Some of the biggest federal benefits unlock at specific VA disability rating levels. Find your rating band below and you will jump straight to what you qualify for and the exact steps to claim it. Numbers that change (pay rates, limits) link to the official source; everything else is here on the page.
Education only. Not the VA, not a government agency, and not financial, tax, or legal advice. Help with a VA claim or rating is always free through a VA-accredited Veteran Service Officer.
Not sure where to start? Tap your rating band below. It jumps you straight to the federal benefits you qualify for and how to claim each one.
In this section
First, confirm your P&T status and get your proof letter · CHAMPVA: health coverage for your spouse and kids · Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) and the Fry Scholarship · Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge of federal student loans · VA home loan funding-fee waiver · Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) · Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) and Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) · VA health care Priority Group 1 · Commissary and exchange shopping privileges · Property tax relief (state-run)
If the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has rated you 100 percent Permanent and Total (P&T), or you're rated 100 percent through Individual Unemployability (IU, also written TDIU, Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability), a whole second layer of federal benefits opens up, mostly for your family, not just you. This guide walks through each one: what it is, who actually qualifies at your rating, and the exact steps to go get it. Individual Unemployability (IU) paid at the 100 percent rate counts as "100 percent" for almost everything below, but a couple of items need the Permanent and Total (P&T) box checked specifically, and we flag those. None of this is legal, tax, or financial advice, and none of it is a substitute for the VA's own guidance. We're not the VA and we're not the government. If anything here touches your underlying disability claim or rating itself, that goes to a free VA-accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO), never to us and never to anyone charging a fee. Everything else below, though, is a benefit you can go claim yourself, and we walk you through it start to finish.
Almost every benefit below asks for proof of your rating and your Permanent and Total (P&T) status, so get this document once and reuse it everywhere.
Step 1 - Go to VA.gov: Download your VA benefit letters and sign in with ID.me, Login.gov, DS Logon, or My HealtheVet.
Step 2 - Confirm the mailing address on file is correct; VA will prompt you to check this first.
Step 3 - Open the Benefit Summary and Service Verification Letter. Before it generates, check the boxes for combined service-connected rating, service-connected disability status, and permanent and total (P&T) designation.
Step 4 - Save the PDF. This single letter is the proof nearly every agency below will ask you for.
Step 5 - If the letter does NOT show a Permanent and Total (P&T) designation and you believe you qualify for one, that question goes to a free accredited VSO (find one at VA.gov: Get help filing a claim), not to us. We never charge for claims help, and neither should anyone else.
The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) is a cost-sharing health plan for the spouse and dependent children of a veteran rated 100 percent Permanent and Total (P&T). It is not free; think of it like a plan with a deductible and coinsurance, not a blank check. Your family cannot have CHAMPVA and TRICARE at the same time, they're mutually exclusive, so confirm which one actually applies to your household first.
Step 1 - Confirm eligibility: your CHAMPVA sponsor (you) must be rated Permanent and Total (P&T) for a service-connected disability, and your dependent must be a spouse or child (children generally lose eligibility at 18, or 23 if enrolled full-time in school). Confirm at VA.gov: CHAMPVA benefits.
Step 2 - Gather documents: your Benefit Summary Letter showing Permanent and Total (P&T) status, your dependent's Social Security number, a copy of your marriage certificate (for a spouse) or birth certificate/school enrollment proof (for a child), and Medicare Part A and B cards if your dependent is Medicare-eligible (Medicare-eligible dependents must be enrolled in Medicare to keep CHAMPVA).
Step 3 - Complete VA Form 10-10d, Application for CHAMPVA Benefits. Apply online at VA.gov: Apply for CHAMPVA benefits (Form 10-10d), or download the paper form at VA Form 10-10d (PDF).
Step 4 - If applying by mail, send the completed, signed form and copies of the documents above to the address printed on the form. There is no deadline to apply, but coverage starts only after VA processes and approves it, so don't wait.
Step 5 - Questions on eligibility or the form itself: call the CHAMPVA Help Line at 800-733-8387.
Step 6 - Once approved, file claims for care online rather than by paper. Go to VA.gov: File a CHAMPVA claim and sign in with Login.gov or ID.me. This is faster than mailing Form 10-7959a.
Step 7 - Put a reminder on your calendar for each dependent child's 18th and 23rd birthday. Coverage can lapse quietly if school-enrollment paperwork isn't kept current.
Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA), also called Chapter 35, pays your spouse or child a separate monthly education benefit once you are rated Permanent and Total (P&T). It is its own program with its own lower pay rate, not your GI Bill transferred to them. The Fry Scholarship pays at the higher Post-9/11 GI Bill rate but is only for a spouse or child of a service member who died in the line of duty, not tied to your disability rating, so it doesn't apply just because you're rated 100 percent; it's listed here because the same application form covers both, and a family sometimes needs to choose.
Step 1 - Confirm eligibility: your spouse or child qualifies for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) once you're rated Permanent and Total (P&T) for a service-connected disability. On the timing, the rule turns on when you became eligible: if your Permanent and Total (P&T) rating (or the qualifying event) is dated before August 1, 2023, a spouse generally has 10 years from that date to use the benefit, and a child generally uses it between ages 18 and 26; for events on or after August 1, 2023, the fixed 10-year spouse deadline was removed. Confirm your exact window and the current child age band at VA.gov: Dependents' Educational Assistance.
Step 2 - Gather documents: your Benefit Summary Letter showing Permanent and Total (P&T) status, the dependent's Social Security number, and the school or training program's name if already chosen.
Step 3 - Complete VA Form 22-5490, Dependents' Application for VA Education Benefits. Apply online at VA.gov: Apply for DEA or Fry (Form 22-5490), or download the paper form at VA Form 22-5490 (PDF).
Step 4 - If the dependent could qualify under both Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) and the Fry Scholarship for a different sponsor, know that VA generally requires an irrevocable election between the two programs at application. Read the current rules on the application page in
Step 3 before submitting, since this choice usually can't be undone.
Step 5 - If you also have Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits you can transfer, the dependent uses VA Form 22-1990e to apply to use the transferred benefit at a specific school instead of Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). Compare the two dollar amounts before choosing; Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) pays a flat monthly rate, while transferred Post-9/11 GI Bill pays tuition plus a housing allowance. See current rate tables at VA.gov: DEA rates and VA.gov: Post-9/11 GI Bill rates.
Step 6 - Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA, Chapter 35) students now verify enrollment monthly to keep payments flowing. Set a recurring monthly reminder once your dependent is enrolled; the verification prompt and current method are on the program page at VA.gov: Dependents' Educational Assistance.
Step 7 - If your dependent's target school is private, out-of-state, or graduate-level, check whether it participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program (matching funds that cover tuition above the standard cap) at VA.gov: Find a Yellow Ribbon school.
A Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge is a U.S. Department of Education program, run through Federal Student Aid, that cancels your remaining federal student loan balance if you're rated 100 percent Permanent and Total (P&T), or rated 100 percent through Individual Unemployability (IU). There's no partial version and no lower-rating tier; it's this threshold or nothing. The best part: it can trigger automatically without you filing anything, but that also means it can silently stall if your paperwork doesn't line up. Check it yourself rather than waiting on a letter.
Step 1 - Log into studentaid.gov and check whether you already carry federal student loan debt and whether a Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge is already flagged on your account. The Department of Education runs a data match with the VA on a recurring basis looking for borrowers with a 100 percent Permanent and Total (P&T) or Individual Unemployability (IU) determination on file.
Step 2 - Confirm your name, Social Security number, and current mailing address match exactly between your loan servicer's records and VA's records. Mismatches or an old address are the single biggest reason this stalls.
Step 3 - If you get a notification letter saying you were identified for automatic discharge, read it. You get a 60-day window to opt out before the discharge processes; if you don't want to opt out, you don't have to do anything else. Do not ignore or trash this letter thinking it's spam.
Step 4 - If nothing has been flagged automatically, apply directly. Start the Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Discharge Application at studentaid.gov: Total and Permanent Disability Discharge, or see the step-by-step at studentaid.gov: How to qualify and apply for TPD discharge.
Step 5 - Gather documents: your VA Benefit Summary Letter showing the 100 percent Permanent and Total (P&T) or Individual Unemployability (IU) determination is the standard proof for a veteran applicant.
Step 6 - Submit online through the application in
Step 4, or upload your signed application and documents via the Document Upload Tool at studentaid.gov (select "Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Discharge" from the dropdown), or mail to: U.S. Department of Education, P.O. Box 300010, Greenville, TX 75403, or fax to 540-212-2415.
Step 7 - Before you count the forgiven balance as a clean windfall, know the federal tax exclusion on debt discharged through Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge is currently treated as permanent, but state tax treatment varies. If your balance is meaningful, check with a tax professional in your state before assuming it's tax-free everywhere.
When you use a VA-backed home loan, VA normally charges a one-time funding fee at closing (a percentage of the loan added to your costs). If you receive VA disability compensation, that fee is waived entirely, which can save you thousands on a purchase or refinance. This is a claimable benefit tied to your rating, and it usually posts automatically, but it can be missed, so it's worth confirming yourself and knowing the refund path if you were charged in error.
Step 1 - Confirm eligibility: veterans receiving (or eligible to receive) VA disability compensation are exempt from the VA home loan funding fee. Read the rule at VA.gov: VA funding fee and loan closing costs.
Step 2 - Get your Certificate of Eligibility (COE), which is the document that tells your lender whether the funding fee applies to you. Request it online at VA.gov: How to request a VA home loan Certificate of Eligibility, and if you need the paper route, use VA Form 26-1880, Request for a Certificate of Eligibility.
Step 3 - Have your proof ready: your Benefit Summary Letter showing you receive VA disability compensation. Your lender uses this plus the Certificate of Eligibility to code the loan as exempt so the fee is never charged at closing.
Step 4 - Tell your lender up front, before closing, that you are exempt from the funding fee. Ask them to confirm in writing that the exemption is reflected on your Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure, because catching it before closing is far easier than clawing it back after.
Step 5 - If you already closed and were charged the funding fee even though your disability claim was pending or approved as of the loan date, you can get it refunded. Contact your lender first, and if that stalls, contact your VA Regional Loan Center; find the current contact route at VA.gov: VA regional loan centers.
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) is a higher tax-free payment layered on top of your standard 100 percent rate for specific severe losses, like loss of use of a limb, blindness, or needing daily aid and attendance, that the standard 0-to-100 percent rating scale doesn't fully capture. It is triggered by specific medical facts already on your record, not by a percentage, so some veterans already qualify and don't know it.
Step 1 - Review your own VA rating decisions for any of these already-documented conditions: loss or loss of use of a hand, foot, or a creative organ; blindness or severe vision loss; deafness in both ears; need for regular aid and attendance; or being housebound because of a service-connected disability. See the full ladder of triggers at VA.gov: Special Monthly Compensation rates.
Step 2 - If you think a condition on file might already qualify but you're not currently receiving a Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) add-on, gather your VA rating decision letters and any medical evidence describing the functional loss (a doctor's statement describing your need for aid and attendance, for example).
Step 3 - File a claim for Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) using VA Form 21-526EZ, Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits, the same general disability-claim form, noting the specific triggering condition and evidence in the claim. Start at VA.gov: File for disability compensation.
Step 4 - Because this is a claims action (asking VA to recognize a new or additional entitlement), do this with a free, VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer, not on your own and never with a paid "consultant." Find one at VA.gov: Find a VSO.
Step 5 - Ask your VSO specifically whether your existing record supports the anatomical-loss tier, the housebound tier (100 percent plus a separate 60 percent-or-more disability), or a higher tier tied to needing daily personal care. The tiers and current rates are listed at the link in
Step 1.
If you're a military retiree who also draws VA disability compensation, federal law normally reduces your retired pay dollar-for-dollar by your VA compensation (the "VA Waiver"). Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) and Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) are the two federal programs that restore some or all of that offset. A 100 percent rating clears the Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) ratings bar easily (the threshold is 50 percent combined), and this section matters only if you are a retiree, not every veteran qualifies.
Step 1 - Confirm you're a retiree: 20-plus years of creditable service (or a qualifying Chapter 61 medical retirement, or a Guard/Reserve retiree age 60-plus drawing retired pay) and currently receiving both retired pay and VA disability compensation.
Step 2 - Check whether Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) is already showing on your retiree account. It's designed to start automatically once the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) has your 50 percent-or-more VA rating on file; log into myPay at mypay.dfas.mil and check your latest retiree account statement for a Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) line item.
Step 3 - If you believe you qualify for Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) and it isn't showing, call DFAS Retired and Annuitant Pay at 800-321-1080 and ask them to review your account.
Step 4 - Separately, if any of your service-connected conditions are combat-related (from armed conflict, hazardous duty like flight or diving, training that simulates war, or an "instrumentality of war" such as a combat vehicle, weapon, or Agent Orange exposure), you may also qualify for Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC), which is tax-free but requires an application and pays only on the combat-related portion of your rating.
Step 5 - Gather documents for Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC): your DD Form 214/215, your VA rating decision letters, VA medical records or physician reports tying each condition to a combat-related cause, and any relevant military medical records.
Step 6 - Complete DD Form 2860, Claim for Combat-Related Special Compensation, at DD Form 2860 (PDF), and mail it to your branch of service's Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) office (Army: U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Attn: AHRC-PDP-C (CRSC), 1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Dept. 480, Fort Knox, KY 40122-5408; Air Force: HQ AFPC/DPPDC, 550 C Street West, Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4708; Navy/Marine Corps: Secretary of the Navy Council of Review Boards, Attn: CRSC Branch, 720 Kennon Street SE, Suite 309, Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5023; Coast Guard: Commander (PSC-PSD-MED), 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20593-7200). Confirm the current mailing or email address for your branch at VA.gov: Combat-Related Special Compensation overview.
