 3.6% increase is larger, but well below the 8.7% jump of December 2022, when inflation peaked.
Common questions
Do I need to do anything to get the increase? No. VA applies it automatically to every payment.
When will the 2027 amounts appear in the calculator on this site? The day VA publishes the official table. Until then, the calculator uses the current rates.
Is the increase taxable? No. VA disability compensation, including the increase, is not taxed.
Does military retired pay rise too? Yes. Military retired pay and Survivor Benefit Plan annuities also rise by the Social Security COLA, effective December 1. That increase first appears in the January payment.
See your current amount, with family members included, in our VA rating calculator.