10% VA Disability Rating (2026): Pay, Benefits and Rules

A 10% VA disability rating pays $180.42 a month under VA's rates effective December 1, 2025, with no extra amount for a spouse or children. It is the first compensable level in federal VA law (Title 38), and it opens several benefits beyond the check.

This page covers federal VA disability compensation under Title 38 of the U.S. Code and 38 CFR Part 4. State veteran benefits are separate and vary by state. For every rating level and how the program fits together, see the VA disability ratings hub. To see how your own conditions combine, try the free VA disability calculator.

What 10% VA Disability Pays

VA pays a veteran rated 10% $180.42 a month, which works out to about $2,165 a year. That figure comes from VA's compensation table effective December 1, 2025, the 2026 rates. VA adjusts compensation each December 1 with the cost-of-living increase; as of early November 2026, VA's rate page still showed the table effective December 1, 2025.

The base dollar amounts written into 38 U.S.C. 1114(a) are older figures that later cost-of-living increases have raised. Use VA's current table, not the statute's number, for what VA actually pays.

Why Dependents Don't Change the 10% Rate

At 10%, the payment is the same whether you are single or have a spouse, children, or dependent parents. VA's rate page says it plainly: "If you have a 10% to 20% disability rating, you won't receive a higher rate even if you have a dependent spouse, child, or parent."

The rule comes from 38 U.S.C. 1115, which grants additional compensation for dependents only to a veteran "whose disability is rated not less than 30 percent." Dependent add-ons begin at the 30% rating.

How a Combined Rating Lands at 10%

VA does not add percentages. Under 38 CFR 4.25, VA combines disabilities from most to least severe, applying each one to the share of capacity that remains, and then rounds the final value to the nearest 10 once, with values ending in 5 rounded up. A raw combined value from 5 through 14 becomes a final 10%.

In practice, a combined 10% usually means one disability is rated 10% and any other service-connected conditions are rated 0%. There is one other route: under 38 CFR 3.324, if two or more separate, permanent service-connected disabilities are each rated 0% but together clearly interfere with normal employability, VA may assign a 10% rating, which is not combined with any other rating. That 10% also counts for Priority Group 3 under 38 CFR 17.36(b)(3).

Two 10% ratings combine to 19%, which rounds to 20%, and three 10% ratings combine to 27%, which rounds to 30%. The VA disability calculator runs this sequence for any set of ratings, and how VA math works explains the table step by step.

Conditions VA Commonly Rates at 10%

VA assigns a percentage by matching medical evidence to the criteria in the rating schedule, 38 CFR Part 4. The table below quotes the 10% criteria for several diagnostic codes. It shows how the schedule reads, not what VA will decide for any veteran.

Tinnitus: a flat 10%

Tinnitus is the clearest example of a 10% ceiling. Diagnostic code 6260 rates recurrent tinnitus at 10%, and its Note (2) says to "assign only a single evaluation for recurrent tinnitus, whether the sound is perceived in one ear, both ears, or in the head." A separate tinnitus rating can be combined with a rating for hearing loss or another ear condition, except when tinnitus supports the evaluation under that other code.

In February 2022, VA published a proposed rule (87 FR 8474) stating that "VA proposes to evaluate tinnitus only as part of its underlying pathology and to delete DC 6260 entirely." VA added that the proposal "will have no impact on veterans currently in receipt of service connection for tinnitus under DC 6260." It is a proposal, not law: the eCFR text current through November 5, 2026 still carries diagnostic code 6260 at 10%.

Mental health at 10%

The General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders in 38 CFR 4.130 has steps at 0, 10, 30, 50, 70, and 100 percent. The 10% level describes "occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication."

VA issued an interim final rule on how medication affects ratings on February 17, 2026, then rescinded it on February 27, 2026, restoring the prior text. A separate 2022 proposal to rewrite the mental disorders formula (87 FR 8498) has not been finalized.

Benefits That Start at 10%

A 10% rating does more than pay a monthly amount. Several federal programs tie eligibility to a compensable service-connected rating, and 10% is the first compensable level.

VA health care: Priority Group 3

VA sorts enrolled veterans into priority groups. Under VA's priority group rules and 38 CFR 17.36(b)(3), a service-connected rating of 10% or 20% is one route into Priority Group 3. If a veteran qualifies for more than one group, VA assigns the highest one.

VA's copay page states that a veteran with a service-connected rating of 10% or higher won't pay a copay for outpatient or inpatient care, and care related to a rated service-connected disability is copay-exempt. Medication copays can still apply in Priority Groups 2 through 8 for prescriptions that treat conditions that are not service-connected, up to a $700 cap per calendar year. In Priority Groups 1 through 5, urgent care has no copay for the first 3 visits in each calendar year and a $30 copay for each visit after that. Priority Group 1, which starts at 50%, pays no medication copays.

Comprehensive VA dental care is not tied to a 10% rating. VA's Class IV, "any needed dental treatment," requires a 100% schedular rating or TDIU paid at the 100% rate (38 CFR 17.161(h)). Below that, dental eligibility depends on other factors, such as a service-connected dental condition, former prisoner-of-war status, or taking part in a Veteran Readiness and Employment program (38 CFR 17.161).

No VA home loan funding fee

VA does not charge the VA home loan funding fee to a veteran who is receiving compensation for a service-connected disability. The statute, 38 U.S.C. 3729(c)(1), contains no percentage threshold, so the exemption applies at 10%. If VA later awards compensation retroactive to a date before the loan closed, VA says the veteran may be eligible for a refund.