Step 7 - File Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) as soon as you can. Filing within 6 years of your VA rating decision preserves your maximum retroactive back-pay window; filing later caps how far back you can be paid.
Step 8 - You can only be paid under Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) or Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) in a given month, not both, for the same offset. Every December, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) mails an Open Season election letter; read it and compare the after-tax value of each program (Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay is taxable, Combat-Related Special Compensation is tax-free) before deciding whether to switch for the coming year.
VA health care enrollment is separate from your disability claim. Every enrollee gets sorted into one of VA's 8 Priority Groups, which controls how fast you're scheduled and what, if anything, you pay. At 100 percent (schedular or Individual Unemployability) you land in the top tier automatically.
Step 1 - Confirm the rule: a service-connected disability rated 50 percent or more, or a rating of unemployable due to service-connected conditions (Individual Unemployability), places you in Priority Group 1, VA's highest tier, with no copays for outpatient, inpatient, or medication tied to any condition. See VA.gov: Priority groups and VA.gov: Copay rates.
Step 2 - If you're not already enrolled in VA health care, complete VA Form 10-10EZ, Application for Health Benefits. Apply online at VA.gov: Apply for VA health care (Form 10-10EZ).
Step 3 - Alternatives to the online form: call 1-877-222-8387, visit any VA medical facility and ask for the enrollment coordinator, or mail your form to Health Eligibility Center, 2957 Clairmont Road, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30329.
Step 4 - Documents to have ready: your Social Security number, your DD-214 or other discharge paperwork, current insurance information (if any), and your Benefit Summary Letter showing your rating.
Step 5 - Once enrolled, ask specifically to be confirmed as Priority Group 1 at your local VA medical center; this drives your copay exemptions and scheduling priority.
Step 6 - At 100 percent (permanent, not a temporary 100 percent rating from something like a lengthy hospital stay), you also become eligible for VA dental Class IV (any needed dental care). Ask your VA medical center's dental clinic to confirm this eligibility once enrolled; see VA.gov: Dental care.
Step 7 - If your nearest VA facility is far away or has a long wait, ask your VA care team about a community care referral; VA has published drive-time and wait-time standards (roughly 30 minutes or 20 days for primary and mental health care, 60 minutes or 28 days for specialty care) that can qualify you to see a civilian provider paid by VA. See VA.gov: Community care eligibility.
Veterans certified by VA as 100 percent disabled in connection with military service (this includes Medal of Honor recipients and, since a 2020 expansion, veterans with any service-connected disability rating, along with Purple Heart recipients and former prisoners of war) can shop at military commissaries and exchanges, and use Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) retail facilities, the same as active-duty families.
Step 1 - Confirm you don't need to apply for this one; it's an access privilege tied to your existing VA rating, not a separate benefit application.
Step 2 - Get the right ID before you go: either your Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) or a copy of your VA benefit letter showing your disability rating, along with a state-issued photo ID (driver's license or passport).
Step 3 - If you don't yet have a Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC), request one through your VA health care enrollment (see the VA health care section above); it's issued once you're enrolled.
Step 4 - At the installation gate or facility entrance, present your Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) or VA letter plus photo ID; most installations can verify eligibility on the spot. Confirm current entry requirements for the specific installation you plan to visit before driving out, since gate procedures vary by base.
Step 5 - For questions on eligibility or documentation, see VA.gov: Commissary and exchange privileges for veterans.
Many states cut or fully eliminate property tax on the home of a 100 percent Permanent and Total (P&T) veteran, but this is run entirely by your state and county, not the federal government, so the rules, forms, and deadlines are different everywhere. We've built a full state-by-state guide so you don't have to hunt for your own state's rule.
Step 1 - Go to Benefits by State and find your state's page for the exact rating threshold, the size of the break, the form, and your county's filing deadline.
Step 2 - Bring the same Benefit Summary Letter from the top of this guide; nearly every county asks for it as proof of your rating and Permanent and Total (P&T) status.
Print-and-take checklist
☐ Downloaded my Benefit Summary and Service Verification Letter from VA.gov: Download VA letters, with combined rating, service-connected status, and Permanent and Total (P&T) boxes checked.
☐ CHAMPVA: confirmed my family isn't already on TRICARE, gathered dependent documents, and filed VA Form 10-10d at VA.gov: Apply for CHAMPVA.
☐ Education: filed VA Form 22-5490 for my spouse or child's Dependents' Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) or Fry Scholarship at VA.gov: Apply for DEA/Fry, and checked whether transferred Post-9/11 GI Bill or Yellow Ribbon pays more.
☐ Student loans: logged into studentaid.gov to check my Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge status, and confirmed my name, Social Security number, and address match VA's records.
☐ VA home loan: got my Certificate of Eligibility at VA.gov: Request a COE and told my lender in writing that I'm exempt from the funding fee (or requested a refund if I was charged in error).
☐ Special Monthly Compensation (SMC): reviewed my rating decisions for any already-documented losses (limb, vision, hearing, aid and attendance) and, if found, started a claim with a free accredited VSO.
☐ If I'm a military retiree: checked my myPay retiree account for a Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) line item, and if any condition is combat-related, filed DD Form 2860 with my branch's Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) office.
☐ VA health care: enrolled (or confirmed enrollment) with VA Form 10-10EZ at VA.gov: Apply for VA health care and confirmed I'm coded Priority Group 1.
☐ Requested my Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) for commissary and exchange access.
☐ Property tax: visited Benefits by State for my state's exact form, threshold, and county deadline.
This guide is education only. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a substitute for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, the Department of Education, or any other government agency, and it is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules, rates, forms, and deadlines change; always verify at the official source linked above before you rely on it. If anything here touches filing or increasing your underlying VA disability claim or rating, that is claims work, and it is free through a VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer. Never pay anyone a fee to file or increase a claim, and never let anyone charge for help with CHAMPVA, Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA), Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge, the VA home loan funding-fee waiver, Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP), Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC), or VA health care enrollment either; these are all free, self-service federal processes. Be especially alert to "pension poaching": unaccredited people or companies who charge fees, push you toward moving money into trusts or annuities, or offer a lump-sum "buyout" of your future VA payments in order to qualify you for a benefit or to "help" with paperwork. Report suspected fraud to the VA Office of Inspector General hotline at va.gov/oig/hotline or by calling 1-800-827-1000.
In this section
Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (50 percent or higher, military retirees only) · VA health care Priority Group 1 (50 percent or higher) · VA home loan funding-fee waiver (any compensable rating, not specific to 50 to 90 percent) · Federal civil-service hiring preference (10-point, the CP and CPS tiers, at 10 percent and 30 percent or higher specifically) · Veteran Readiness and Employment, Chapter 31 (20 percent with an employment handicap up through 90 percent, if it fits your situation) · Special Monthly Compensation (fact-triggered, not tied to a specific percentage band)
If you just landed anywhere in the 50 to 90 percent combined range from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), you crossed several real thresholds at once, not just a bigger monthly check. This band is where a lot of federal benefits click on for the first time. Top-priority VA health care, a home loan funding-fee waiver, a real leg up in federal hiring, and, if you are a military retiree, a fix for a pay offset that may be quietly costing you money every month. This guide walks through each one, tells you exactly which ones need 50 percent or higher specifically versus any compensable rating at all, and gives you the actual form, the office that handles it, and the steps to go get it. Nothing here is invented. Every dollar figure and threshold below links back to the official source so you can double-check it yourself before you act.
