When veterans file a disability claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a claims adjuster assigns a VA disability rating based on the severity of symptoms and the health care that may be required. A VA disability rating also considers the degree to which the impairment caused during active duty affects the veteran’s work and personal life. The VA bases the amount of disability compensation on ratings that can range from 0 to 100 percent. The 80 percent VA disability rating is a common designation, but many disabled veterans who receive an 80% VA disability rating feel they should receive disability benefits based on a 90 or 100 percent rating instead.
Combined Rating System for Multiple Disabilities
The VA uses its own Combined Rating System to assign a total disability rating for veterans applying for compensation benefits who have more than one qualifying disability or medical condition. To use this system, veterans should list their most severe disability first, followed by less severe disabilities. Each should have its own VA disability rating already. The VA then finds the point on its chart where the disability ratings meet and rounds the combined number to the nearest 10 percent.
Veterans should understand that the VA does not add disability ratings in a linear fashion. What that means is that a primary disability rating of 40 percent, a secondary disability rating of 30 percent, and a third disability rating of 20 percent do not automatically mean a 90 percent total disability rating. The Combined Rating System always takes precedence when determining this figure according to VA math.
80 Percent Disability Pay Rates
As of December 1, 2020, the minimum monthly payment a single veteran with no dependents and an 80 percent disability rating will receive is $1,679.35. The monthly VA disability compensation increases with each additional child or other qualifying legal dependents. The rates listed below will remain in effect until November 30, 2021, and are eligible for a cost-of-living increase at that time.
- Married without dependent children or parents: $1,819.35 per month
- Married with one dependent parent but no dependent children: $1,931.35 per month
- Married with two dependent parents but no dependent children: $2,043.45 per month
- Unmarried with one dependent parent but no dependent children: $1,791.35 per month
- Unmarried with two dependent parents but no dependent children: $1,903.35 per month
- Married with a spouse who receives monthly Aid and Attendance VA benefits: an additional $129.00 per month
- With one dependent child but no spouse or dependent parents: $1,772.35 per month
- Married with one dependent child but no dependent parents: $1,922.35 per month
- Married with one dependent child and one dependent parent: $2,034.45 per month
- Married with one dependent child and two dependent parents: $2,146.35per month
- Unmarried with one dependent child and one dependent parent: $1,884.35 per month
- Unmarried with one dependent child and two dependent parents: $1,996.35 per month
Veterans with an 80 percent disability rating receive $69.00 per month for each additional child under the age of 18. They are also eligible for a monthly payment of $225 for each additional child over the age of 18 enrolled in an accredited post-secondary education program whom they financially support.
What is the Difference Between 80% VA Disability Ratings and 90 Percent VA Disability Benefit Payments?
A single veteran with no dependents and a 90 percent disability rating earns $1,877.18 per month, or an additional $67.83. Payments at the 90 percent disability rating for various dependent categories are as follows:
- Married without dependent children or parents: $2,044.18 per month
- Married with one dependent parent but no dependent children: $2,170.18 per month
- Married with two dependent parents but no dependent children: $2,296.18 per month
- Unmarried with one dependent parent but no dependent children: $2,013.18 per month
- Unmarried with two dependent parents but no dependent children: $2,139.19 per month
- Married with a spouse who receives monthly Aid and Attendance VA benefits: an additional $145.00 per month
- With one dependent child but no spouse or dependent parents: $1,992.18 per month
- Married with one dependent child but no dependent parents: $2,160.18 per month
- Married with one dependent child and one dependent parent: $2,286.18 per month
- Married with one dependent child and two dependent parents: $2,412.18 per month
- Unmarried with one dependent child and one dependent parent: $2,118.18 per month
- Unmarried with one dependent child and two dependent parents: $2,214.18 per month
Veterans with a 90 percent disability rating receive $78.00 per month for each additional child under age 18. The monthly payment increases to $253 per month for each additional child over the age of 18 enrolled in an accredited post-secondary education program who relies on the veteran for financial support.
The payment schedule for a 100 percent disability rating, whether combined or from a single disability, is as follows:
- Single veterans with no dependents receive a monthly payment of $3,146.42. This is $1,269.44 more than a single veteran at the 90 percent disability rating and $1,327.07 more in monthly compensation benefits than a single veteran with an 80 percent disability rating. Here are the other disability compensation rates based on the number of financial dependents for the 100 percent disability rating:
- Married without dependent children or parents: $3,321.85 per month
- Married with one dependent parent but no dependent children: $3,462.64 per month
- Married with two dependent parents but no dependent children: $3,603.43 per month
- Unmarried with one dependent parent but no dependent children: $3,287.21 per month
- Unmarried with two dependent parents but no dependent children: $3,248.00 per month
- Married with a spouse who receives monthly Aid and Attendance VA benefits: an additional $160.89 per month
- With one dependent child but no spouse or dependent parents: $3,263.74 per month
- Married with one dependent child but no dependent parents: $3,450.32 per month
- Married with one dependent child and one dependent parent: $3,591.11 per month
- Married with one dependent child and two dependent parents: $3,731.90 per month
- Unmarried with one dependent child and one dependent parent: $3,404.53 per month
- Unmarried with one dependent child and two dependent parents: $3,545.32 per month
Military veterans with a 100 percent disability rating receive $87.17 per month for each additional child under age 18. For each additional child over the age of 18 enrolled in an accredited post-secondary education program, the monthly payment is $281.57.
Increasing 80 Percent Disability Rating to 100 Percent Disability Rating
Receiving a 100 percent disability rating with a single disability or multiple disabilities is possible but challenging. This is especially true in cases of multiple disability compensation rates since the VA does not simply add the disability ratings together. Veterans who can prove that they are unable to maintain gainful employment due to a service connection can receive 100 percent disability pay when the VA approves them for Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU).
Does an 80 Percent Disability Rating Make Veterans Eligible for Individual Unemployability?
The Department of Veterans Affairs offers the TDIU program for service members who cannot earn at least $12,000 per year due to one or more disabilities with a service connection. This amount is equal to the federal poverty rate for a single veteran with no dependents. Veterans may be able to obtain a 100 percent disability rating through TDIU even if their total disability rating was less than that with their initial VA disability claim.
Veterans can apply for tax-free TDIU if they meet the following eligibility guidelines:
- At least one service-connected disability has a 60 percent disability rating.
- The veteran has at least one disability with a service connection rated at 40 percent or higher or multiple disabilities with a service connection and a total disability rating of at least 70 percent.
If approved for TDIU veterans’ benefits, former service members would receive a monthly payment from the 100 percent disability rating chart based on their number of legal dependents. They must have also received an honorable discharge from military service.
How Can Veterans Increase Their 80 Percent Disability Rating?
Veterans who received an initial 80 percent disability rating but feel it should have been a 90 or 100 percent disability rating have the option to appeal. They must submit a formal appeal letter within one year of the date of the VA’s decision. Certain factors may increase the veteran’s likelihood of receiving additional compensation, including:
- Letters from family members or fellow service members describing the impact that the disability has on the veteran’s daily life
- Providing psychologist reports for a mental health disability
- Submitting additional medical evidence
- Submitting updated medical records
- Submitting a letter from a vocational counselor outlining how the veteran’s disability with a service connection makes it impossible to obtain a job or remain gainfully employed.
Veterans who receive an initial 80 percent disability rating but experience increased symptoms with their service-related disability can request increased VA disability pay rates at 90 or 100 percent. If this does not occur within 12 months of the initial disability rating, service members will need to complete another VA form and file for a new VA disability claim.