The Social Security Administration has announced a 2025 COLA increase to stay at a similar pace with inflation, which applies to VA payments as well. Veterans who qualify for the Veteran disability compensation can expect a rise in the 2025 payments based on the COLA increase.
VA $94 Payment Rise
The VA Disability Compensation is a federal program administered by the Department of Veteran Affairs to support the military personnel who have retired and got injured, disability, or illness while serving the country. The government intends to support retirees, thief families, and dependents through this payment.
Every year VA disability rates change based on the SSA COLA review, where the Social Security Administration computes Cost-of-Living Adjustment based on the CPI-W. On 10 Oct 2024, the SSA announced the 2.5% COLA increase for 2025, which increases the VA disability payments too for Veterans with no dependents and veterans with dependents.
Based on the reports, the 2025 COLA has hiked the maximum amount for 100% disability Veterans with no dependents up to $94. Veterans with no dependents and 100% disability will receive a $3831.30 payout from an earlier $3737.85 in 2024. The payout rates will change for other veterans too with different disability ratings and dependents statuses.
The Department of Veteran Affairs will announce the rates for 2025 on 01 Dec 2024 as it is effective from the same date.
Factors that can affect your VA disability payment
The VA Disability compensation pay rates depend on the following factors that may affect your payment:
- VA disability ratings:
- The compensation payout is determined based on your disability percentage which measures the severity of your disability or medical condition along with other factors.
- The rating lets the authority know how much your disability affected your overall health.
- It is determined by the healthcare reports, VA claims, and other sources.
- The Veterans may qualify for the multiple rating, in that case, the authority will combine the rating to determine your payment.
- Dependent Status: Your VA disability payment gets affected based on the dependents you are responsible for, such as parents, spouse, and child. With various dependent statuses, the recipients may receive the lower or hiked payment.
- Convicted crime: You have been kept in prison be it local or federal level for more than 60 days for some crime.
- Receiving pay: Your VA disability compensation can be reduced if you receive disability severance pay, retirement pay, or separation pay.
- Additional payments: The authority offers additional payments for disabled spouses and each child under 18 or over 18 after including one on the dependent status.
Who gets VA disability compensation?
Veterans who meet the following eligibility conditions can claim the VA disability compensation:
- When your injury, illness, or disability affects your body and mind that limits your earning potential.
- When you served the military services on active duty, inactive duty training, or active duty training program.
- Now, the above conditions are mandatory, however, if you meet any of the following conditions with the mandatory one, you are eligible for Disability Compensation:
- Pre-Service Claim: Before you joined the armed forces, you already had some injury or illness that had amplified and got worse than before while serving in the military.
- In-Service Claim: While you were serving in the military services, you got a severe injury or caught some illness that has caused your current disability or disease.
- Post-Service Claim: The disability or injury related to your active duty that didn’t appear until you ended your service.
- In some cases, the authority assumes your service caused your current situation named Presumptive conditions, such as
- When you have been a Prisoner of War, your illness can be caused by being in prison for a long time.
- When a chronic disease appears within one year of your service discharge.
- An illness or injury caused by coming in contact with hazardous or toxic chemicals.
Supporting document to claim the VA Disability
Veterans thinking of claiming disability compensation should prepare the following documents before applying:
- Your VA medical records or hospital records of your claimed illness that has gotten worse.
- Your hospital reports or medical records: To show your in-service injury or illness has gotten worse or you have suffered post-service illness.
- Supporting Statements: To state your claim, you must submit a supporting statement from family, peers, law enforcement personnel, clergy members, or your in-duty mates telling about your condition, how and when it occurred, and amplified to such state.
How can you receive the VA Disability payout?
Veterans who meet the eligibility of the VA Disability Compensation and wish to receive the compensation from 2025 can claim the compensation in the following ways:
- VA Official Website: You can file the online claim for VA Disability compensation at https://www.va.gov/ with the supporting documents easily in minutes.
- Offline: You can submit the VA Form 21-526EZ (the form is available on the official website) and mail the filled form with relevant documents based on your claim type to the Veteran Affairs Department, Janesville.
- Trained Professional: If you need assistance in filing the VA disability claim, you can get assistance from VSOs (Veteran Service Organizations), claims agents, or others.
- By Fax: You can fax the filled form to the authorities at 844-531-7818 (US applicants) or 248-524-4260 (applicants living outside the US).
The VA Disability 2025 rates based on the 2.5% 2025 COLA will be effective from 01 December 2024 and the authority will declare the final rates on the effective date only, so stay updated to know your 2025 payment based on your disability rating and dependent status.