A couple of terms come up throughout, so let's define them once. Permanent and Total (P&T) means VA has determined your service-connected disability is both total (rated 100 percent) and unlikely to ever improve. Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) is the Department of Defense agency that pays military retirees. Individual Unemployability, sometimes written Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability, is a VA determination that pays you at the 100 percent rate because your service-connected conditions keep you from holding substantially gainful work, even when your schedular rating is lower. Keep those in your back pocket, because they show up more than once below.
One more thing before you dive in. This guide is education, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it has no affiliation with the VA or any government agency. If anything here touches your actual disability rating (filing a new claim, appealing a decision, or arguing you deserve a higher percentage), that is claims work, and a free, VA-accredited Veteran Service Officer handles it at no cost. Never pay anyone for basic claims help. More on that in the disclaimer at the end.
What it is: If you retired from the military with 20 or more years of service and you also draw VA disability compensation, federal law normally forces you to waive a dollar of retired pay for every dollar of VA compensation you receive (the "VA Waiver" or "VA offset"). Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay restores that waived retired pay. Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay specifically needs a VA combined rating of 50 percent or higher. There is no path to it below that line, no matter how many years you served. DFAS, Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay
Who qualifies: A regular 20-year-or-more retiree (or a Guard/Reserve retiree age 60 and up drawing retired pay, or a qualifying Chapter 61 medical retiree) with a VA combined disability rating of 50 percent or higher, who is currently having retired pay reduced by the VA Waiver.
Step 1 - Confirm you are even subject to the offset. Log in to myPay at myPay.dfas.mil with your military retiree account and pull your latest Retiree Account Statement. Look for a line labeled "VA Waiver" reducing your gross retired pay. If it is not there, you have nothing to restore. If you cannot log in, call DFAS Retired and Annuitant Pay at 1-800-321-1080.
Step 2 - Check whether Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay is already running. It requires no application if you meet the 50 percent rating and 20-year (or qualifying Chapter 61) rules, because DFAS is supposed to turn it on automatically. Look for a "CRDP" line on that same Retiree Account Statement restoring some or all of the waived amount.
Step 3 - If you meet the criteria and don't see it, call DFAS. Contact DFAS Retired and Annuitant Pay at 1-800-321-1080 (or write to the address on your Retiree Account Statement) and ask them to review your Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay eligibility. Have your VA rating decision letter and retiree account number ready.
Step 4 - If you were medically retired under Chapter 61 with fewer than 20 years, don't assume you're covered. Chapter 61 retirees generally need to reach the point of having 20 or more years of service credit (commonly aligned with age 60 under Reserve retirement rules) before Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay applies. If you're not there yet, Combat-Related Special Compensation (covered below) may be your route instead, since it has no 50 percent floor.
Step 5 - Watch every December. If you ever qualify for both Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay and Combat-Related Special Compensation, DFAS runs an annual Open Season each December where you can switch your election for the following year. Read that letter when it arrives and don't let it sit. DFAS, December 2025 Retiree Newsletter, Open Season FAQs
A companion program, not gated to 50 percent: Combat-Related Special Compensation restores the same kind of waived retired pay, but it is tax-free, requires only a 10 percent or higher VA rating for a combat-related disability, and is never automatic. You apply with DD Form 2860 directly to your branch of service (not the VA, not DFAS). If any of your rated conditions trace to armed conflict, hazardous duty, an instrument of war, or war-simulating training, it is worth filing regardless of whether you also get Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay, since you can only be paid under one program at a time and DFAS or your branch will help you compare. File within 6 years of your VA rating decision to preserve full retroactive back pay.
Army: mail to Army Human Resources Command, ATTN: AHRC-PDP-V, 1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Fort Knox, KY 40122
Air Force and Space Force: HQ AFPC/DPPDC (CRSC), 550 C Street West, Suite 6, Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4708
Coast Guard: Commander (PSC-PSD-MED), 2703 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Washington, DC 20593-7200
Navy and Marine Corps: check current mailing instructions on the DFAS Combat-Related Special Compensation page before mailing, since branch contact details change
Get the current DD Form 2860 at esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/forms/dd/dd2860.pdf and confirm your branch's current submission address on the DFAS Combat-Related Special Compensation overview before mailing, since these addresses do change.
What it is: VA sorts every health care enrollee into one of 8 Priority Groups, which determines how quickly you get scheduled and whether you owe copays. A service-connected rating of 50 percent or more puts you automatically in Priority Group 1, the top tier, with the broadest copay exemptions VA offers. VA.gov, Priority groups
Who qualifies: Any veteran with a service-connected disability rated 50 percent or more disabling (also Priority Group 1 if you're rated at the 100 percent rate based on Individual Unemployability, or you're a Medal of Honor recipient). Below 50 percent, you can still enroll, but you land in a different priority group with different copay rules. A 10 percent or higher rating already gets you $0 outpatient copays regardless of priority group, so this isn't an all-or-nothing gate, but 50 percent or higher is what gets you Priority Group 1 itself.
Step 1 - Check whether you're already enrolled. Log in at VA.gov, Manage your VA health benefits to see your current enrollment status and priority group. If you've never enrolled, move to
Step 2.
Step 2 - Apply with VA Form 10-10EZ, Application for Health Benefits. Apply online at VA.gov, Apply for VA health care, by phone at 1-877-222-8387, by mail, or in person at your local VA medical facility. Online is fastest.
Step 3 - Have these ready before you start: your Social Security number (and your spouse's or dependents' if applicable), your DD-214 or other discharge paperwork, military service history, any hazard or toxin exposure information, current insurance card information, and prior-year gross household income for you and your spouse.
Step 4 - Submit and wait for confirmation. VA typically sends written notice of your enrollment status within 5 to 7 days. If your rating is 50 percent or higher, confirm the notice shows Priority Group 1. If it doesn't, call the Enrollment Coordinator at your local VA medical facility and flag the discrepancy, since priority group placement is based on VA's system data and this occasionally needs a manual fix.
