10 Percent VA Disability Benefits in 2026

How much does a 10% VA disability rating pay in 2026?

$180.42 a month for 2026 rates, effective December 1, 2025. That is $2,165.04 a year, tax free. The 2026 rate includes a 2.8% cost-of-living increase over the 2025 rate of $175.51.

At 10% and 20%, the VA pays the same amount whether you are single or have a spouse, children or dependent parents. Added pay for dependents starts at 30%.

The full tables for every rating and family size are on our VA disability pay chart for 2026.

What benefits come with a 10% VA rating?

VA home loan funding fee exemption

The VA says you do not pay the VA funding fee if you are receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability. At 10% you qualify. For a first-time buyer putting less than 5% down, the fee is 2.15% of the loan, so on a $300,000 loan the exemption saves $6,450.

If you already closed on a VA loan and later get a rating with an effective date before your closing date, the VA says you may be eligible for a refund of the fee.

VA health care, Priority Group 3

The VA's priority groups page places veterans with a service-connected disability rated 10% or 20% in Priority Group 3. Your priority group affects how much, if anything, you pay toward your care. You still need to apply for VA health care with VA Form 10-10EZ if you are not already enrolled.

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E, Chapter 31)

The VA says you can apply for VR&E if you have a service-connected rating of at least 10% and did not receive a dishonorable discharge. Getting approved at 10% is harder than at 20%:

• Rated 20% or more: you need an employment handicap (38 CFR 21.40(a)).
• Rated under 20%: you need a serious employment handicap, meaning your service-connected disability significantly limits your ability to prepare for, get and keep suitable work (38 CFR 21.40(b)).

If you were discharged on or after January 1, 2013, the VA says the 12-year time limit on VR&E eligibility does not apply to you.

Service connection on record

Your rating is proof the VA has found a condition service connected. That is the hardest part of any claim, and you keep it. If the condition gets worse, you file for an increase rather than starting over. It is also the anchor for secondary conditions.

State benefits

Many states offer benefits to veterans with a service-connected rating, such as reduced vehicle registration fees, hunting and fishing licenses, or park passes. The rating needed varies widely, and many of the larger programs, like property tax exemptions, start at higher ratings. Check your state veterans agency before you assume you qualify or don't.

What conditions are commonly rated 10%?

Many conditions have a 10% level in the rating schedule. A few examples veterans see often:

• Tinnitus. Recurrent tinnitus is rated 10%, and that is the only rating under its code (38 CFR 4.87, DC 6260). You get one 10% rating whether you hear it in one ear, both ears or your head. See our tinnitus rating guide.
• Back and knee conditions with painful motion or mild limitation. See the guides for back pain and knee pain.
• Migraines at the lower frequency levels. See our migraine rating guide.

Tinnitus is a good example of why 10% can be a ceiling for one condition. The only way up is to add or increase other conditions.

How do veterans move up from a 10% rating?

There are three common routes. Most veterans who climb use more than one.

1. File for an increase. If your condition is worse than when it was rated, file VA Form 21-526EZ for an increase. The new rating depends on the exact criteria in the rating schedule, 38 CFR Part 4, and on what your C&P exam records.
2. Claim secondary conditions. Under 38 CFR 3.310, a condition caused or made worse by a service-connected condition is also service connected. A knee rated 10% can lead to a hip or back problem from the way you walk. Pain medication can cause stomach problems. These are often never claimed.
3. Claim conditions you never filed. Many veterans file for one problem and ignore the rest. Check whether any condition falls under a presumptive list, such as the PACT Act presumptive conditions.

How does a second 10% rating combine?

VA ratings do not add. They combine using 38 CFR 4.25. The VA applies each rating to what is left of a whole person, then rounds the final number to the nearest 10.

• 10% + 10%: The first 10% leaves you 90% "efficient." The second 10% takes 10% of that 90, which is 9. The combined value is 19, which rounds to 20%. Pay goes from $180.42 to $356.66.
• 10% + 20%: The 20% leaves 80. The 10% takes 8. The combined value is 28, which rounds to 30%. Pay goes to $552.47, and now dependents count.

Try your own mix in the VA disability calculator.

10% vs 20% vs 30%: what changes at the next tier?

The jump to 30% is the big one for families. A married veteran at 30% gets $617.47 a month, $437.05 more than at 10%. Read what else changes on the 30 percent VA disability benefits page.

The fastest way to find a second or third rating is usually a secondary condition you already have. Our map lays out the common links by primary condition, with the rule and the evidence each one needs.

Get the Secondary Conditions Map ($37)

Sources

• VA: 2026 compensation rates
• VA: Priority groups
• VA: Funding fee and closing costs
• VA: VR&E eligibility
• 38 CFR 21.40, VR&E basic entitlement
• 38 CFR 3.310, secondary service connection
• 38 CFR 4.25, combined ratings table
• 38 CFR 4.87, ear conditions (tinnitus DC 6260)