30% VA Disability Rating (2026): Monthly Pay, Dependents and Benefits

A 30% VA disability rating pays $552.47 a month to a veteran with no dependents, under VA's rates effective December 1, 2025. Under federal law, 38 U.S.C. 1115, 30% is also the first rating at which VA adds pay for a spouse, children or dependent parents.

This page covers federal VA disability compensation under Title 38 of the U.S. Code and 38 CFR Part 4, plus the federal benefits that draw a line at 30%. It does not cover state veteran benefits, which vary by state. For every rating level, start at the VA disability ratings hub.

What a 30% rating pays depends on who is on the award, and a 30% combined rating can come from very different mixes of conditions. To see how your own ratings combine and what they pay with your dependents, run them through the free VA disability calculator.

What a 30% VA Disability Rating Pays

VA sets one monthly amount for each combined rating, then raises it for the dependents on the award. At 30%, a veteran with no dependents receives $552.47 a month. VA's own worked example puts it this way: "If you're a Veteran with a 30% disability rating, and you have a dependent spouse (no dependent parents or children), your basic monthly rate would be $617.47 each month."

The figures below are VA's rates effective December 1, 2025, the table VA lists as current in November 2026. VA adjusts compensation each December 1 with the cost-of-living increase, so check VA's rate table for the newest figures.

30% rates with a spouse or parents, no children

30% rates with children

The 1-child rows already include the first child. The added amounts at the bottom apply to each child after the first and to a spouse who receives Aid and Attendance, and they are added to the row that matches the household.

Why Dependent Pay Starts at 30%

The line comes from the statute. 38 U.S.C. 1115 grants additional compensation for dependents to a veteran "whose disability is rated not less than 30 percent." For ratings from 30% up, the dependent amounts are a share of the 100% amounts in proportion to the rating, "rounded down to the nearest dollar."

That proportional formula is why the same spouse is worth different amounts at different ratings. At 30%, a spouse adds $65.00 a month ($617.47 against $552.47); at 40%, a spouse adds $87.00.

A veteran rated 10% or 20% receives the same amount with or without dependents; VA's rate page says so directly. So a move from 20% to 30% raises the base rate from $356.66 to $552.47 for a veteran alone and, for the first time, adds dependent pay. VA pays the dependent rates for the dependents it has on the award, so a veteran newly rated 30% may want to confirm that VA's records list a spouse, children or dependent parents.

How Veterans Reach a 30% Combined Rating

VA does not add percentages. Under 38 CFR 4.25, it arranges ratings from most to least severe and applies each one to the share of the person VA treats as still "efficient," then rounds once, at the end, to the nearest number divisible by 10. Combined values ending in 5 round up. Any raw combined value from 25 to 34 becomes a final 30%.

A few combinations, worked with the combined ratings table:

• 20% and 10%: 28, final rating 30%.
• Three 10% ratings: 19, then 27, final rating 30%.
• Four 10% ratings: 27, then 34, final rating 30%. The fourth 10% does not move the final rating.
• One 30% rating and a 10%: 37, final rating 40%.
• 30% and 20%: 44, final rating 40%.
• 30% and 30%: 51, final rating 50%.

The VA disability calculator runs this sequence for any set of ratings, including the bilateral factor in 38 CFR 4.26 for disabilities of both arms or both legs. For the full method and more worked examples, see how VA math works.

Conditions That Can Be Rated 30% on Their Own

A single condition can also carry a 30% rating under its diagnostic code in 38 CFR Part 4. The schedule's wording, not the name of the diagnosis, sets the level. Some examples from the current schedule:

Some common conditions have no 30% step. In the General Rating Formula for the spine, the 30% line lists only neck criteria, so the lower and mid back (thoracolumbar spine) moves from 20% to 40%. High blood pressure (DC 7101) and diabetes (DC 7913) also skip 30%, going from 20% to 40%. Those conditions reach a 30% combined rating only together with other ratings.

30% for PTSD, depression and other mental health conditions

PTSD (DC 9411), major depressive disorder (DC 9434), generalized anxiety disorder (DC 9400) and most other mental health conditions are rated under one General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders in 38 CFR 4.130. Its 30% level reads:

"Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events)."