Step 5 - Understand what Priority Group 1 buys you. As of the copay rates effective January 1, 2026: $0 outpatient primary care and specialty care copays for any veteran with a 10 percent or higher rating (this applies regardless of priority group), and Priority Group 1 veterans specifically pay $0 for prescription medications tied to non-service-connected conditions, where Priority Groups 2 through 8 pay a tiered copay. Preventive care, labs, and X-rays are free for everyone. VA.gov, Copay rates
Step 6 - If you're rated 100 percent Permanent and Total (P&T), or entitled to the 100 percent rate via Individual Unemployability, separately check VA dental Class IV. Full VA dental care (any needed treatment) is available at that level, but VA excludes temporary 100 percent ratings from this specific benefit, so confirm your rating is permanent, not temporary, before assuming you qualify. If instead you have a compensable, rated service-connected dental condition (any rating level, not tied to 50 to 90 percent specifically), you likely qualify for Class I dental care for that condition. Either way, apply through the same VA.gov health care application and ask your VA dental clinic which class applies to you.
What it is: The VA funding fee is a one-time percentage-of-loan-amount charge on most VA-backed home loans, meant to offset the cost of a program that requires no down payment and no private mortgage insurance. Any veteran receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability is exempt from paying it, $0 funding fee. This waiver is tied to receiving compensable VA compensation at all, not to hitting 50 percent. Since compensation generally starts at the 10 percent rating level, in practice the exemption functions starting around 10 percent, and it absolutely still applies to you at 50, 60, 70, 80, or 90 percent. VA.gov, Funding fee and closing costs
Who qualifies for the waiver: You're receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability (any compensable rating), or you're eligible for it but instead draw retirement or active-duty pay, or you're a surviving spouse receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, or you have a pre-discharge proposed or memorandum rating showing entitlement before the loan closes, or you're an active-duty member with a documented Purple Heart before closing.
Step 1 - Get your Certificate of Eligibility before you shop for a lender. Apply using VA Form 26-1880, Request for a Certificate of Eligibility. Apply online through VA.gov, Request a Certificate of Eligibility (fastest, often issued immediately if VA's system has your data), or have any VA-approved lender pull it for you, or mail the paper form to the address listed on VA.gov's Certificate of Eligibility page (mail turnaround runs 4 to 6 weeks).
Step 2 - Confirm your Certificate of Eligibility shows funding-fee-exempt status. The certificate should reflect your exemption directly (VA folded this into the certificate back in 2011, so most veterans no longer need a separate form for this). Bring the certificate to every lender you shop, not just the one you pick.
Step 3 - Watch your Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure. Before you sign anything, check that the funding fee line shows $0. Lenders pull VA eligibility data automatically, but errors happen, so this is your last checkpoint before closing.
Step 4 - If you already paid the fee and later got a new or increased rating, check for a refund. If your compensation's effective date is retroactive to before your closing date, you may be owed the fee back. Contact your loan servicer or your VA Regional Loan Center and provide your VA award letter (showing the effective date) plus your closing disclosure showing the fee paid. Find your regional loan center contact at VA.gov, Home loans and housing-related assistance. A proposed or memorandum rating issued after closing does not qualify for a refund. Only an effective date before your closing date counts.
Step 5 - If you don't yet have a Certificate of Eligibility and want to buy soon, start
Step 1 now. It's a documentation step, not a waiting game, and having it in hand before you're under contract avoids a last-minute scramble.
What it is: In competitive federal government hiring (not private-sector jobs), veterans with a service-connected disability get extra points added to their examination or rating score, administered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and applied through USAJOBS. At your 50 to 90 percent rating, you automatically qualify for the strongest tier. OPM, What is 10-point preference and who is eligible
Who qualifies (by tier): The 10-point compensable disability tier (CP) covers a compensable rating of 10 percent up to 30 percent. The 10-point compensable disability tier of 30 percent or more (CPS) adds extra procedural protections on top of the points. That 30-percent-or-more tier is the one you're in anywhere from 50 percent to 90 percent.
Step 1 - Get proof of your rating: your VA disability rating decision letter or your "Benefit summary and service verification letter," downloadable at VA.gov, Download your VA benefit letters. Sign in, and when generating the letter, check the boxes for your combined rating and service-connected status.
Step 2 - Fill out Standard Form 15 (SF-15), Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference. Download it directly at OPM, SF-15. This form, plus your supporting documents, is what agencies use to adjudicate your preference claim.
Step 3 - Assemble your documentation packet: your DD-214 (showing character of service), the completed Standard Form 15, and your VA rating letter showing your percentage of disability.
Step 4 - Submit the packet with each individual federal job application, not to OPM directly. Upload it as part of your application through USAJOBS for each position you apply to. Preference is claimed per application, not registered once centrally.
Step 5 - Know what the 30-percent-or-more tier gets you beyond points. At 30 percent or higher (your tier), if an agency wants to pass over you for someone without preference, or to medically disqualify you, it must notify OPM and you, and you get 15 days to respond to OPM before it rules. This is a real procedural backstop specific to the 30-percent-or-more tier, not just points on a test.
Step 6 - Also look into the Schedule A "30 Percent or More Disabled" appointing authority. This is a separate, non-competitive hiring path that lets a federal hiring manager appoint you directly, skipping the standard USAJOBS competitive process, at any grade you're qualified for. It requires a VA letter documenting your 30-percent-or-higher compensable rating (which you already have), but you still have to find and apply to an eligible position yourself. It removes competition, it doesn't place you in a job. Read more at OPM, Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans.
What it is: Veteran Readiness and Employment, run by the VA, helps veterans with service-connected disabilities prepare for, find, and keep suitable work, or live more independently if working isn't realistic right now. It pays a monthly living-expense stipend plus tuition, fees, and books while you work a personalized plan with a VA Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. You don't need 50 percent or higher specifically for this one. A 20 percent rating with an "employment handicap" finding (or 10 percent with a more serious finding) already gets you in the door, and everyone from 50 percent to 90 percent clears that bar on rating alone. VA.gov, Veteran Readiness and Employment overview
Who qualifies: A VA service-connected disability rating of at least 10 percent (with a "serious employment handicap" finding) or 20 percent or more (with a standard "employment handicap" finding), an other-than-dishonorable discharge, and, if you were discharged before January 1, 2013, application within a 12-year window from discharge or first rating notice (no time limit if discharged on or after January 1, 2013).
Step 1 - Apply with VA Form 28-1900, Application for Veteran Readiness and Employment. Apply online at VA.gov, Apply for Veteran Readiness and Employment, which is faster than paper.
Step 2 - If mailing instead, send the completed form to: Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Readiness and Employment Intake Center, P.O. Box 5210, Janesville, WI 53547-5210.
Step 3 - Or apply in person at any VA regional office, where a VA employee can walk you through it, or work with a free accredited Veteran Service Officer who can help you apply (they cannot decide your entitlement, but they can help you file cleanly).
Step 4 - Attend your scheduled meeting with a VA Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. This is where VA determines whether you have an "employment handicap" and are entitled to actually use the program. Your rating gets you eligible to apply, but the counselor's finding is what grants entitlement.
