# 100% Disabled Veteran Benefits: The Full 2026 List
> 100 disabled veteran benefits for 2026: $3,938.58 a month, VA dental care, CHAMPVA, DEA, commissary and Space-A travel, and which ones need a P&T rating.
Source: https://veteranhomematch.com/learn/100-disabled-veteran-benefits
*Author:* VeteranHomeMatch Editorial Team
*Reviewed by:* VeteranHomeMatch Editorial Review
*Published:* 2026-10-21
*Updated:* 2026-10-21
---
The core **100 disabled veteran benefits** are $3,938.58 a month in tax-free compensation, VA health care that can include any needed dental care, and DoD ID cards that get you and your family into the commissary and exchange. A second set, including CHAMPVA for your family, DEA school money and Space-A flights, needs more than a 100% rating. VA also has to find the disability **permanent and total** (P&T). A lot of benefit lists blur the two, and that's how families end up applying for things they can't get yet.
Below is the full list, grouped by what the rating has to say. We're a home-loan site, so there's also a short section on what a 100% rating is worth on a mortgage. We don't file claims or give tax or legal advice. VA, DoD and accredited service officers handle those.
- **$3,938.58 a month at 100%,** veteran alone, at VA's [rates effective December 1, 2025](https://www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/). That's $1,576.28 more than the 90% rate of $2,362.30.
- **Some benefits come with the 100% itself:** the chance to qualify for any needed VA dental care (not on a temporary 100%), and DoD ID cards with commissary, exchange and MWR access for you and your family.
- **Others need "permanent and total":** CHAMPVA and DEA for your family, and Space-A flights for you. Read your decision letter for those words.
- **Many "100% benefits" actually start lower.** VA can place you in Priority Group 1 health care from 50%, travel pay at 30%, and the VA funding fee exemption at any compensable rating.
- **Your home-loan math changes too.** No funding fee ($6,450 saved on a $300,000 first-use loan with under 5% down), and lenders can gross up verified nontaxable income that's likely to continue for the debt-to-income ratio.
## 100 disabled veteran benefits at a glance
| Benefit | What you get | Rating it actually needs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Disability compensation | $3,938.58/month alone; $4,158.17 with a spouse | 100% (or Individual Unemployability, paid at the 100% rate) |
| Special monthly compensation | Higher rates, e.g. SMC-L $4,900.83/month alone | Specific conditions, such as loss of use of limbs or needing aid and attendance |
| VA health care, Priority Group 1 | Top enrollment priority | 50% or more, or unemployable |
| VA dental care | Any needed dental care | 100% (not temporary), or unemployable and paid at the 100% rate |
| Travel pay to VA care | Mileage reimbursement | 30% or more |
| DoD ID card, commissary, exchange, MWR | In-person access, family members included | 100%, or a 100% unemployability rating |
| CRDP (military retirees) | Retired pay no longer offset by VA pay | 50% or more, plus retired pay |
| CRSC (military retirees) | Tax-free payment for combat-related disability | 10% or more, a qualifying retirement, and retired pay reduced by VA pay |
| CHAMPVA for spouse and children | Cost-shared health coverage | Permanent and total, service-connected |
| DEA (Chapter 35) for spouse and children | $1,621/month full-time school, up to 36 months | Permanent and total, service-connected |
| Space-A flights | The chance to compete for surplus seats on military flights | Permanent service-connected disability rated total |
| VA funding fee exemption | $0 funding fee on a VA loan | Any rating that pays compensation |
| State property tax relief | Varies by state | Set by each state |
## 100% vs permanent and total: which one does your benefit need?
Three labels get mixed up here, and the difference decides several rows of the table above.
- **A 100% schedular rating** means your conditions add up to 100% under VA's rating schedule. [38 CFR § 3.340](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/38/3.340) authorizes total ratings for any disability or combination for which the schedule prescribes a 100% evaluation. That alone isn't a finding that the condition is permanent.
- **Permanent and total** adds a finding about duration. Under the same regulation, permanence exists "when such impairment is reasonably certain to continue throughout the life of the disabled person." VA's CHAMPVA page says it in plainer words: a disability "rated as 100% disabling and that's not expected to improve."
- **Individual Unemployability (TDIU)** means a veteran who can't hold a steady job because of service-connected conditions "may be able to get" compensation "at the same level as a Veteran who has a 100% disability rating," per VA's [Individual Unemployability page](https://www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/special-claims/unemployability/).
So the payment follows 100% or TDIU. CHAMPVA, DEA and Space-A follow the P&T finding. If your letter says 100% but not "permanent and total," your family won't qualify for CHAMPVA or DEA through your rating yet, even though the deposit is the same.