The formula's steps are 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 100%, so there is no 20% or 40% mental health rating. The next step up, 50%, describes "reduced reliability and productivity" and is covered on the 50% page.

VA proposed a rewrite of the mental disorders formula in February 2022 (87 FR 8498), but no final rule has replaced it, and the current eCFR still carries the 2014 formula quoted above. A February 17, 2026 interim rule on how medication affects ratings was rescinded on February 27, 2026, and VA restored the prior regulatory text.

What Else Changes at 30%

VA health care: Priority Group 2

VA places veterans with a single or combined service-connected rating of 30% or 40% in Priority Group 2 (38 CFR 17.36(b)(2)), one step above the group for 10% and 20%. VA assigns the highest group a veteran fits, so a veteran who also meets another criterion may land higher.

At any service-connected rating of 10% or more, VA's copay rules say there is no copay for outpatient or inpatient care. Medication copays are where 30% still differs from 50%: veterans in Priority Groups 2 through 8 may owe a copay for medications prescribed for conditions that are not service-connected, up to $700 in a calendar year, while Priority Group 1 pays none. 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. Care for the rated service-connected condition itself is exempt.

Federal jobs: what changes at 30%

A higher rating does not mean more preference points. Under OPM's preference groups, a disability rating of 30% or more is "CPS" and earns 10 points, the same 10 points a rating of 10% or 20% ("CP") or under 10% ("XP") earns (5 U.S.C. 3309).

What changes at 30% is a set of federal employment protections. Under 5 U.S.C. 3112, "an agency may make a noncompetitive appointment leading to conversion to career or career-conditional employment of a disabled veteran who has a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more." OPM's rules for that appointment (5 CFR 316.302(b)(4) and 316.402(b)(4)) accept a notice of retirement or discharge for a service-connected disability dated at any time, or a VA notice of a compensable rating dated 1991 or later, such as a current benefits letter. A later conversion to career or career-conditional status is governed by 5 CFR 315.707. The word "may" matters: the agency chooses whether to use the authority.

Three other protections at 30% are set by statute. If an agency proposes to pass over a veteran rated 30% or more on a certificate to select a non-preference eligible, it must notify the veteran, who has 15 days to respond to OPM (5 U.S.C. 3318(c)). In a reduction in force, a preference eligible rated 30% or more whose performance has not been rated unacceptable is retained ahead of other preference eligibles (5 U.S.C. 3502(b)). And a federal employee rated 30% or more can use up to 104 hours of disabled veteran leave in the first 12 months of employment for treatment of the service-connected disability (5 U.S.C. 6329).

Job training: Veteran Readiness and Employment

Under 38 U.S.C. 3102, a veteran rated 20% or more is entitled to Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) if VA finds a need for rehabilitation because of an employment handicap. At 10%, the law requires a serious employment handicap. A 30% rating is above both lines, but a vocational rehabilitation counselor still makes the entitlement decision. For veterans discharged on or after January 1, 2013, VA's VR&E eligibility page says "There's no time limit on your eligibility."

What a 30% Rating Does Not Change

Several benefits veterans associate with a rating do not turn on 30%:

• TDIU. The schedular test in 38 CFR 4.16(a) is one disability rated 60% or more, or a combined 70% or more with at least one disability rated 40% or more. For that test VA counts related disabilities as one (disabilities of one or both arms, or of one or both legs; a common cause or single accident; one body system; combat injuries; POW disabilities). A veteran at 30% who cannot work because of service-connected disabilities can still be considered under 38 CFR 4.16(b). See TDIU and individual unemployability.
• Concurrent retirement and disability pay (CRDP). CRDP requires a service-connected disability or combination "rated as not less than 50 percent disabling" (10 U.S.C. 1414). Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) is different: DFAS lists 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 branch of service, for a combat-related disability (10 U.S.C. 1413a), so it can apply at 30% for an eligible military retiree.
• The VA home loan funding fee. VA waives the fee for a veteran receiving compensation for a service-connected disability at any compensable rating (38 U.S.C. 3729(c)), so 10% already covers it.
• Comprehensive dental care. Class IV, "any needed dental treatment," requires a 100% schedular rating or TDIU paid at the 100% rate (38 CFR 17.161). At 30%, VA dental care depends on the dental condition or another dental class, not on the percentage.
• Commissary, exchange and MWR access. Since January 1, 2020, 10 U.S.C. 1065(d) lets a veteran with a service-connected disability use these facilities, with no rating threshold in the statute.

