80% VA Disability Benefits

CCK Law: Our Vital Role in Veterans Law

An 80 percent VA disability rating is one of the highest that VA can award to veterans. In addition to granting substantial monthly VA disability pay, an 80 percent VA rating opens benefits like a home loan program, tax exemptions, and free Priority Group One healthcare to help veterans better manage their disabilities.

If you are a veteran looking to learn more about the benefits of an 80 percent VA disability rating, then this article will help you navigate this complex topic.

Highlights of this article include:

• What benefits do 80 percent disabled veterans get?
• Why does VA rate veterans with service-connected conditions at 80 percent?
• What is the monthly compensation for 80 percent VA disability pay?
• What are the 80 percent disability VA health benefits?
• And more

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How Do Veterans Get 80 Percent VA Disability Ratings?

VA disability ratings are generally meant to compensate veterans for the average impairment in earning capacity caused by their service-connected condition(s). As such, the more severe the disability, the higher the VA disability rating.

VA uses the Schedule for Rating Disabilities to calculate how severe a service-connected disability is. The rating criteria in the Schedule for Rating Disabilities describe symptoms and sometimes treatments for most eligible conditions. VA will then issue a rating, ranging from 0 to 100 percent, according to the criteria. These ratings are assigned in 10 percent increments.

Multiple service-connected disability ratings are combined into a single rating using a complex formula (“VA math”). Veterans can use CCK Law’s VA Disability Calculator to combine ratings and estimate their benefit payments.

How Much Compensation Do Veterans Rated at 80 Percent Receive?

In 2025, veterans who are rated at 80 percent will now receive $2,044.89 per month. Note that this amount typically changes each year due to a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The adjustment for 2025 was an increase of 2.5 percent.

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

Veterans may also be eligible to receive additional compensation for qualifying dependents, including a spouse, a child under the age of 18, a child between the ages of 18 and 23 and still in school, a child who was permanently disabled before the age of 18, and dependent parents.

If you want a general idea of how much VA disability pay you could receive every month, use our VA Disability Calculator.

Additional 80 Percent VA Disability Pay for Veterans with Dependents

The benefits for 80 percent disabled veterans include compensation for dependents, such as qualifying spouses and children. Below are the rates payable for various scenarios when a veteran is rated at 80 percent:

What Other Benefits Are Available to Veterans Rated at 80 Percent?

In addition to VA disability pay, veterans rated at 80 percent may be eligible for additional benefits, including, but not limited to:

• No-Cost Priority Group One Healthcare through VA
• Veteran Readiness and Employment Services
• Travel allowances for VA Medical Center appointments
• Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)
• VA’s home loan program
• Dependents Educational Assistance
• CHAMPVA Medical Insurance
• Burial and Plot Allowance

Other Frequently Asked Questions About 80 Percent VA Disability Benefits

Can Veterans Receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in Addition to 80 Percent VA Disability Benefits?

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a government program designed to support disabled persons whose conditions render them unable to find or maintain meaningful work.

Fortunately, receiving VA benefits has no bearing on a veteran’s eligibility for SSDI. A disabled veteran can be awarded both VA compensation and SSDI simultaneously, with neither having any impact on the other.

Can Veterans Receive Military Retirement Pay and 80 Percent VA Disability Pay?

Retired veterans who meet certain criteria are eligible for military retirement pay, typically awarded on a monthly basis.

As a general rule, the military does not allow a veteran to receive both retirement pay and VA disability benefits. Instead, the amount they receive in VA disability compensation is subtracted from their retirement pay to ensure that no benefits are being duplicated.

However, there are exceptions to this rule. Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) allows a veteran to simultaneously receive both their VA benefits and their retirement pay.

To qualify for CRDP, a veteran must:

• Be a regular retiree with a VA rating of 50 percent or greater, OR
• Be a reserve retiree with 20 years of qualifying service who has reached retirement age and possesses a VA rating of 50 percent or greater, OR
• Be retired under the Temporary Early Retirement Act (TERA) and have a disability of 50 percent or greater, OR
• Be a disability retiree who has otherwise earned entitlement to retired pay under any provision except by disability, and as a VA rating of 50 percent or higher.

In other words, if you have an 80 percent VA disability rating or higher, you already meet one of the main criteria for receiving CRDP.

Are Veterans Rated at 80 Percent Eligible for TDIU?

Total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is a monthly benefit available to veterans who are prevented from gaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment. This benefit compensates veterans at the 100 percent level, even if their combined disability rating is less than 100 percent.

To be eligible for schedular TDIU, veterans must:

• Have one condition rated at 60 percent minimum, OR two conditions that can be combined to reach at least 70 percent, where one condition is at a minimum of 40 percent.

Veterans who are rated at 80 percent for any condition or combination of conditions should meet the criteria for schedular TDIU. To apply for TDIU, VA requires that veterans complete VA Form 21-8940, Veteran’s Application for Increased Compensation Based on Unemployability.

TDIU can be a vague and complex claim or appeal. Consider contacting CCK Law for a free case evaluation.

How Difficult Is It to Increase from an 80 to 100 Percent Disability Rating?

If you are currently at an 80 percent VA disability rating, you may also be eligible (or become eligible if your conditions worsen) for a 100 percent rating (i.e., total disability). Check out this article to learn the best ways you can increase your rating from 80 to 100 percent.

Contact CCK Law for a Free Case Evaluation

In addition, consider reaching out to a VA-accredited law firm to help you navigate the ins and outs of the VA claims process. Firms like CCK Law have teams of attorneys who will dedicate themselves wholly to your case. Feel free to call us at 401-251-0659 or contact us online.