VA COLA 2027: disability pay expected to rise 3.6%
Social Security's 2027 COLA is 3.6%, and VA disability compensation has matched it every year. The 2027 rate act is not law yet, so the table below is an estimate: VA's current rates × 1.036. A veteran rated 100% with no dependents would go from $3,938.58 to about $4080.36 a month.
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Estimated 2027 VA disability rates (2026 rate × 1.036)
| Status | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% | 100% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% / 20% (no dependent additions) | 10%: $180.42 → $186.91 · 20%: $356.66 → $369.49 | |||||||
| Veteran alone (no dependents) | $572.35$552.47 | $824.49$795.84 | $1173.68$1132.90 | $1486.68$1435.02 | $1873.55$1808.45 | $2177.82$2102.15 | $2447.34$2362.30 | $4080.36$3938.58 |
| With spouse (no parents or children) | $639.69$617.47 | $914.62$882.84 | $1286.60$1241.90 | $1622.39$1566.02 | $2032.06$1961.45 | $2359.12$2277.15 | $2651.43$2559.30 | $4307.86$4158.17 |
| With spouse and 1 parent (no children) | $693.57$669.47 | $987.14$952.84 | $1377.77$1329.90 | $1731.17$1671.02 | $2159.49$2084.45 | $2504.16$2417.15 | $2815.12$2717.30 | $4490.44$4334.41 |
| With spouse and 2 parents (no children) | $747.44$721.47 | $1059.66$1022.84 | $1468.94$1417.90 | $1839.95$1776.02 | $2286.91$2207.45 | $2649.20$2557.15 | $2978.81$2875.30 | $4673.03$4510.65 |
| With 1 parent (no spouse or children) | $626.23$604.47 | $897.01$865.84 | $1264.85$1220.90 | $1595.46$1540.02 | $2000.98$1931.45 | $2322.86$2242.15 | $2611.03$2520.30 | $4262.95$4114.82 |
| With 2 parents (no spouse or children) | $680.10$656.47 | $969.53$935.84 | $1356.02$1308.90 | $1704.24$1645.02 | $2128.41$2054.45 | $2467.90$2382.15 | $2774.71$2678.30 | $4445.53$4291.06 |
| With 1 child only (no spouse or parents) | $617.94$596.47 | $884.57$853.84 | $1249.31$1205.90 | $1577.84$1523.02 | $1979.22$1910.45 | $2299.03$2219.15 | $2584.09$2494.30 | $4232.50$4085.43 |
| With spouse and 1 child (no parents) | $690.46$666.47 | $981.96$947.84 | $1370.52$1322.90 | $1722.88$1663.02 | $2149.13$2074.45 | $2492.77$2406.15 | $2801.65$2704.30 | $4474.47$4318.99 |
| With spouse, 1 child and 1 parent | $744.33$718.47 | $1054.48$1017.84 | $1461.69$1410.90 | $1831.66$1768.02 | $2276.55$2197.45 | $2637.81$2546.15 | $2965.34$2862.30 | $4657.05$4495.23 |
| With spouse, 1 child and 2 parents | $798.20$770.47 | $1127.00$1087.84 | $1552.86$1498.90 | $1940.44$1873.02 | $2403.98$2320.45 | $2782.85$2686.15 | $3129.03$3020.30 | $4839.64$4671.47 |
| With 1 child and 1 parent (no spouse) | $671.81$648.47 | $957.09$923.84 | $1340.48$1293.90 | $1686.62$1628.02 | $2106.65$2033.45 | $2444.07$2359.15 | $2747.78$2652.30 | $4415.09$4261.67 |
| With 1 child and 2 parents (no spouse) | $725.68$700.47 | $1029.61$993.84 | $1431.64$1381.90 | $1795.40$1733.02 | $2234.08$2156.45 | $2589.11$2499.15 | $2911.47$2810.30 | $4597.67$4437.91 |
| Each additional child under 18 | $33.15 | $44.54 | $55.94 | $67.34 | $78.73 | $90.13 | $101.52 | $113.03 |
| Each additional child over 18 in school | $108.78 | $145.04 | $182.33 | $218.59 | $254.85 | $291.11 | $328.41 | $365.13 |
| Spouse receiving Aid and Attendance | $63.19 | $83.91 | $104.63 | $125.35 | $146.07 | $166.79 | $187.51 | $208.66 |
Bold: 77.today's estimate (current VA rate × 1.036, cut to the cent). Small: VA's current rate, effective December 1, 2025. The official 2027 table appears on va.gov after the act is signed and may differ by cents because VA rounds each rate itself.
