70% VA Disability Pay With Spouse: Rates, Dependents, and Benefits

A veteran rated at 70% with a spouse and no other dependents receives $1,961.45 per month in tax-free VA disability compensation under the rates effective December 1, 2025.¹ That figure reflects the 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment for 2026 and goes up further if children or dependent parents are also in the household. Because the payment is not taxed, its take-home value is higher than an equivalent amount of wage income.

Monthly Rates at 70 Percent With a Spouse

The VA sets one basic rate for a 70% veteran living alone and higher rates for each combination of dependents. The rates below are effective December 1, 2025, with the first increased checks arriving January 1, 2026.²

Veteran alone: $1,808.45
Veteran with spouse: $1,961.45
Veteran with spouse and one child: $2,074.45
Veteran with spouse and one parent: $2,084.45
Veteran with spouse, one child, and one parent: $2,197.45
Veteran with spouse and two parents: $2,207.45
Veteran with spouse, one child, and two parents: $2,320.45

Adding a spouse alone increases the check by $153.00 per month at the 70% rating.³

Extra Amounts for More Children or a Spouse Needing Aid and Attendance

The rates above already include the first child. When a household has more children, or when the spouse qualifies for Aid and Attendance, these amounts are added on top of the applicable basic rate:¹

Each additional child under 18: $76.00
Each additional child over 18 in a qualifying school program: $246.00
Spouse receiving Aid and Attendance: $141.00

A worked example: a veteran at 70% with a spouse, three children under 18, and a spouse receiving Aid and Attendance starts at the spouse-and-one-child rate of $2,074.45, adds $76.00 for each of the two additional children, and adds $141.00 for spouse Aid and Attendance. The monthly total comes to $2,367.45.

Adding a Spouse as a Dependent

The higher spouse rate does not start automatically. You have to tell the VA about the marriage by filing VA Form 21-686c, the Application Request to Add and/or Remove Dependents. It can be filed online through VA.gov or mailed to the VA Evidence Intake Center in Janesville, Wisconsin.⁴

Documents You May Need

If you married in a standard ceremony in the United States, the form alone is usually enough. Additional evidence is required in specific situations:⁴

Marriage outside the U.S.: a copy of the marriage certificate, church record, or other public marriage document.
Common-law marriage: birth certificates for any children of the relationship, two completed VA Forms 21-4170, and two completed VA Forms 21P-4171 from witnesses.
Tribal ceremony: signed statements from both spouses and at least two witnesses, plus a statement from the officiant confirming their authority.
Proxy marriage: all certificates and documents issued for the marriage.

The VA recognizes both same-sex marriages and common-law marriages.

Back Pay and When Payments Start

File within one year of the wedding and, if you already had a combined rating of at least 30% at the time of the marriage, the VA pays the increased rate retroactively to the date you married. File later than that, and back pay is generally limited to the date the claim was received, or up to one year before that date.⁵ Once the claim is approved, payments typically begin within two weeks.⁴

Tax Treatment and the Annual COLA

VA disability compensation is entirely exempt from federal income tax. The IRS instructs veterans not to include these benefits in gross income.⁶ The $1,961.45 monthly figure at 70% with a spouse is therefore a net number, not a pre-tax one.

The rates change once a year. VA disability compensation tracks the same cost-of-living adjustment applied to Social Security benefits, and the increase is automatic. For 2026, that adjustment was 2.8%.¹

Other Federal Benefits That Come With a 70 Percent Rating

The monthly check is not the only thing that changes at 70%. Several additional benefits attach to the rating itself.

