Federal Benefits List by Combined Ratings
This page is focused on Federal benefits granted to Veterans based on their Combined total rating.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
For the purposes of ease only new/changed benefits are listed as you move down the page. In other words, a Veteran who is rated 50% combined gets ALL the previous benefits of the lower percentages!
For specific State/Territory benefits click HERE.
0%
| Category |
Description |
|---|---|
| Business | Service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses program - Joining the disabled Veterans’ business program makes your business eligible to compete for the program’s set-aside contracts. |
| Death | Dependency indemnity compensation (DIC) - If death is related to a service-connected disability. |
| Death | Increased Burial and plot allowance - If death is determined to be connected to military service. |
| Employment | 10-Point Disability Preference (XP) Ten points are added to the passing examination score or rating. |
| Financial | VA clothing allowance - Yearly allowance to replace clothing permanently damaged by prosthetic/orthopedic devices or skin medicine. The device or skin medicine MUST be prescribed to treat a service connected disability. It is possible to be granted more than one allowance. |
| Financial | VA travel pay via the Beneficiary Travel program - pays Veterans back for mileage and other travel expenses to and from approved health care appointments @. For service connected disabilities only@@. |
| Life insurance | Veterans Affairs life insurance (VALife)@@@ |
| Health Care | Each disability that is rated at least 0% (service connected) entitles the Veteran to free treatment for that disability through the VA. This DOES include medications for those service connected conditions. |
| Health Care | Priority group 5* or 8 (Sub-priority E)** for VA health care. |
| Health Care | Foreign Medical Program (FMP) - VA will pay for health care services, medications, and durable medical equipment for service connected conditions. For Veterans living or traveling abroad. |
| Other | Free lifetime access to National parks & Federal recreational lands via the America the Beautiful - National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Access Pass. The pass also grants other benefits such as Discounts on various services such as tours and camp sites.*** |
| Other | Veterans with a service connected disability that results in them being unable to have biological children or requires them to use fertility treatments are eligible to be reimbursed $2,000 per child adopted. For full details click HERE. |
| Other | Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) with "service connected" written on it. This grants the Veteran access to military installations, commissary, exchange and MWR retail privileges.$ |
@This DOES include appointments made via the Community care program.
@@Veterans who are low-income may qualify for travel pay even for appointments for non service connected disabilities.
@@@Must be younger than 81, unless you are within 2 years of a grant of a NEW service connected disability, that was applied for before turning 81.
*Non-compensable service connected Veterans rated 0%, whose annual income and/or net worth are NOT greater than VA financial thresholds.
**If the Veteran is rated at the non-compensable 0% service-connected level and whose annual income and/or net worth are IS greater than VA financial thresholds.
***Veterans without a service connected disability may access National Parks for Free - but they do NOT get the aforementioned discounts.
$The Veteran MUST get a visitor pass to gain base access at certain bases!
Note About Commissary Access:
The DoD is required to charge Veterans a small fee to make purchases with a commercial credit or debit card. Veterans who use the military star card will NOT be charged this fee.
MWR facilities
This is not an exhaustive list, only the most frequently asked about activities.
Use of MWR activities primarily funded by appropriations are NOT authorized.
| Place/Activity | Applicability |
|---|---|
| AmericanForcesTravel.com | Yes@ |
| Armed Forces Resorts | Only the Hale Koa Hotel (Hawaii) and the Shades of Green Resort (Disney, Florida) |
| Boating programs | Yes |
| Bowling | Yes |
| Cabins/Cottages | Yes |
| Camping (Tent sites & RV parks) | Yes |
| Child care/development | No |
| Class six | Yes |
| Clubs | Yes |
| Equipment rentals | Yes |
| Fishing | Varies* |
| Golf | Yes |
| Gym/Fitness center | No |
| Kennels | Yes |
| Libraries | No |
| Lodging | Yes** |
| MAC flights | No |
| Marinas | Yes |
| Movies | Yes |
| Pharmacy | No |
| Pools | Varies*** |
| Rec center | Yes |
| Recreational lodging/Resorts | Yes |
| Restaurants | Yes |
| USO | No |
| Vehicle storage | Yes |
@All Veterans can now use this website.
*It depends. If lakes are operated as part of the installation park and picnic areas, no. If lakes are operated as part of the installation outdoor recreation activity, then it is at the discretion of the military department, subject to capacity and funding considerations.
**Official temporary duty and permanent change of station lodging will be on a space-available basis.
***At the discretion of the military department, subject to capacity and funding considerations.
0% (Paid at the 10% rate)
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Employment | 10-Point Compensable Disability Preference (CP). Ten points are added to the passing examination score or rating. |
| Health Care | Priority group 6 for VA health care. |
| Health Care | Free hearing aids and associated components. |
| Health Care | Free basic eyeglasses from the VA. |
| Housing | Exemption from paying the funding fee for VA loans. |
NOTE:
Some Veterans who have at least two 0% service-connected disabilities are paid at the minimum 10 percent (38 CFR 3.324).
