60% VA Disability Rating (2026): Pay, TDIU and Benefits

A 60 percent VA disability rating pays $1,435.02 a month to a veteran with no dependents, at VA's rates effective December 1, 2025. Under federal VA law, a single disability rated 60% is also the threshold for unemployability (TDIU) consideration under 38 CFR 4.16(a).

This page covers federal VA disability compensation under Title 38 of the U.S. Code and 38 CFR Part 4, plus the related federal rules for military retirees and federal job applicants. It does not cover state veteran benefits, which vary by state. For every rating level and topic, see the VA disability ratings hub. To check how your ratings combine and what they pay with your dependents, use the free VA disability calculator.

60% VA Disability Pay (Rates Effective December 1, 2025)

VA pays one base amount for each combined rating and a higher amount when a dependent spouse, child, or parent is on your award. At 60%, a veteran with no dependents receives $1,435.02 a month. VA adjusts these rates each December 1 with the cost-of-living increase Congress enacts, so check VA's current rate table for the newest figures.

The first table covers a spouse or dependent parents with no children. The figures are copied from VA's table.

The second table covers households with children. The "1 child" rows already include the first child; the added amounts apply to the second child and each child after that.

Dependent pay starts at 30% and grows with the rating. Under 38 U.S.C. 1115, the add-on for a partial rating has "the same ratio" to the 100% amount "as the degree of disability bears to total disability," which is why a spouse adds $131.00 at 60% and $109.00 at 50%.

The VA disability calculator picks the right row for your household from your combined rating.

How Veterans Reach a 60% Combined Rating

VA does not add ratings. Under 38 CFR 4.25, VA combines disabilities from most to least severe, applying each one to the remaining "efficient" part of the person, then converts the final value to the nearest 10, with values ending in 5 rounded up. A raw combined value from 55 through 64 becomes 60%.

The top of the band explains a common frustration. A 60% disability plus a new 10% produces 64, which still rounds to 60%, so the new rating adds nothing to the payment. A 60% plus a 20% produces 68, which rounds to 70%. For the full method, including the bilateral factor in 38 CFR 4.26, see how VA math works.

Single Disabilities the Schedule Rates at 60%

Some diagnostic codes list 60% as a step. These are examples from VA's rating schedule, not predictions; VA rates each condition on the evidence.

• Hypertension (DC 7101, 38 CFR 4.104): 60% for "diastolic pressure predominantly 130 or more."
• Eating disorders (DCs 9520 and 9521, 38 CFR 4.130): 60% for "self-induced weight loss to less than 85 percent of expected minimum weight with incapacitating episodes of six or more weeks total duration per year."

PTSD, depression, anxiety and other conditions rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders in 38 CFR 4.130 cannot be rated 60%. That formula's steps are 0, 10, 30, 50, 70 and 100. A veteran at 60% who has a mental health rating reached that total by combining it with other disabilities, and that difference matters for TDIU, below.

The 60% Rating and TDIU

Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) lets VA pay at the 100% rate when service-connected disabilities prevent substantially gainful work. Under 38 CFR 4.16(a), the schedular test is met in one of two ways:

• One disability rated 60% or more. In the regulation's words, "if there is only one such disability, this disability shall be ratable at 60 percent or more."
• Two or more disabilities combined to 70% or more, with at least one rated 40% or more.

The word "one" carries weight. A combined 60% built from separate conditions is not one 60% disability. For example, a 50% PTSD rating and a 20% knee rating combine to 60%, but neither condition is rated 60% and the combined total is below 70%, so that veteran does not meet the 4.16(a) percentages.

When VA counts several disabilities as one

For the single 60% disability, and for the 40% disability in the combined route, 4.16(a) treats these as one disability:

1. Disabilities of one or both arms, or of one or both legs, including the bilateral factor if it applies.
2. Disabilities resulting from a common cause or a single accident.
3. Disabilities affecting a single body system, such as orthopedic, digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular-renal, or neuropsychiatric.
4. Multiple injuries incurred in action.
5. Multiple disabilities incurred as a prisoner of war.

So a veteran whose 60% comes entirely from related conditions in one of those groups, such as several leg disabilities or several orthopedic conditions, can meet the single-disability test even though no one diagnostic code is rated 60%.

What else TDIU requires

Meeting the percentages is only the threshold. VA also requires evidence that service-connected disabilities prevent the veteran from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation. Under 4.16(a), "marginal employment" is not substantially gainful employment; it generally exists when earned annual income does not exceed the Census Bureau poverty threshold for one person, and VA may also find it on the facts, such as work in a family business or sheltered workshop. A veteran who misses the percentages but cannot work because of service-connected disabilities can still be considered on an extra-schedular basis under 4.16(b).

A veteran awarded TDIU is paid at the 100% rate, $3,938.58 a month with no dependents at the rates effective December 1, 2025, while the schedular rating stays at 60%. TDIU paid at the 100% rate also opens Class IV VA dental care under 38 CFR 17.161(h). See TDIU and individual unemployability for the evidence VA looks at.

If VA denies TDIU or rates the underlying condition below 60%, you can ask for a decision review. See how to appeal a VA rating.