Step 5 - Before locking in your monthly stipend rate, compare it against the Post-9/11 GI Bill housing-allowance election. If you're also eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you can elect to be paid the GI Bill's monthly housing-allowance rate instead of the standard Veteran Readiness and Employment subsistence rate. Ask your Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor which is higher for your ZIP code and dependent count before defaulting to either one. This doesn't cost you GI Bill months either way. Compare rate tables at Benefits.va.gov, Veteran Readiness and Employment Subsistence Allowance Rates.
Step 6 - Know your time and dollar limits. Veteran Readiness and Employment runs up to 48 months of services (extensions possible in certain circumstances), separate from and not drawing down your GI Bill entitlement.
What it is: Special Monthly Compensation is an additional tax-free payment layered on top of standard VA compensation for veterans with specific severe losses, such as loss of use of a limb, blindness, being housebound, or needing daily aid and attendance, where the standard 0 to 100 percent schedule alone doesn't capture the real severity. Special Monthly Compensation eligibility turns on the specific medical fact, not your percentage rating, which means a veteran at any point in the 50 to 90 percent band, including alongside other ratings, could already qualify for a Special Monthly Compensation add-on without realizing it. VA.gov, Special Monthly Compensation rates
Who qualifies: It depends on the specific loss or need, not a percentage threshold. One relevant example at this band is the housebound rate (Special Monthly Compensation category S), which applies if you have one disability rated 100 percent plus a separate additional disability (or disabilities) rated 60 percent or more, or if you're permanently housebound due to a service-connected disability. That is a combination some veterans in the 50 to 90 percent combined-rating range can reach depending on how their individual conditions are rated. Remember, VA combines ratings using its own table, not simple addition, so two ratings can combine into a housebound-qualifying pattern even when the combined percentage itself looks lower than 100 percent.
Step 1 - Pull your full VA rating decision letter and look at your individual disability ratings, not just your combined percentage. Download it at VA.gov, Download your VA benefit letters. Special Monthly Compensation triggers are about the specific conditions on file (loss of use of a hand or foot, need for aid and attendance, deafness in both ears, and similar), so review each rated condition individually.
Step 2 - Compare your conditions against the Special Monthly Compensation categories listed at VA.gov, Special Monthly Compensation rates. If anything looks like it might match (loss of use of an extremity, loss of a paired organ, regular need for aid and attendance, housebound status), that's worth raising.
Step 3 - If you think you may already qualify but it's not showing on your award, this specific step is a claims matter, because determining whether your medical facts meet a Special Monthly Compensation trigger is adjudicative, not something you self-certify with a form. Route it to a free accredited Veteran Service Officer, found through VA.gov's accredited representative search. They can review your file and, if warranted, help you file for Special Monthly Compensation recognition at no cost. Do not pay anyone for this.
Step 4 - If VA later adds Special Monthly Compensation to your award, confirm it shows up correctly on your compensation statement at VA.gov under your disability compensation records, and watch for a retroactive or back-pay adjustment if the underlying medical fact existed before the Special Monthly Compensation award date.
Print-and-take checklist
☐ Pull your DFAS Retiree Account Statement at myPay.dfas.mil and check for a "VA Waiver" line (military retirees only)
☐ If 20 or more years and rated 50 percent or higher, confirm Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay is already posted on that statement; call DFAS at 1-800-321-1080 if it's missing
☐ If any condition is combat-related, gather your rating decision, DD-214, and combat evidence, then file DD Form 2860 with your branch (not VA, not DFAS) within 6 years of your rating decision
☐ Log in to VA.gov and check your VA health care enrollment status and priority group
☐ If not enrolled, apply with VA Form 10-10EZ at va.gov/health-care/apply-for-health-care-form-10-10ez
☐ Confirm your enrollment notice shows Priority Group 1; call your local VA Enrollment Coordinator if it doesn't
☐ If rated 100 percent Permanent and Total (P&T), or at the 100 percent rate via Individual Unemployability, ask your VA dental clinic about Class IV dental eligibility; if you have a compensable dental condition, ask about Class I
☐ Request your VA home loan Certificate of Eligibility with VA Form 26-1880 at va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/request-coe-form-26-1880
☐ Confirm the Certificate of Eligibility shows funding-fee-exempt status before you shop lenders
☐ Check every Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure for a $0 funding fee line before signing
☐ If you already paid a funding fee and got a later rating with an earlier effective date, call your servicer or VA Regional Loan Center about a refund
☐ Download your VA rating letter (with the combined-rating box checked) at va.gov/records/download-va-letters
☐ Fill out Standard Form 15 (SF-15) at opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf and attach it, your DD-214, and your rating letter to every individual USAJOBS application
☐ Look into the Schedule A "30 Percent or More Disabled" non-competitive federal hiring path
☐ If pursuing employment support, apply for Veteran Readiness and Employment with VA Form 28-1900 at va.gov/careers-employment/vocational-rehabilitation/apply-vre-form-28-1900
☐ Before locking in a Veteran Readiness and Employment subsistence rate, ask your Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor to compare it against the Post-9/11 GI Bill housing-allowance election
☐ Review your individual disability ratings (not just your combined percentage) against the Special Monthly Compensation categories at va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/special-monthly-compensation-rates
☐ If any Special Monthly Compensation trigger looks like it might apply, take your file to a free accredited Veteran Service Officer for review
☐ If you live in a state with a property-tax or other state-run veteran benefit, check Benefits by State for your state's specific rules
This is education, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and this site has no affiliation with the VA or any other government agency. Every program above is free to apply for directly through the official federal agency shown, and no legitimate benefit here ever requires paying a fee. If anything in this guide touches your actual disability rating (filing a new claim, appealing a decision, or arguing for a higher percentage), that is claims work, and a free, VA-accredited Veteran Service Officer handles it at no cost (find one at VA.gov). Never pay anyone, ever, for basic claims preparation or filing help; charging an upfront fee for that is against federal law. Be alert to "benefits planners," pension-poaching schemes, and annuity or insurance salespeople who use free seminars about VA benefits as a lead-in to sell you an annuity, trust, or long-term-care insurance product, sometimes falsely implying VA affiliation or claiming a purchase is required to unlock a benefit. No legitimate program described in this guide ever requires you to buy a financial product, sign over a share of your benefit stream, or pay a "processing fee." If someone approaches you with an offer to buy out your future VA payments for a lump sum today, or pressures you to restructure your finances around a benefit application, treat it as a red flag and report it to the VA Office of Inspector General hotline (https://www.va.gov/oig/hotline).
In this section
The VA home loan funding-fee waiver (and getting a refund if you already paid it) · VA health care enrollment · Annual clothing allowance · Federal hiring: 10-point veteran preference and Schedule A "30% or more disabled" hiring · Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E, Chapter 31) · If your rating should be higher: get it reviewed
If you just got a rating letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and it landed somewhere between 10% and 40%, here is the thing most people never get told: that letter does more than set your monthly check. It flips a whole set of separate switches, and every single one of them takes its own paperwork to turn on. Nothing here happens automatically just because you're rated. This is the one-stop guide to actually claiming what that rating unlocked, in plain English, with the real forms and the real links.
