70% VA Disability Benefits
CCK Law: Our Vital Role in Veterans Law
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) awards a 70 percent disability rating to veterans whose service-connected disabilities have significantly impaired their ability to work and enjoy life.
The list of 70 percent VA disability benefits includes monthly compensation, healthcare, education and training, and eligibility for higher benefits, such as schedular Individual Unemployability. For many veterans, these benefits can be life-changing, allowing them the breathing room they need to focus on their health.
In this article, CCK Law will discuss:
- The criteria that VA uses to award a 70 percent VA disability rating
- The monthly compensation rates for veterans with a 70 percent disability rating
- What non-compensation 70 percent VA disability benefits are available
- Potential additional benefits for 70 percent disabled veterans
- Common questions and valuable tips from CCK Law
VA Disability Ratings Explained
VA assigns a disability rating to a veteran’s service-connected condition based on criteria such as frequency, duration, and severity of symptoms. Generally, VA disability ratings are meant to compensate veterans for the average impairment in earning capacity caused by their service-connected condition(s).
Veterans must have a combined disability rating of at least 10 percent for the veteran to qualify for VA monthly compensation. A 100 percent disability rating is the highest VA can assign and yields the maximum amount of monthly disability compensation.
Combined VA Disability Ratings
One important thing to note is that VA has a very particular way that it calculates disability ratings when a veteran is suffering from multiple combined disabling conditions.
For instance, if a veteran has a 30 percent disability rating for migraines they incurred during military service and a separate 40 percent rating for nerve damage, those two percentages will not simply be added together to give the veteran a 70 percent VA rating.
Instead, VA will use a process commonly referred to as “VA math” to calculate the veteran’s final rating. This formula can be confusing to use, however, which is why CCK Law has created a 2025 VA Disability Calculator to help you estimate your potential total rating.
VA Compensation for 70 Percent Disability Rating
In 2025, veterans with a 70 percent VA disability rating receive $1,759.19 per month in VA compensation. This monetary benefit is tax-free at both the federal and state levels. The exact amount of compensation may increase or decrease each year depending on cost-of-living adjustments (COLA).
As of December 1st, 2024, the VA disability rate benefit amounts are as follows:
- 0 percent disability rating: $0.00 per month
- 10 percent disability rating: $175.51 per month
- 20 percent disability rating: $346.95 per month
- 30 percent disability rating: $537.42 per month
- 40 percent disability rating: $774.16 per month
- 50 percent disability rating: $1,102.04 per month
- 60 percent disability rating: $1,395.93 per month
- 70 percent disability rating: $1,759.19 per month
- 80 percent disability rating: $2,044.89 per month
- 90 percent disability rating: $2,297.96 per month
- 100 percent disability rating: $3,831.30 per month
Additional Compensation for Dependents
Veterans with a combined disability rating of 30 percent or higher and one or more qualifying dependents are eligible for additional monthly compensation for each dependent. Qualifying dependents include:
- A spouse
- Dependent parents
- Children under the age of 18
- Children between the ages of 18 and 23 who are in school (must be unmarried)
- Children who were severely disabled prior to reaching the age of 18
Veterans can reference CCK Law’s helpful 2025 VA disability pay chart for the current disability rates for 70 percent disabled veterans with dependents.
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)
For veterans with particularly severe disabilities or combinations of disabilities, VA also offers Special Monthly Compensation (SMC), a sum of money that is awarded in place of your usual monthly compensation.
This benefit is intended to provide qualifying veterans with a necessary financial cushion to handle any expenses that the typical VA disability rates have not accounted for.
For more information on SMC and the compensation you may be entitled to, explore CCK Law’s article, “Special Monthly Compensation Explained.”
70 Percent VA Disability Benefits
In addition to monthly VA compensation, veterans with a 70 percent rating may also qualify for additional benefits, including the following:
VA Health Care Benefits for 70 Percent Disabled Veterans
VA uses priority groups to categorize veterans and the different types of health care benefits they receive. Each priority group has a different co-pay.
To be placed in VA Health Care Priority Group 1, the highest priority group, veterans need to be service-connected at 50 percent or more or be receiving total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU). Based on these criteria, veterans with a 70 percent VA disability rating are eligible for enrollment in Priority Group 1.
Veterans in Priority Group 1 are eligible to receive all their health care services through VA with no co-pays. Some of these services include:
- Preventive care
- Inpatient (hospitalization) services
- Ancillary services
- Mental health care
- Geriatrics and extended care
- Medical equipment/prosthetic items, and aids
- Medication/supplies
- Dental care (Note: Dental care is not automatically included)
- Nursing home placement
- Medically related travel benefits
- Eyeglasses
- Hearing aids
- Automotive adaptive equipment (under certain conditions)
- Home improvement and structural alteration grants (under certain conditions)
- Clothing allowance benefits (under certain conditions)
- Dependents’ health care (if not eligible under TRICARE)
- Emergency care at a non-VA facility (under certain conditions)
- Foreign medical care (for service-connected and secondary conditions)
Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E)
Veterans with a 70 percent VA disability rating, as well as all veterans with service-connected conditions rated 10 percent or higher, are eligible for Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E).