## Money: compensation, SMC and retired pay
### Monthly compensation
A 100% rating pays $3,938.58 a month for a veteran with no dependents, at the rates VA set effective December 1, 2025. Adding a spouse raises it to $4,158.17, and a spouse plus one child to $4,318.99. VA says it's required by law to match the percentage of Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment, so the table changes each December.
The step from 90% to 100% is the biggest one on the schedule:
That's $1,576.28 a month, or $18,915.36 a year, between 90% and 100% for a veteran alone. VA describes [disability compensation](https://www.va.gov/disability/) as a tax-free monthly payment. If you want the tax details, including retroactive awards, take them to a tax professional or IRS VITA.
### Special monthly compensation (SMC)
SMC is a higher rate VA pays for particular needs, such as the loss or loss of use of a hand or foot, or needing another person's help with daily living. Per VA's [special monthly compensation rates](https://www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/special-monthly-compensation-rates/), effective December 1, 2025, a veteran alone gets $4,900.83 a month at SMC-L, $9,826.88 at SMC-R.1 and $11,271.67 at SMC-R.2/T. Most SMC levels come from specific findings, not from the 100% rating alone. A VSO can tell you whether your conditions fit one.
### CRDP and CRSC for military retirees
If you're a military retiree, your retired pay is normally reduced by your VA disability pay. Two programs pay that back, and you can't collect both at once.
- **CRDP** (Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay) goes to a qualified retiree whose VA rating is at least 50%, under [10 U.S.C. § 1414](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/1414). The statute phased CRDP in from 2004 through 2013, but for retirees rated 100%, or paid at the 100% rate for unemployability, the phase-in applied only during 2004.
- **CRSC** (Combat-Related Special Compensation) is tax-free. It needs a rating of at least 10%, a combat-related disability, a qualifying retirement, and retired pay that's being reduced by your VA pay, per VA's [CRSC page](https://www.va.gov/resources/combat-related-special-compensation-crsc/).
If you qualify for both, the statute makes you choose, with an annual open season to switch. Which one pays more depends on your retired pay and your combat-related percentage, so run both numbers before you pick.
## Health: VA care, dental and travel
**Priority Group 1.** VA may assign a veteran rated 50% or more, or unemployable because of a service-connected disability, to Priority Group 1, per VA's [priority groups page](https://www.va.gov/health-care/eligibility/priority-groups/). At 100% you meet that test once you enroll in VA health care.
**Full dental care.** This is one of the few health benefits that really is tied to 100%. VA's [dental care page](https://www.va.gov/health-care/about-va-health-benefits/dental-care/) says veterans may qualify for "any needed dental care" if they have service-connected disabilities rated 100% disabling, or if they're unemployable and paid at the 100% rate. A temporary 100% rating, such as one during a long hospital stay or rehab, doesn't qualify.
**Travel pay.** VA reimburses mileage to VA or VA-approved care if you have a rating of 30% or higher, per its [travel pay page](https://www.va.gov/health-care/get-reimbursed-for-travel-pay/). It isn't a 100% benefit, but it's worth filing for if you drive to appointments.
## Family benefits that need permanent and total
**CHAMPVA.** Your spouse and dependent children can get CHAMPVA if you've been rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability, per VA's [CHAMPVA page](https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/health-and-disability/champva/). They can't be eligible for TRICARE, and anyone eligible for Medicare has to carry Part A and Part B. CHAMPVA shares the cost of care; it isn't free.
**DEA (Chapter 35).** Your spouse and children can get monthly education payments if you're permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability. At VA's [Chapter 35 rates](https://www.va.gov/education/benefit-rates/chapter-35-rates/) effective October 1, 2026, full-time college pays $1,621 a month, and the money goes to the student, not the school. Per VA's [DEA page](https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/education-and-careers/dependents-education-assistance/), training that starts on or after August 1, 2018 may get up to 36 months, and a spouse has no time limit when the qualifying event happened on or after August 1, 2023. Older cases, and children, have their own age and year rules.
Our guide to [100 percent disabled veteran benefits for a spouse](/learn/100-disabled-veteran-spouse-benefits) goes deeper on CHAMPVA, DEA and the added spouse amount.
## On base: ID card, commissary and Space-A
**DoD ID card and shopping privileges.** Since January 1, 2020, veterans with a VA-documented service-connected rating from 0% to 90% can shop at the commissary and exchange, generally with a Veteran Health Identification Card that shows "SERVICE CONNECTED." At 100% you get more than that. DoD's [expanding access fact sheet](https://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Factsheets/expanding-access-fact-sheet.pdf) says veterans with a VA-documented 100% rating already had access under earlier DoD policy and "may obtain a DOD identification card." The difference that matters is family: the fact sheet says family members of veterans with a 100% rating or a 100% unemployability rating "are eligible for privileges under previously-established DOD policy," while family members of veterans eligible only through the 2020 expansion are not. Ask your nearest ID card office what documents to bring.