A quick note on words before we start. Service-connected means VA has already agreed a condition is connected to your military service. Compensable means the rating pays you a monthly check (VA generally starts paying at 10%; a 0% rating is service-connected but not compensable). Combined rating is your overall percentage after VA math combines all your rated conditions (it is not simple addition). Everything below assumes you already have an official VA rating decision letter in hand.
What it is: If you use a VA-backed home loan, VA normally charges a one-time VA funding fee at closing. Any veteran receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability, at any compensable rating (10% and up counts), pays $0 of that fee. This is one of the single biggest dollar benefits at this rating band, and it is easy to miss if your lender's paperwork doesn't catch it.
Step 1 - Pull your Certificate of Eligibility (COE). This is the document that proves to any lender you're eligible for a VA loan and shows your funding-fee-exempt status. Request it free, online, in minutes, at VA.gov: Request a Certificate of Eligibility, or your lender can request it for you.
Step 2 - Confirm your exemption before you sign anything. Bring your VA disability award letter and your COE to every lender you shop. On the Loan Estimate and the Closing Disclosure, look for the funding fee line. If you're compensation-rated, it should show $0.00 / exempt. Do not assume the lender's system caught it. Ask them to point to the exemption code on the document.
Step 3 - If you already paid the funding fee, check your rating's effective date. If VA later approved (or increased) your compensation with an effective date that falls before your loan's closing date, you can get that fee refunded. This is common: many vets close on a home before their claim decision comes back, then discover the rating was retroactive.
Step 4 - Request the refund. Contact your loan servicer first and give them your VA disability award letter (showing the effective date) and your closing documents (showing the fee you paid). If the servicer doesn't act, your lender submits VA Form 26-8937, Verification of VA Benefits to VA, or you can contact your regional VA Regional Loan Center directly. Find your regional loan center and get help at VA.gov: VA funding fee and loan closing costs.
Step 5 - Know where the refund lands. If your loan is still active, the refund is typically applied as a reduction to your loan's principal balance. If the loan has already been paid off, VA issues the refund directly to you. Processing generally takes several weeks after your servicer or lender submits the request.
Step 6 - Watch the timing rule. A refund only works if the compensation's effective date is before your closing date. A proposed or memorandum rating obtained after you closed does not qualify for a refund under this rule, even if it's issued shortly after.
Deadline: No hard cutoff to request a refund once you're eligible, but don't sit on it. Bring documentation the moment you learn your effective date predates your closing.
What it is: VA health care is a separate benefit from your disability compensation check. Enrolling gets you access to VA medical facilities and, in some cases, VA-paid care from civilian providers. Your rating determines your Priority Group (1 through 8), which drives how fast you're scheduled and whether you owe copays. At 10-20%, you land in Priority Group 3. At 30-40%, you land in Priority Group 2. Both groups get meaningfully better copay treatment than an unrated veteran.
Step 1 - Gather your documents. You'll need your Social Security number, your DD214 or other discharge paperwork, insurance card information for any other coverage you carry, and your prior year's gross household income.
Step 2 - File VA Form 10-10EZ, Application for Health Benefits. Apply online (fastest), by phone, in person at a VA medical center, or by mail. Start here: VA.gov: Apply for VA health care (Form 10-10EZ). Download a paper copy at VA Form 10-10EZ (PDF) if you'd rather mail it in.
Step 3 - Wait for your enrollment decision. VA typically sends written notice of your enrollment and priority group within about 5-7 days of a complete online application.
Step 4 - Check your outpatient and prescription copay status. At 10% or higher, you generally pay $0 for outpatient primary and specialty care. Confirm your exact copay tier and current rates at VA.gov: VA health care copay rates.
Step 5 - If income-based limits ever matter to you, look up your specific number. VA's income limits for certain priority groups are set by ZIP code, not one flat national number. Look yours up at VA.gov: Income limits for VA health care.
Step 6 - If you need help with the application, call VA directly at 877-222-8387 rather than paying anyone for enrollment assistance. Enrollment help is free.
Deadline: No deadline to enroll, but enroll as soon as you're rated. Priority group and copay benefits start from your enrollment and rating status going forward, not retroactively.
What it is: If a VA-rated prosthetic or orthopedic device (or a skin medication tied to a service-connected condition) wears out or stains your clothing, VA pays a yearly cash allowance to offset that cost. This one is not gated by your overall combined percentage. It's gated by having a specific qualifying device or medication, so check it even at a lower combined rating if you use a brace, prosthetic, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask straps, orthotics, or a topical medication for a service-connected skin condition.
Step 1 - Confirm you have a qualifying device or medication on file. It must be VA-rated (tied to your service-connected disability) and it must actually cause wear-and-tear damage or irreparable staining to your outer clothing.
Step 2 - File VA Form 10-8678, Application for Annual Clothing Allowance, with your local VA Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service (PSAS). Get the form and instructions at VA.gov: VA Form 10-8678 or download it directly at VA Form 10-8678 (PDF).
Step 3 - Submit it. Hand-deliver it to your local PSAS office, mail it to your VA medical facility marked "ATTN: PSAS," send it via secure messaging on My HealtheVet if your facility supports it, or ask your PSAS office to confirm the correct mailing address for your file.
Step 4 - File by the deadline: August 1. Miss it and you wait for next year's payment window.
Step 5 - Get paid between September 1 and October 31 of that same benefit year, once approved.
Step 6 - Check if you qualify for more than one allowance. Up to 4 clothing allowances are possible in a benefit year (2 for an upper-body garment type, 2 for a lower-body garment type) if you have multiple qualifying devices or medications.
Step 7 - If your condition and device are permanent (static) and unchanged, you may not need to re-file every year. VA can now auto-renew a static clothing allowance without a new application each year. Confirm your status is on auto-renew rather than assuming it.
Deadline: August 1 each year to be paid that benefit year (payment arrives September through October).
What it is: Two separate federal-hiring levers open up here, both run by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), not VA. First, a compensable service-connected rating gives you 10-point preference in competitive federal hiring (extra points added to your qualifying score, plus placement protections). Second, at 30% or more, you unlock the Schedule A "30% or More Disabled" appointing authority, which lets a federal agency hire you directly, without a competitive job posting, into any position you're qualified for.
Step 1 - Get your documents ready. You'll need your DD214 (showing character of service) and a letter from your VA regional office stating your disability percentage. Your VA award letter works for this.
Step 2 - Fill out Standard Form 15 (SF-15), Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference. Download it at OPM: SF-15 (PDF). Submit SF-15 plus your DD214 and VA rating letter with each individual federal job application through USAJOBS, since this isn't a one-time filing, you attach it to each application.
Step 3 - Know which preference tier you're in. A compensable rating of 10-29% gets you the "CP" 10-point tier; 30% or more gets you "CPS," which carries extra procedural protection against being passed over. Details at OPM: What is 10-point preference and who is eligible.