10%
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Employment | Eligibility for Veteran Readiness and Employment (formerly called Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E)) if the Veteran has a SERIOUS employment handicap AND did NOT receive a dishonorable discharge. |
| Financial | Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) A tax free entitlement that is be paid each month in addition to any retiree pay. |
| Health Care | Priority group 3 for VA health care. |
| Health Care | FREE* VA health care AND Community care** for BOTH service AND non service-connected conditions (within the USA and its territories). |
*Non service connected medications and residential forms of Long term care are NOT free! You'll owe a Small copay. Additionally, dental is unavailable for those without a dental service-connected disability or meet other Eligibility factors.
**More than 3 visits to urgent care a year will result in owing a small copay.
Notes For Veterans with Private Insurance:
By law the VA is supposed to bill your insurance for any treatment that is NOT service-connected. However, you the Veteran being 10% owe nothing to EITHER your insurance or the VA!
The benefit of giving the VA your private insurance information is that anything the VA bills them will go towards lowering your yearly out of pocket limit on your insurance!
If you are being billed by either the VA or your private insurance you need to contact them directly.
20%
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Employment | Eligibility for VR&E if the Veteran has an employment handicap and did NOT receive a dishonorable discharge. |
30%
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Employment | 10-Point 30 Percent Compensable Disability Preference (CPS) Ten points are added to the passing examination score or rating. |
| Employment | Disabled Veteran Leave - Veterans working for the Federal Government are eligible for up to 104 hours of free leave. To be used when getting treatment/care for your service connected disabilities. Veterans have 1 year from the start of their employment to use this leave or when the Veteran establishes at least a 30% rating. Whichever is later, if hired after November 4, 2016. |
| Financial | Can add Eligible dependents to their compensation benefits to get a higher payment. |
| Financial | VA travel pay via the Beneficiary Travel program - pays Veterans back for mileage and other travel expenses to and from approved health care appointments. |
| Health care | Priority group 2 for VA health care. |
50%
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Financial | Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) - Ability to draw military pension and VA disability at the same time. |
| Health care | Priority group 1 for VA health care. |
| Health care | FREE medications for NON service-connected disabilities! |
60%
NOTE:
In certain cases— for example, if you need to be in the hospital often. The Veteran may qualify at a lower disability rating.
70%
*Each of the VA nursing home programs has their own admission and eligibility criteria. Nursing home care is available for Veterans who are enrolled in the VA health system who need nursing home care for service-connected disabilit(ities), AND for Veterans who have a 70% or higher service-connected disability.
VA-provided nursing home care for all other honorably discharged Veterans is based on available resources. Eligibility for Veterans without service-connected disabilities is highly dependent upon their household income, i.e. countable income after medical expenses can generally not exceed the maximum annual rate of a Veteran's Pension payable to a Veteran in need of regular Aid and attendance ($22,939 for a Veteran without dependents and $27,195 for a Veteran with one dependent).
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Death | Dependency indemnity compensation (DIC) - Death need NOT be related to a service-connected disability if additional conditions are met. See link for details. |
| Education | Discharge of the Veteran's Federal student loans* via the Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge program**. |
| Education | Nomination of children to a Service Academy: Air Force, Army (West Point), Navy. |
| Employment | Derived Federal hiring preference for spouses and the Veteran's parents. See link for details. |
| Health care | Free Dental care through the VA (within the USA and its territories). |
| Other | Additional MWR Access: Fitness, aquatics, and sports program, as well as libraries. |
| Other | Disabled American Veteran 100% ID (DAV ID) - See link for benefits. |
100% or TDIU
*This DOES include Parent Plus loans!
**The Department of Education has a different definitions of what P&T is than the VA (34 CFR § 685.213 - Total and permanent disability discharge)
100% P&T or TDIU P&T
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Education | Entitlement to Chapter 35 Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA). |
| Financial | Removal of 10% penalty for early withdraw of 401K and IRAs. |
| Health care | Eligibility for Veteran's dependents to enroll in CHAMPVA. |
| Health care | During a medical emergency Veteran may freely use non-VA emergency rooms for any condition. Veteran does needs to submit a claim within 2 years of the event to the VA for reimbursement. |
| Social Security | Expedited Processing of Veteran’s disability claims. |
| Travel | Free air travel on Space-A - Allows travel in the Continental United States or directly between the CONUS and Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa (Guam and American Samoa travelers may transit Hawaii or Alaska); or traveling within Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands on flights operated by Air Mobility Command. This benefit CAN be used by the Veteran's dependents so long as the Veteran accompanies them. |
States Offering Free Tuition to Veterans and their Dependents
Some states offer Veterans and their dependents free tuition. Some are based upon having a certain disability percentage or other requirements.
Click HERE to see the list.
States with Property Tax Exemptions for Veterans
Some States have been gracious enough to grant Veterans either a partial or full exemption from their property taxes. This can end up saving Veterans thousands of dollars a year!
Click HERE to see the list.