Why the VA COLA follows Social Security
Social Security's COLA is automatic under section 215(i) of the Social Security Act. VA disability compensation is different: the rates are written in title 38 of the U.S. Code, and every year Congress passes a Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act that raises them by the same percentage as the Social Security COLA effective December 1. The 2026 version, S.4487, would apply the increase to wartime disability compensation, the additions for dependents, the clothing allowance and dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), and requires VA to publish the new amounts in the Federal Register.
Congress has passed the act every year for decades, sometimes only in November or December – VA then pays the increase retroactively to December 1. Until it is signed, the only official numbers are VA's current rates, and any 2027 table, including the one above, is an estimate.
How to estimate your own 2027 payment
Find your current monthly rate on VA's rate table (or your latest award letter), multiply it by 1.036 and round down to the cent. Add the same increase to any dependent amounts. For example, a veteran rated 70% with a spouse and one child receives $2,074.45 now; at 3.6% that is about $2149.13. A veteran rated 30% with no dependents goes from $552.47 to about $572.35.
When the increase is paid
New rates apply from December 1, 2026. VA pays compensation in arrears on the first business day of the following month, so December's higher payment normally lands on December 31, 2026 (January 1 is a federal holiday). If the act is signed late, VA adds the difference to a later payment.
Veterans who also get Social Security
VA disability compensation does not reduce Social Security retirement or SSDI, and it is not taxable. Your Social Security benefit rises 3.6% on its own schedule – see the COLA 2027 calculator and SSDI and SSI in 2027. Military retirees receive the same COLA on retired pay under 10 U.S.C. 1401a, announced by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
VA COLA questions
What is the VA COLA for 2027?
Expected to be 3.6%, the same as Social Security. The VA increase is set each year by a Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act that ties it to the Social Security COLA effective December 1. The 2026 act (S.4487) was introduced in the Senate on May 11, 2026; as of October 16, 2026 Congress.gov lists it as introduced, not yet law.
When will veterans see the 2027 increase?
The new rates take effect December 1, 2026, and VA pays each month's compensation on the first business day of the next month – so the first higher payment normally arrives at the start of January 2027 (December 31, 2026, because January 1 is a holiday).
How much will 100% VA disability pay in 2027?
A veteran rated 100% with no dependents gets $3,938.58 a month in 2026. With a 3.6% COLA that becomes about $4080.36. VA publishes the official 2027 table once the act is signed; it can differ from this estimate by a few cents.
Is the VA COLA automatic?
Not by itself. Unlike Social Security, VA compensation rates are raised by an act of Congress every year. In practice Congress has passed the act every year, always matching the Social Security COLA.
Does the COLA apply to DIC and pension?
Yes. The act covers dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) for surviving spouses and children, the clothing allowance and the dependents' additions. VA pension rates (maximum annual pension rates) follow the Social Security COLA under a separate rule.
More on 2027 benefits
Sources
- SSA press release, October 14, 2026
- VA, current Veterans disability compensation rates
- Congress.gov, S.4487 Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026
- SSA Cost-of-Living Adjustment information and history
Checked October 16, 2026. 77.today is not affiliated with the Social Security Administration or the Department of Veterans Affairs. Your own COLA notice (mailed in December and posted in the my Social Security Message Center from late November) shows your exact 2027 amount.