A 10 percent VA disability rating pays $180.42 per month in tax-free compensation as of December 1, 2025, and it unlocks a set of benefits that a 0 percent rating does not: VA healthcare with no copays, a full waiver of the VA home loan funding fee, 10-point federal hiring preference, and eligibility for vocational rehabilitation and VA life insurance. The monthly check is the smallest piece of the package for most veterans.
The Monthly Payment
The base rate for a 10 percent rating is set under 38 U.S.C. § 1114.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 1114 – Rates of Wartime Disability Compensation The current amount is $180.42 per month.2Veterans Affairs. Current Veterans Disability Compensation Rates That figure is flat. It does not increase if you have a spouse, children, or dependent parents, because the VA does not add dependent allowances until a combined rating reaches 30 percent.
Payments are adjusted each January by the same cost-of-living percentage Social Security uses. The 2026 increase was 2.8 percent. You never reapply for the COLA; the VA updates your deposit automatically.
VA Healthcare With No Copays
A 10 percent service-connected rating places you in Priority Group 3 for VA healthcare enrollment.3Veterans Affairs. VA Priority Groups Enrollment covers your full medical care at VA facilities, not only the condition you were rated for.
The practical value is the copay exemption. Veterans with a service-connected rating of 10 percent or higher pay nothing for outpatient visits or inpatient hospital stays.4Veterans Affairs. Current VA Health Care Copay Rates Veterans in Priority Groups 7 and 8 have to accept copays to enroll at all.
Travel Reimbursement
The VA’s Beneficiary Travel program pays mileage and transportation costs for approved appointments. At 10 percent, you qualify for travel pay when the appointment is for treatment of your service-connected condition.5eCFR. 38 CFR Part 70 Subpart A – Beneficiary Travel and Special Mode Transportation Under 38 USC 111 At 30 percent or higher, the reimbursement expands to any VA appointment. A small deductible applies per trip, capped at six one-way trips a month; after that cap, the rest of the month is deductible-free.
What Dental Does Not Cover
A 10 percent rating does not by itself entitle you to VA dental care. Dental eligibility runs on a separate track, and comprehensive coverage generally requires that the rated condition itself be a service-connected dental disability.6Veterans Affairs. VA Dental Care A veteran rated 10 percent for tinnitus or a knee condition would not receive full dental benefits through that rating.
The Home Loan Funding Fee Waiver
This is the benefit most veterans at 10 percent overlook, and it is often the largest dollar value in the package. VA-backed home loans normally charge a funding fee at closing. For a first-time borrower putting less than 5 percent down, that fee runs 2.15 percent of the loan amount. On a $300,000 loan, that is $6,450. If you are receiving VA disability compensation at any rating, 10 percent included, the funding fee is waived in full.7Veterans Affairs. VA Funding Fee and Loan Closing Costs The waiver applies each time you use the loan benefit, not only on a first purchase.
Federal Hiring Preference
A 10 percent compensable rating qualifies you for 10-point veterans’ preference in federal civil service hiring. Ten points are added to your passing exam score, which gives measurable priority over non-preference candidates.8U.S. Office of Personnel Management. What Is 10-Point Preference and Who Is Eligible You submit Standard Form 15 with documentation of your rating when applying. The preference applies to competitive service positions across federal agencies.
Tax-Free Income and Protection From Creditors
VA disability compensation is not taxable. The IRS excludes it from gross income, so it does not appear on your federal return.9Internal Revenue Service. Veterans Tax Information and Services For a veteran near a bracket line, $180.42 tax-free effectively goes further than the same amount from a wage.
Under 38 U.S.C. § 5301, VA benefits also cannot be assigned, attached, levied, or seized through legal process.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 5301 – Nonassignability and Exempt Status of Benefits A credit card issuer or medical debt collector cannot garnish the payment, and the protection covers the money both before and after it hits your account. Courts can consider VA disability income when setting child support or alimony, but the payments themselves cannot be garnished for those obligations unless you waived military retired pay to receive VA compensation.
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E, still sometimes called Chapter 31) offers job training, education benefits, resume help, and related support for veterans whose service-connected disabilities create employment barriers. A 10 percent rating is the minimum to apply.11Veterans Affairs. Eligibility for Veteran Readiness and Employment At 10 percent you have to show a “serious employment handicap,” meaning the disability significantly limits your ability to prepare for, get, or keep suitable work. At 20 percent or higher the standard drops to an “employment handicap.” An approved participant can receive tuition, books, and a monthly subsistence allowance during the program.
VA Life Insurance
Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife) accepts any veteran age 80 or under with a service-connected rating, including 0 percent. There is no time limit to apply within that age window. Veterans over 81 can still apply within two years of receiving a new service-connected rating, provided they filed for disability compensation before turning 81.12Veterans Affairs. VALife Factsheet VALife requires no medical exam and accepts all qualifying veterans regardless of health, which can matter for veterans who struggle to get affordable coverage on the private market.
How Multiple 10 Percent Ratings Combine
If you have more than one condition rated at 10 percent, the VA does not add them straight. It uses the combined ratings table in 38 C.F.R. § 4.25, which reduces the impact of each additional rating.13eCFR. 38 CFR 4.25 – Combined Ratings Table
The math for two 10 percent ratings runs like this. The first 10 percent leaves 90 percent non-disabled. The second 10 percent applies to that remaining 90, which is 9. Combined value: 19 percent. The VA rounds to the nearest 10, so 19 becomes 20 percent. That jump from 10 to 20 nearly doubles the monthly payment, from $180.42 to $356.66.2Veterans Affairs. Current Veterans Disability Compensation Rates
Three 10 percent ratings combine to roughly 27 percent, which rounds to 30 percent, and 30 percent is where dependent allowances begin. That is why it pays to file for every qualifying condition rather than dismiss a mild one. Each additional rating pushes the combined number up, and rounding can tip you into the next payment tier.
Filing for an Increase
A 10 percent rating is not necessarily permanent. If the condition has worsened, you can file for an increase using VA Form 21-526EZ, the same form as an original claim.14Veterans Affairs. File for Disability Compensation With VA Form 21-526EZ The strongest cases include recent medical records showing progression along with statements from family, coworkers, or others who can describe how the disability affects daily functioning now compared with when the rating was assigned.
The VA will schedule a new Compensation and Pension exam. If medication or therapy keeps your symptoms controlled during appointments, the examiner may miss the full picture, so make sure your treatment records document the bad days rather than only stable ones. A denial can be met with a Supplemental Claim carrying new evidence, a Higher-Level Review by a senior adjudicator, or an appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.