Step 4 - If you're rated 30% or more, also pursue Schedule A hiring. Identify a federal position you want and are qualified for (it does not need to be posted on USAJOBS). Contact that agency's Selective Placement Program Coordinator (SPPC), a role every federal agency has whose job is to help disabled veterans navigate hiring outside the normal competitive process.
Step 5 - Give the agency your VA letter showing 30%+ and your discharge documentation. That's the full eligibility package for Schedule A; there's no separate long-form application beyond identifying the role and connecting with the SPPC.
Step 6 - Learn more and find agency-specific guidance at OPM: Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans and FedsHireVets: Veterans and Transitioning Service Members.
Deadline: No filing deadline, but attach SF-15 to every federal application you submit, and it's worth re-checking your preference tier any time your rating changes.
What it is: Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E), sometimes called "Chapter 31," is a VA program that pays you a monthly living-expense stipend plus tuition, fees, and books while you work a personalized plan with a VA counselor to prepare for, find, and keep suitable employment (or build independent-living skills if working isn't currently realistic). It is a different program from the GI Bill, with different rules and its own money.
Step 1 - Check your minimum eligibility. You need a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% and a discharge that isn't dishonorable.
Step 2 - Understand the entitlement gate, which is separate from just being eligible to apply. A 20% rating or higher needs an "employment handicap" finding. A 10% rating needs a more significant "serious employment handicap" finding. Either way, a VA Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) makes that determination after you apply, not you.
Step 3 - File VA Form 28-1900, Application for Veteran Readiness and Employment. Apply online, start here: VA.gov: Apply for Veteran Readiness and Employment (Form 28-1900). Or mail the paper form, downloadable at VA Form 28-1900 (PDF), to: Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Intake Center, P.O. Box 5210, Janesville, WI 53547-5210.
Step 4 - Attend your initial evaluation. Once VA determines you're eligible to apply, you'll get a letter scheduling an evaluation with a VRC, who determines your actual entitlement (approval to use the program) and builds your rehabilitation plan with you.
Step 5 - Know your time window. If you were discharged before January 1, 2013, you generally have a 12-year window from the later of your discharge date or the date you were first notified of a VA rating (extendable in some cases). Discharged on or after January 1, 2013? No time limit applies, as long as you still meet the disability and employment-handicap criteria.
Step 6 - Once approved, ask your VRC about the subsistence-allowance vs. Post-9/11 GI Bill housing-rate election. If you also qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you may be able to elect to be paid at the GI Bill's housing-allowance rate instead of the standard Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) subsistence rate if that number is higher for your ZIP code and dependent count. This doesn't burn GI Bill months, so it's worth asking about, not defaulting past.
Step 7 - Learn more or get help from a VRC directly at VA.gov: Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31) overview or VA.gov: How to apply for Veteran Readiness and Employment.
Deadline: No annual deadline, but the 12-year basic eligibility window (pre-2013 discharges only) is a real clock. Don't sit on this one if it applies to you.
What it is: Every benefit above scales with your rating. 30% opens Schedule A federal hiring and Priority Group 2 health care. 20% (with the right finding) opens Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) entitlement. If you believe your current 10-40% rating undersells your actual condition, or a condition got worse, or VA missed evidence, there's a free process to have it reviewed, and it can retroactively unlock every benefit above at the higher rating.
Step 1 - Get your rating decision letter and figure out which situation you're in. If VA had all the right evidence but you think they made the wrong call on it, that's a Higher-Level Review. If you have new and relevant evidence VA didn't see, or your condition has since worsened, that's a Supplemental Claim.
Step 2 - For a Higher-Level Review, file VA Form 20-0996, Decision Review Request: Higher-Level Review, within 1 year of your decision. No new evidence is submitted here; a senior reviewer looks at the same record with fresh eyes. Start at VA.gov: Higher-Level Reviews.
Step 3 - For a Supplemental Claim, file VA Form 20-0995, Decision Review Request: Supplemental Claim, any time, with new and relevant evidence attached (unless it's based on a change in law). Start at VA.gov: Supplemental Claims.
Step 4 - Not sure which path fits? Use VA's own comparison tool before you file anything: VA.gov: Choosing a decision review option.
Step 5 - Do this with a free, VA-accredited Veteran Service Officer (VSO), not alone and never for a fee. A VSO from DAV, VFW, American Legion, your county veterans service office, or another accredited organization will review your file, help identify missing evidence, and file the paperwork with you at no cost. Find one at VA.gov: Get help from an accredited representative or VSO. This part of the process, the actual claim or rating strategy, is the one piece of this whole guide we will not walk you through step by step. It belongs with a free accredited VSO, not a website, a paid "claims consultant," or a "benefits planner."
Step 6 - If your rating goes up, and especially if the new effective date reaches back before something you already paid for (like a home closing), revisit the funding-fee refund section above. A rating increase can trigger money you're owed on a past transaction, not just a bigger future check.
Deadline: 1 year from your decision date for a Higher-Level Review. Supplemental Claims have no fixed deadline, but filing promptly protects an earlier effective date under VA's "factually ascertainable" worsening rule.
Print-and-take checklist
☐ Pull your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) at VA.gov before shopping for any VA home loan
☐ Confirm every lender's Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure shows $0.00 funding fee
☐ If you already paid the funding fee and your rating's effective date predates your closing, call your servicer and request a refund (or have your lender file VA Form 26-8937)
☐ File VA Form 10-10EZ to enroll in VA health care
☐ Confirm your VA health care Priority Group and your outpatient/prescription copay rate
☐ If you use a rated prosthetic, orthopedic device, or service-connected skin medication, file VA Form 10-8678 for the clothing allowance by August 1
☐ Fill out SF-15 (10-point veteran preference) and attach it to every federal job application on USAJOBS
☐ If rated 30% or more, contact a federal agency's Selective Placement Program Coordinator (SPPC) about Schedule A direct hiring
☐ If rated at least 10%, consider filing VA Form 28-1900 for Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E, Chapter 31) and talk to a VA counselor about your entitlement
☐ If your rating seems too low, or new evidence exists, or a condition worsened, contact a free accredited VSO about a Higher-Level Review (VA Form 20-0996) or Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995)
☐ Revisit the funding-fee refund step again if a rating increase or new grant carries a retroactive effective date
Education only. Not affiliated with the VA or any other government agency, and nothing here is legal, tax, or financial advice. Benefit rules, forms, and dollar figures change, so verify every detail at the official links above before relying on them. For anything about filing or increasing your VA disability claim or rating itself, work with a free, VA-accredited Veteran Service Officer (VSO), attorney, or claims agent, never a paid "claims consultant" or "benefits planner." VA never charges a fee for basic claims help, and no legitimate representative asks you to buy a financial product as a condition of "helping" you. Be especially careful of anyone using a free seminar about VA benefits, disability pay, or this guide's contents as a pitch for annuities, high-fee investment products, or a "benefits buyout" that trades your future monthly VA payments for a lump sum today. Those offers are not affiliated with VA, and walking away costs you nothing.
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