2020 VA Disability Rate Pay Chart
The Department of Veterans Affairs provides disability benefits to veterans suffering from conditions that are due to military service. The amount of monthly compensation a veteran receives depends on their combined disability rating, as you can see from the 2020 VA Disability Pay Chart. Importantly, VA disability compensation rates will increase due to the 2020 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
2020 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)
The COLA rate for 2020 was announced on October 10th, 2019; however, the increase will not go into effect until December 1st, 2019. At that point, veterans should see a change in the amount of monthly compensation they receive. While this year’s COLA is lower than it was in 2019, ranging closer to 1.6 percent, it will still result in an increase in compensation benefits for veterans.
Click here if you are instead looking for the VA disability pay charts from 2018 or 2019.
Additional Compensation for Qualifying Dependents
VA provides additional monthly compensation for veterans with qualifying dependents who have a combined disability rating of 30 percent or higher. Qualifying dependents include the following:
- Minor children under the age of 18
- Children between the ages of 18 and 23 who are still in school
- Spouse
- Dependent parents
The amount of additional compensation varies between dependents (see below).
Understanding the 2020 VA Disability Pay Chart
To determine the amount of monthly compensation you will receive in 2020, you can reference the VA disability pay chart included below. The amounts listed in the VA disability pay chart are representative of the amount that VA pays monthly for disability benefits. The percentages across the top of the pay chart are the combined disability ratings assigned after combining the ratings of each of your conditions. Importantly, you do not receive separate compensation for each of your service-connected conditions. Instead, you receive one monthly payment based on your combined disability rating.
If you follow across the row, you will find the corresponding amount of compensation consistent with each combined rating. The amount of monthly compensation increases as the combined disability rating increases. Additionally, in the pay chart you can find the amount of monthly compensation you will receive for qualified dependents; however, each column thereafter represents a different combination of dependents. Once again, if you follow across the row, you will find the amount of compensation based on your combined rating that is unique to your dependency status.
The VA disability pay chart is divided into two sections based on qualifying dependents. Specifically, the top half of the pay chart identifies monthly compensation for veterans with a spouse or dependent parents. The bottom half of the pay chart identifies monthly compensation for veterans with children under 18 years old or still in school.