How to Seek a Higher Rating From 30%

A veteran whose rated condition has gotten worse can file a claim for increased compensation, and a new condition caused by a service-connected one can be filed as a secondary claim. Because ratings combine rather than add, a new rating moves the final number less than the percentages suggest; run the scenario before filing so the expected result is realistic.

If VA denies a claim or assigns a rating you believe the evidence does not support, you can ask for a decision review rather than starting over. A Supplemental Claim fits when you have new and relevant evidence; how to appeal a VA rating compares all three review lanes and their deadlines, and VA disability back pay covers how an increase is paid retroactively.

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 at VA.gov, and the services an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representative provides on a VA claim are always free. Rates and rules on this page were checked against VA.gov, the eCFR and the U.S. Code in November 2026 and are subject to change.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a 30% VA disability rating pay per month?

Under VA's rates effective December 1, 2025, a 30% rating pays $552.47 a month to a veteran with no dependents, $617.47 with a spouse, and $666.47 with a spouse and one child. VA adjusts the rates each December 1 with the cost-of-living increase, so check the VA rate table for the current figures.

Does a 30% rating pay more if I am married or have children?

Yes. 30% is the first rating at which VA adds compensation for dependents (38 U.S.C. 1115). At 30%, a spouse raises the monthly amount from $552.47 to $617.47, each child under 18 after the first adds $32.00, and each child over 18 in a qualifying school program after the first adds $105.00. Below 30%, VA pays the same amount with or without dependents.

Can I get TDIU with a 30% rating?

Not under the schedular test. 38 CFR 4.16(a) requires one disability rated 60% or more, or a combined 70% or more with at least one disability rated 40% or more. A veteran who misses those percentages but cannot hold substantially gainful work because of service-connected disabilities can still be considered under 38 CFR 4.16(b), the extra-schedular route.

What VA health care priority group is a 30% rating?

VA places veterans with a single or combined service-connected rating of 30% or 40% in Priority Group 2. VA assigns the highest group a veteran fits, so another criterion can place someone higher. At any rating of 10% or more there is no copay for outpatient or inpatient care, but Priority Group 2 can owe medication copays for conditions that are not service-connected, capped at $700 in a 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.

Does a 30% rating give extra federal hiring preference?

Not extra points. Under OPM's preference groups, any disability rating earns 10 points; 30% or more is the CPS group. The difference at 30% is that 5 U.S.C. 3112 lets an agency appoint a veteran with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more noncompetitively; agencies may use that authority, but it is not an entitlement. At 30%, an agency that proposes to pass you over on a certificate to select a non-preference eligible must also notify you, and you have 15 days to respond to OPM (5 U.S.C. 3318(c)). A 30% rating also brings retention ahead of other preference eligibles in a reduction in force (5 U.S.C. 3502(b)) and up to 104 hours of disabled veteran leave in a new federal job's first 12 months (5 U.S.C. 6329).

If I get another 10% rating, will my 30% become 40%?

It depends on what your 30% is made of. Under the combined ratings table in 38 CFR 4.25, a single 30% rating and a 10% combine to 37%, which rounds to 40%. If your 30% is three 10% ratings (27%), a fourth 10% brings the value only to 34%, still a final 30%. A 30% and a 20% combine to 44%, which also rounds to 40%, and a 30% and another 30% combine to 51%, which rounds to 50%. VA rounds once, after all ratings are combined.

Do I pay the VA home loan funding fee at 30%?

No, but that is not specific to 30%. VA waives the funding fee for a veteran receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability at any compensable rating, including 10% (38 U.S.C. 3729(c)).

Is there a 30% rating for PTSD?

Yes. Under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders in 38 CFR 4.130, 30% describes occupational and social impairment with an occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, with symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, weekly or less frequent panic attacks, chronic sleep impairment or mild memory loss.