Veterans getting VA disability checks are probably looking at a raise of about 3.6% in January. The exact number drops Wednesday, Oct. 14.
That’s when the Social Security Administration announces its 2027 cost-of-living adjustment. VA compensation has moved in lockstep with Social Security for decades, so whatever retirees get, disabled vets get too.
If the forecasts hold, it would be the biggest bump since 2023’s 8.7%. This year’s was 2.8%.
How much more you’d get
Here’s the math at 3.6% for a veteran with no dependents, using VA’s current rate table. VA’s official 2027 numbers may be off by a few cents because of rounding.
| Rating | Now | 2027 (est.) | More per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | $186.92 | +$6.50 |
| 20% | $356.66 | $369.50 | +$12.84 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $572.36 | +$19.89 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $824.49 | +$28.65 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,173.68 | +$40.78 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,486.68 | +$51.66 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,873.55 | +$65.10 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,177.83 | +$75.68 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,447.34 | +$85.04 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,080.37 | +$141.79 |
Rated 30% or higher with a spouse or kids on your award? Your raise is bigger in dollars, because the add-ons for dependents go up by the same percentage. Quick way to estimate it: take the total on your latest award letter and multiply by 1.036.
And since VA disability isn’t taxed, what you see is what you get.
Where 3.6% comes from
Nobody in Washington picks the number. It’s a formula.
The government averages a consumer price index called CPI-W for July, August and September, then compares it with the same three months last year. The change, rounded to one decimal, is the COLA. July and August are already in. September comes out from the Bureau of Labor Statistics at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Oct. 14, and the announcement follows.
AARP and The Senior Citizens League both landed on about 3.6% in their late-summer forecasts. Earlier in the year the guesses were all over the place, from 2.8% in a February model run by the Military Officers Association of America to 3.9% from The Senior Citizens League in May. A weird September for gas or grocery prices could still nudge the final number a tenth or two either way.
Want to check it yourself on announcement day? Last year’s three-month CPI-W average was about 317.3. A 2026 average near 328.7 means 3.6%.
When it actually hits your account
New rates kick in Dec. 1. But VA pays for the month that just ended, so the December raise shows up in the payment that normally lands Jan. 1.
Jan. 1 is a Friday and a federal holiday, which means VA pays on the last business day before it. Look for the bigger deposit on Thursday, Dec. 31.
You don’t have to file anything. It’s automatic.
Who else gets it
- Survivors on DIC: same percentage.
- VA pension: the maximum rates and income limits go up by the same percentage, though your actual check depends on your other income.
- Military retirees: retired pay gets its own COLA using the same formula, so it’s normally the same number. Unlike VA comp, it’s taxable.
- CRDP and CRSC: both rise. Combat-Related Special Compensation is pegged to VA rates.
- Special monthly compensation and the clothing allowance: up by the COLA too.
Not included: GI Bill rates, which reset on their own schedule, usually in August.
Is 3.6% actually a raise?
Sort of. A COLA is meant to catch you up with prices that already went up, not put you ahead. If rent, insurance and groceries cost you about 3.6% more than a year ago, a 3.6% COLA keeps you even.
For context, here’s how recent years shook out:
- 2023: 8.7%, the biggest since 1981
- 2024: 3.2%
- 2025: 2.5%
- 2026: 2.8%
It can also be zero. There was no COLA at all for 2010, 2011 or 2016, because prices didn’t rise enough. That’s not on the table this year.
A few things to do now
Check your dependents. Got married, had a kid or have a kid who just started college? Make sure they’re actually on your award at VA.gov. If they’re not on it, they don’t get paid, raise or no raise.
Update your direct deposit if your bank changed this year, so the Dec. 31 payment doesn’t bounce.
Ignore anyone asking for money. Every COLA season brings calls and texts telling veterans to “verify” their account or pay a fee to get their increase. VA doesn’t do that. If something sounds off, hang up and call VA at 800-827-1000.
Got a claim pending? You’re not losing anything. If VA grants an increase with an effective date in the past, back pay is calculated at whatever rates applied each month.
We’ll post the official number and VA’s new table here as soon as they’re out on Oct. 14.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Veteran disability compensation rates
- Social Security Administration: Latest cost-of-living adjustment
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index
- Gray News: How much are Social Security benefits expected to increase in 2027?
- Newsweek: VA disability payments in 2027
Featured image: Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