What a 60% Rating Changes Beyond the Monthly Payment

VA health care: Priority Group 1

VA places veterans with a service-connected rating of 50% or more in Priority Group 1 (38 CFR 17.36(b)(1)). VA's copay page states that veterans in Priority Group 1 "won't pay a copay for any medications," and at any rating of 10% or more VA charges no copay for outpatient or inpatient care. Some copays still apply in Priority Group 1: urgent care has no copay for the first 3 visits in each calendar year and a $30 copay for each visit after that.

Concurrent retirement and disability pay (CRDP)

A military retiree normally waives retired pay dollar for dollar to receive VA compensation. CRDP removes that offset for a retiree whose service-connected disability or combination is "rated as not less than 50 percent disabling" (10 U.S.C. 1414), so a 60% rating qualifies. DFAS says it usually starts CRDP without a written claim because VA shares rating data with it.

A Chapter 61 disability retiree needs 20 or more years of creditable service for CRDP, and DFAS may limit how much disability retired pay is paid concurrently. A retiree with combat-related disabilities may also qualify for Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC). DFAS lists a VA rating of at least 10%, a waiver of retired pay in the amount of VA disability compensation (the VA waiver), and a CRSC application filed with the retiree's branch of service; DFAS also states you "can only receive either CRDP or CRSC, not both."

Federal jobs and employment help

At 30% or more, a veteran is in OPM's "CPS" preference group (10 points), and an agency "may" make a noncompetitive temporary or term appointment under 5 U.S.C. 3112 (5 CFR 316.402(b)(4) and 316.302(b)(4)), which the agency may later convert to a career or career-conditional job under 5 CFR 315.707.

The 30% line carries other federal job protections too. An agency that proposes to pass over a veteran rated 30% or more on a certificate to select a non-preference eligible must notify the veteran, who has 15 days to respond to OPM (5 U.S.C. 3318(c)(2)). In a reduction in force, such a veteran whose performance has not been rated unacceptable is retained ahead of other preference eligibles (5 U.S.C. 3502(b)). A new federal employee rated 30% or more is entitled to up to 104 hours of disabled veteran leave in the first 12 months of employment for treatment of that disability (5 U.S.C. 6329).

A veteran rated 20% or more is entitled to Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) services when VA finds an "employment handicap" (38 U.S.C. 3102), and VA says there is no time limit on eligibility for veterans discharged on or after January 1, 2013.

Home loans and base access

A veteran receiving VA compensation does not pay the VA home loan funding fee (38 U.S.C. 3729(c)(1)), at any compensated rating. Veterans with a service-connected disability can use commissaries and MWR facilities on the same basis as military retirees under 10 U.S.C. 1065(d), effective January 1, 2020.

What a 60% Rating Does Not Change

A 60% schedular rating does not include comprehensive VA dental care, which requires a 100% schedular rating or TDIU paid at the 100% rate (38 CFR 17.161(h)). It does not by itself award TDIU, which needs the evidence described above. Special Monthly Compensation depends on specific losses and circumstances rather than a percentage; see special monthly compensation.

How a 60% Rating Compares

All amounts are VA's rates effective December 1, 2025. For neighboring levels, see 50% VA disability, 70% VA disability, and 100% VA disability benefits.

Seeking a Higher Rating

If a service-connected condition has worsened, you can file a claim for an increased rating with current medical evidence. If a new condition was caused or made worse by a rated condition, you can file a secondary claim. A new 10% added to a single 60% does not change the final rating (see the combining section above), while a worsened condition rated higher, or a TDIU award, can. For how effective dates affect what VA owes after an increase, see VA disability back pay. Be wary of anyone who charges to help with an initial claim; see VA claim sharks.

This page provides general information about federal VA disability compensation and related federal programs; it is not legal advice. Rates and rules were checked against VA.gov, DFAS, OPM, the U.S. Code and the Code of Federal Regulations in November 2026 and can change. 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 accredited help is available free from Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs).

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does 60% VA disability pay?

At VA's rates effective December 1, 2025, a 60% rating pays $1,435.02 a month for a veteran with no dependents, $1,566.02 with a spouse, and $1,663.02 with a spouse and one child. VA adjusts rates each December 1 with the cost-of-living increase.

Can I get TDIU with a 60% rating?

A single disability rated 60% or more meets the schedular percentage in 38 CFR 4.16(a), and VA counts related disabilities, such as those of one or both legs or of one body system, as one disability for that test. A combined 60% from unrelated conditions does not meet it. In every case VA also needs evidence that service-connected disabilities prevent substantially gainful work, and 38 CFR 4.16(b) allows extra-schedular consideration below the percentages.

How much does TDIU pay at 60%?

TDIU is paid at the 100% rate, $3,938.58 a month for a veteran with no dependents at VA's rates effective December 1, 2025. The schedular rating stays at 60%.

Can PTSD be rated 60%?

No. The General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders in 38 CFR 4.130 has steps at 0, 10, 30, 50, 70 and 100 percent. A veteran can reach a combined 60% with a mental health rating plus other conditions.

Why did my new 10% rating not raise my 60%?

Under 38 CFR 4.25, a 60% and a 10% combine to 64, which rounds to the nearest 10, so the final rating stays 60%. A 60% and a 20% combine to 68, which rounds to 70%.

Can I get military retired pay and VA disability at 60%?

If you are an eligible retiree, yes. CRDP under 10 U.S.C. 1414 applies at 50% or more and pays retired pay in full alongside VA compensation. Chapter 61 disability retirees need 20 or more years of creditable service, and you can receive CRDP or CRSC, not both.