**Space-A flights.** The FY2019 defense authorization act let veterans with a permanent service-connected disability rated as total compete for Space-A seats, in Category VI. Per the Air Force's [Space-A benefit page](https://myairforcebenefits.us.af.mil/Benefit-Library/Federal-Benefits/Space-Available-Travel-(Space-A-Travel)?serv=27), that covers travel within the continental U.S., directly between the continental U.S. and Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam or American Samoa, and within Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. You get a seat only when a flight has room left over, so it works for trips with loose dates.
## What a 100% rating is worth on a home loan
This is where a 100% rating can save you the most at one time.
- **No funding fee.** VA's [funding fee page](https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/funding-fee-and-closing-costs/) says you don't pay it if you're receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability. On a first-use purchase with under 5% down, the fee is 2.15%, so $6,450 on a $300,000 loan. Our [funding fee exemption guide](/learn/va-funding-fee-disability-exemption) covers refunds when the rating comes after closing.
- **Untaxed income can be grossed up.** Under [38 CFR § 36.4340](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/38/36.4340)(f)(4), a lender can give special consideration to verified nontaxable income that's likely to continue and gross it up for the debt-to-income ratio, but only your actual income counts for residual income. Our guide to [VA disability income for a mortgage](/learn/va-disability-income-mortgage) walks through how lenders treat VA compensation.
- **Property tax.** Relief comes from state law. In Texas, for example, the [Comptroller](https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/exemptions/) lists a total homestead exemption for a veteran awarded 100% disability compensation with a rating of 100% or individual unemployability. See [property tax exemptions for disabled veterans](/learn/va-property-tax-exemptions-disabled-veterans) and check your county assessor.
The [100 percent disabled veteran home loan guide](/learn/va-loan-100-disabled-veteran) covers the housing grants and the rest, and you can test a budget with the [VA affordability calculator](/calculator/qualify).
## Bottom line
A 100% rating pays $3,938.58 a month on its own and can qualify you for any needed VA dental care plus family commissary and exchange privileges. CHAMPVA, DEA and Space-A also need VA to call the rating permanent and total, so look for that phrase on your decision letter before your family applies. If you're buying a home, the funding fee is $0, and a lender can gross up verified untaxed income that's likely to continue for the debt-to-income ratio. [Start with a 2-minute eligibility check](/start/loan-purpose).
## Frequently asked
### How much does a 100% disabled veteran get a month in 2026?
$3,938.58 a month for a veteran with no dependents, at VA's rates effective December 1, 2025. With a spouse and no other dependents it's $4,158.17, and with a spouse and one child it's $4,318.99. Veterans who qualify for special monthly compensation can get more: SMC-L, for example, is $4,900.83 a month for a veteran alone. VA says it's required by law to match the percentage of Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment, so check VA's rates page once the December 1, 2026 table is posted.
### What's the difference between 100% and 100% permanent and total?
A 100% rating sets the payment. A permanent and total (P&T) rating adds VA's finding that the disability isn't expected to improve; under 38 CFR 3.340(b), permanence exists when the impairment is reasonably certain to continue throughout the veteran's life. Several benefits key on P&T, not on 100%: CHAMPVA health coverage and DEA (Chapter 35) education payments for a spouse or child, and Space-A flights for the veteran. Check your rating decision letter for the words 'permanent and total.'
### What benefits do you get at 100% that you don't get at 90%?
The monthly payment jumps from $2,362.30 to $3,938.58 for a veteran alone, a difference of $1,576.28 a month (rates effective December 1, 2025). A 100% rating can also qualify you for any needed VA dental care, and, under DoD policy that predates the 2020 expansion, a DoD ID card for installation, commissary and exchange access that extends to family members. If the 100% is also permanent and total, it can open CHAMPVA and DEA for your family and Space-A flights for you. At 90% you can already be placed in VA health care Priority Group 1, get travel pay and the funding fee exemption, and shop at the commissary with a Veteran Health Identification Card.
### Does TDIU get the same benefits as a 100% rating?
It can pay the same. VA says a veteran granted Individual Unemployability may be able to get compensation at the same level as a 100% disability rating, and VA's dental page lists veterans who are unemployable and paid at the 100% rate as able to qualify for any needed dental care. DoD's fact sheet also treats veterans with a 100% unemployability rating like 100% veterans for family commissary and exchange privileges. For CHAMPVA and DEA, look for the words 'permanent and total' in your decision letter; both programs require that finding.
### Do 100% disabled veterans pay property taxes?
That depends on your state. Property tax exemptions come from state law, not from VA. Texas, for example, gives a total exemption on the homestead of a veteran awarded 100% disability compensation with a rating of 100% or individual unemployability under Tax Code Section 11.131, and a partial exemption under Section 11.22. Other states set different tests. Check your state's statute or your county assessor before you count on it.