VR&E provides a range of career services, including career counseling and rehabilitation planning for employment, job training, job-seeking skills, résumé development, and other work-readiness assistance, as well as on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and non-paid work experience.
VA Home Loan Guarantee Benefits
VA provides home loan guarantees to help veterans buy, repair, rebuild, or keep a home. In general, VA home loans are provided by private lenders (i.e., banks and mortgage companies) and are guaranteed by VA so that veterans or service members can get more favorable terms on their mortgage. Veterans can qualify for lower interest rates on their loans and may be able to pay lower down payments for their homes, as guaranteed by VA.
Free Tax Preparation Services
While not a direct VA benefit, the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs assist thousands of veterans in preparing their taxes for free every year.
The IRS works with local community groups to train and certify VITA and TCE volunteers. These volunteers then help qualifying disabled veterans prepare their taxes. VITA and TCE also provide free electronic filing.
Concurrent Retired and Disability Pay
Concurrent Retired and Disability Pay (CRDP) restores veterans’ service pay by eliminating the VA waiver (i.e., when military retirement pay is reduced by VA disability compensation). Veterans with a 70 percent VA disability rating are eligible, like all veterans with a disability rating of 50 percent or higher.
Life Insurance for Disabled Veterans
Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) is a benefit that typically follows Service members’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI), provided the veteran meets certain qualifications. Veterans who continue to pay the premiums for VGLI after leaving service can keep their insurance. The premium amount depends on age, type of plan (term or permanent), and the amount of coverage.
Veterans with a 70 percent VA rating can receive between $10,000 and $500,000 in life insurance benefits, based on the amount of SGLI coverage they had when they left the military.
Training Programs Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill
Eligible veterans with 70 percent disability ratings may qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. These programs include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Entrepreneurship training
- Flight training
- Institutions of higher learning (i.e., undergraduate and graduate degrees)
- Licensing and certification reimbursement
- On-the-job training
- Tutorial assistance
- Vocational/technical training
Frequently Asked Questions about 70 Percent VA Disability Benefits
Social Security and 70 Percent VA Disability Compensation
Veterans with a 70 percent disability rating may qualify for Social Security benefits, although it depends on the type. There are two different types of Social Security benefits: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
SSDI only counts earned income; therefore, VA disability benefits have no effect on entitlement to SSDI, and you can receive both simultaneously.
However, SSI is need-based, meaning any contribution from VA disability benefits will count towards income for the month. The SSI income limit for 2025 is $967 per month. Since 70 percent disabled veterans receive $1,759.19 per month in 2025, they are most likely not eligible for SSI.
How to Increase 70 Percent VA Disability Benefits to Total Disability or a 100 Percent Rating
Increasing Your 70 Percent VA Disability Rating
If you believe your service-connected condition(s) warrant a higher disability rating than the one currently assigned, there are several ways to increase your rating:
- File an appeal within VA’s deadlines (one year for most types of appeals)
- File a new claim for an increased rating
- File a claim for secondary service connection if you have symptoms or conditions resulting from an already service-connected disability
When trying to go from a 70 percent disability rating to a 100 percent disability rating, veterans should be mindful of the rating criteria for each service-connected condition for which they are seeking an increase. Veterans can read through the rating criteria and determine how their symptomology lines up with what is listed.
TDIU for 70 Percent Disabled Veterans
Veterans who are unable to work due to service-connected condition(s) can apply for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU), a benefit that compensates veterans at the 100 percent rating level even if their disabilities are not rated 100 percent. Veterans with a 70 percent disability rating may be able to qualify for TDIU on a schedular basis if they prove that they cannot obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.
There are two ways to qualify for TDIU: schedular and extraschedular.
Schedular TDIU, outlined under 38 CFR § 4.16, provides two different paths to qualify for TDIU with a specific rating:
- The veteran has one service-connected disability rated at least 60 percent disabling; or
- The veteran has a combined rating of at least 70 percent, with one condition rated at least 40 percent.
A veteran with a combined VA rating of 70 percent may thus potentially be eligible for schedular TDIU. If not, their significant rating raises the possibility that they are still eligible under extraschedular TDIU.
Need Assistance Increasing Your VA Rating?
If your claim for benefits was denied or if you are seeking to increase your disability rating, Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick is here to help. Our team of VA-accredited attorneys and advocates may be able to help you secure the disability benefits you deserve. For a free case review, call our office today at (800) 544-9144 or contact us online.