VA Healthcare and Prescriptions

Veterans rated between 60% and 90% receive VA healthcare and prescription medications at no cost. Dental care at this rating level is only available if the veteran is rated as unemployable.⁷

CHAMPVA for the Spouse (Boundary)

CHAMPVA, the health program that covers spouses and dependents of certain veterans, requires the veteran to be rated permanently and totally disabled. A 70% rating does not qualify a spouse for CHAMPVA unless the veteran’s rating later increases to permanent and total status.⁸

Home Loan Fee Waiver and Vocational Rehab

A 70% rating waives the VA funding fee on a VA home loan, which can save several thousand dollars at closing. Veterans at this level are also eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment services and receive a travel allowance for scheduled VA medical appointments. The rating also carries a 10-point federal hiring preference and direct hire authority.⁷

Concurrent Receipt With Military Retirement Pay

Retirees with a VA disability rating of at least 50% are eligible for Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay, which lets them receive full retired pay and full VA disability at the same time without the traditional offset. DFAS generally enrolls eligible retirees automatically.⁹ Retirees with combat-related disabilities may alternatively qualify for Combat-Related Special Compensation, but cannot receive both CRDP and CRSC; DFAS pays whichever is higher.¹⁰

Social Security

VA disability compensation does not offset Social Security Disability Insurance, and a veteran can draw both at once. It does count as income for Supplemental Security Income, which is needs-based, and can reduce or eliminate SSI eligibility.¹¹

State Property Tax Exemptions

Property tax relief for disabled veterans varies by state, and several states set meaningful benefits at or near the 70% rating:

Illinois exempts a 70% or higher veteran from all property taxes on the homestead. In Cook County, the exemption is applied as a $250,000 reduction in Equalized Assessed Value, which can eliminate the tax bill on the home.¹²
Texas provides a $12,000 property tax exemption for veterans rated 70% to 99%.¹³
Louisiana provides a $4,500 exemption for veterans rated 70% to 99%.
Alaska exempts the first $150,000 of assessed value on the primary residence for veterans rated 50% or higher.¹⁴

Rules differ by state and sometimes by county. Check with the state Department of Veterans Affairs or the local tax assessor for the exemption that applies at your rating.

Moving Above 70 Percent

Several paths can push compensation above the 70% figure without waiting for a new condition to develop.

Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability

If service-connected conditions prevent steady work, a veteran can apply for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability, or TDIU. If approved, the compensation rate becomes the same as the 100% rate even though the combined rating stays where it is. To qualify with a 70% combined rating, the veteran must have at least two service-connected disabilities with one rated at 40% or higher, or a single disability rated at 60% or more.¹⁵

Increased Ratings and Secondary Conditions

A worsened service-connected condition can support a claim for an increased rating. New conditions caused by an existing service-connected disability, such as arthritis stemming from a service-connected knee injury, can be claimed as secondary service connections.¹⁶ Veterans exposed to Agent Orange or other hazardous materials should also review the presumptive conditions list, expanded under the PACT Act to include hypertension and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, among others.¹⁷

Special Monthly Compensation (Boundary)

Special Monthly Compensation pays above the regular schedule for particularly severe disabilities. A 70% combined rating on its own does not meet the statutory threshold for the housebound rate (SMC-S), which requires a single 100% disability paired with a separate 60% rating, or evidence of permanent housebound status.¹⁸

1
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veteran Compensation Rates
2
Disabled American Veterans. Veterans Benefits Increase 2.8% to Keep Pace With Inflation
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Military.com. VA Disability Pay Rates
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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Manage Your Dependents
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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Dependency Issues FAQs
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Internal Revenue Service. Veterans Tax Information and Services
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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Derivative Benefits for Service-Connected Veterans
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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. CHAMPVA
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Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay
10
My Army Benefits. Combat-Related Special Compensation
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Social Security Administration. Veterans
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Cook County Assessor. Veterans With Disabilities Exemption
13
Texas Veterans Commission. Property Tax Exemptions Available to Veterans Per Disability Rating
14
VA News. Unlocking Veteran Tax Exemptions Across States and U.S. Territories
15
VA News. Individual Unemployability – Understanding the BasicsIndividual Unemployability
16
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. When to File a Claim
17
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Agent Orange Exposure
18
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Special Monthly Compensation Rates