Veteran Readiness and Employment: the serious-handicap test

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E, Chapter 31) is the one program where 10% sits on a different footing than 20%. Under 38 U.S.C. 3102, a veteran rated 20% or more is entitled if VA finds a need for rehabilitation because of an employment handicap. A veteran rated exactly 10% is entitled only on a finding of a serious employment handicap.

VA defines a serious employment handicap as one where the service-connected disability "significantly limits your ability to prepare for, obtain, and maintain suitable employment." A veteran can apply with a rating of at least 10%, and a vocational rehabilitation counselor decides entitlement. For a veteran discharged on or after January 1, 2013, VA says the 12-year basic eligibility period doesn't apply.

Combat-Related Special Compensation for military retirees

For military retirees, Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) begins at 10%. DFAS lists the requirements as entitlement to military retired pay, a VA rating of at least 10%, a waiver of retired pay in the amount of VA disability compensation (the VA waiver), and an application filed with the veteran's branch of service. The disability must be combat-related as 10 U.S.C. 1413a(e) defines it, such as a Purple Heart injury or one incurred in armed conflict, hazardous service, or through an instrumentality of war. Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP), the other concurrent-receipt program, requires a rating of 50% or more under 10 U.S.C. 1414.

Federal hiring preference

OPM's preference groups place a veteran rated at least 10% but less than 30% in the "CP" group, worth 10 points. A veteran with a service-connected rating below 10% also receives 10 points, in the "XP" group. The noncompetitive appointment authority for disabled veterans in 5 U.S.C. 3112 applies only at a compensable rating of 30% or more.

What a 10% Rating Does Not Change

Some benefits depend on having a service-connected disability at all, not on its percentage. The clothing allowance in 38 U.S.C. 1162 turns on whether a service-connected condition requires a prosthetic or orthopedic appliance or skin medication that damages clothing. Commissary and exchange access under 10 U.S.C. 1065(d) extends to a veteran with a service-connected disability, effective January 1, 2020.

TDIU, which pays at the 100% rate, has schedular thresholds well above 10%: one disability at 60% or more, or a combined 70% with at least one disability at 40% or more (38 CFR 4.16(a)). A veteran below those percentages who cannot work because of service-connected disabilities can still be considered under 4.16(b). See TDIU and individual unemployability for how that works.

If You Think 10% Is Too Low

A rating reflects the evidence VA had when it decided. If a rated condition has gotten worse, VA allows an increased claim supported by up-to-date medical evidence. A new condition caused by a service-connected one can be filed as a secondary claim.

If you believe VA got the original decision wrong, the decision-review options are covered in how to appeal a VA rating. When an increase is granted, VA disability back pay explains how the effective date drives the retroactive amount.

This article provides general information about federal VA disability compensation and is not legal advice. RecordingLaw.com is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Filing a claim with VA is free, and VA says the services of an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representative are always free; accredited attorneys and claims agents may charge only for work after VA's initial decision (38 CFR 14.636(c)). Rates and rules were checked against VA.gov, the eCFR, and the U.S. Code in November 2026 and change over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a 10% VA disability rating pay?

VA pays $180.42 a month at 10%, under the rates effective December 1, 2025. That is about $2,165 a year. VA adjusts compensation rates each December 1 with the cost-of-living increase, so check VA's rate page for the current table.

Do I get more money at 10% if I have a spouse or children?

No. VA states that a veteran rated 10% to 20% won't receive a higher rate even with a dependent spouse, child, or parent. Under 38 U.S.C. 1115, additional compensation for dependents starts at a 30% rating.

Does a 10% rating give me VA health care?

VA's priority group rules list a service-connected rating of 10% or 20% as one way into Priority Group 3. VA's copay page says a veteran with a service-connected rating of 10% or higher won't pay a copay for outpatient or inpatient care. Copays may still apply to medications for conditions that are not service-connected, up to a $700 cap per calendar year. Urgent care has no copay for the first 3 visits in each calendar year and a $30 copay for each visit after that.

Do I have to pay the VA home loan funding fee with a 10% rating?

No. VA does not charge the funding fee to a veteran who is receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability, and 10% is a compensable rating (38 U.S.C. 3729(c)(1)). If VA later awards compensation retroactive to before your loan closed, VA says you may be eligible for a refund of the fee.

Can I use Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) at 10%?

You can apply with a rating of at least 10%. Under 38 U.S.C. 3102, a veteran rated exactly 10% is entitled only if VA finds a need for rehabilitation because of a serious employment handicap, meaning the service-connected disability significantly limits the ability to prepare for, obtain, and keep suitable work. At 20% or more, an employment handicap is enough.

Why is tinnitus always rated 10%?

Diagnostic code 6260 in 38 CFR 4.87 assigns recurrent tinnitus a single 10% evaluation, whether the sound is in one ear, both ears, or the head. VA proposed in 2022 to delete that code and rate tinnitus as part of its underlying condition, and said the proposal would not affect veterans already service connected for tinnitus under code 6260. As of November 2026 the change remains a proposal.

Can I get TDIU with a 10% rating?

Not under the schedular test in 38 CFR 4.16(a), which needs one disability at 60% or more, or a combined 70% with one disability at 40% or more. Under 38 CFR 4.16(b), VA policy is that every veteran unable to secure and follow substantially gainful work because of service-connected disabilities is rated totally disabled, so a case below the percentages can be sent for extra-schedular consideration.

What happens if I get a second 10% rating?

Under the combined ratings table in 38 CFR 4.25, two 10% ratings combine to 19%, which VA rounds to a final 20%. A third 10% rating brings the combined value to 27%, which rounds to 30%, the level where dependent add-ons begin.