50% VA Disability Rating: Benefits and 2026 Pay

At 50%, 8 of the 16 benefits on this list apply directly and 2 apply only under extra conditions. VA's 2026 table pays $1,132.90 a month to a veteran alone.

Maintained by Archie Chang · Eligibility rules checked against VA, OPM and statute text October 26, 2026 · Methodology & sources

Not affiliated with the VA. FedRateCalc is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense or OPM. VA decides your rating, which benefits you qualify for and your payment. This page summarizes published eligibility rules for general information. It is not legal or medical advice and does not predict any rating or decision. Reviewed October 26, 2026.

What is different at 50%

A 50% rating moves VA health care to priority group 1 and is the lowest rating for concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA compensation (for military retirees). It is below every TDIU percentage standard, which starts at a single 60% disability.

Ratings here are combined ratings, which VA rounds to the nearest 10. See the combined ratings table or the VA disability calculator.

Benefits that apply at 50%

Apply directly at this rating

Apply only if extra conditions are met

The percentage alone is not enough for these. Each one says what else VA or DoD looks at, such as a permanent and total rating, TDIU or a VA finding.

  • Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E)Conditions apply

    Employment support and training. The statute sets entitlement at a 20% rating with an employment handicap, or a 10% rating with a serious employment handicap; a VA counselor decides the handicap.

    From 20% the statute requires VA to determine that the veteran needs rehabilitation because of an employment handicap (not necessarily a serious one). A counselor makes that decision.

    Also depends on: a VA finding of an employment handicap.

    a veteran who has a service-connected disability rated at 20 percent or more which was incurred or aggravated in service on or after September 16, 1940; or

  • Concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA compensation (CRDP)Conditions apply

    A military retiree whose service-connected disability is rated at least 50% can be paid retired pay and VA compensation together, without the usual offset. Disability retirees with under 20 years of service are excluded, and those with 20 years or more are limited by 10 U.S.C. 1414(b)(1).

    Applies only to a military retiree entitled to retired pay. For a member retired for disability under chapter 61 with 20 years or more of service, 1414(b)(1) says retired pay is still subject to reduction under 38 U.S.C. 5304 and 5305, but only to the extent the chapter 61 retired pay exceeds what other law would give for the same service. With less than 20 years of service, the statute says the concurrent-payment rule does not apply.

    Also depends on: being a military retiree entitled to retired pay.

    the term "qualifying service-connected disability" means a service-connected disability or combination of service-connected disabilities that is rated as not less than 50 percent disabling by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Not available at this rating

These need a higher rating or a different kind of rating: VA dental care (Class IV); CHAMPVA health coverage for a spouse and children; Chapter 35 education benefits for a spouse and children (DEA); Space-A (space-available) military flights; Statutory housebound rate (SMC-S); Individual unemployability (TDIU): the 100% rate.

Property tax relief and other state or local benefits for disabled veterans vary by state and are not covered here. Check your state veterans agency.

What 50% adds over 40%

  • Health care moves to priority group 1
  • Concurrent receipt of retired pay (CRDP) for military retirees

What changes at 60%

  • Dental care, only through TDIU
  • CHAMPVA for family, only through a permanent TDIU
  • Chapter 35 education for family, only through a permanent TDIU
  • TDIU possible with one disability at 60%

Pay for a veteran alone rises by $302.12 a month at 60%.

2026 VA pay at 50%

2026 monthly VA disability compensation at 50% (rates effective December 1, 2025).
HouseholdMonthly
Veteran alone$1,132.90
With spouse$1,241.90
With spouse and one child under 18$1,322.90
With one child under 18, no spouse$1,205.90
With one dependent parent, no spouse or child$1,220.90
With spouse and one dependent parent$1,329.90
Each additional child under 18 (added)$54.00
Each child 18 to 23 in school (added)$176.00
Spouse needing aid and attendance (added)$101.00
Veteran alone, per year$13,594.80
With spouse, per year$14,902.80

That is $337.06 more a month than 40%. The next level up pays $302.12 more.

Basic compensation only: it leaves out special monthly compensation, TDIU and offsets. See the full pay chart.

Pay steps around 50%

Monthly and yearly change for a veteran alone, from VA's 2026 table.

  • From 40% to 50%: +$337.06 a month, +$4,044.72 a year.
  • From 50% to 60%: +$302.12 a month, +$3,625.44 a year.

Worked examples: ratings that combine to 50%

VA does not add ratings; it combines them with Table I of 38 CFR 4.25 and rounds to the nearest 10. These examples are computed with the combined ratings table and are illustrations, not a prediction of any rating.

  • A single service-connected disability rated 50%.
  • 30% + 30% combine to 51 (30 under 30 = 51), which rounds to 50%.
  • 40% + 10% combine to 46 (40 under 10 = 46), which rounds to 50%.
  • 40% + 20% combine to 52 (40 under 20 = 52), which rounds to 50%.
  • 20% + 20% + 20% combine to 49 (20 under 20 = 36; 36 under 20 = 49), which rounds to 50%.
  • 30% + 20% + 10% combine to 50 (30 under 20 = 44; 44 under 10 = 50), which rounds to 50%.

Do these meet the TDIU percentage standard?

38 CFR 4.16(a) asks for one disability ratable at 60 percent or more, or two or more with one at 40 percent or more and a combined rating of 70 percent or more. It also treats some groups of disabilities as one, and VA must still find the veteran unable to hold substantially gainful work. Examples with a 60% disability and a combined rating under 70 are left out because that grouping makes them ambiguous.

  • 50%: does not meet the percentage standard on its face.
  • 30% + 30%: does not meet the percentage standard on its face.
  • 40% + 10%: does not meet the percentage standard on its face.
  • 40% + 20%: does not meet the percentage standard on its face.
  • 20% + 20% + 20%: does not meet the percentage standard on its face.
  • 30% + 20% + 10%: does not meet the percentage standard on its face.

Compare other ratings

Level below: 40%. Level above: 60%. All ratings side by side.

Questions about the 50% rating

What benefits come with a 50% VA disability rating?

At 50%, 8 of the 16 listed benefits apply directly and 2 apply only if extra conditions are met. New or changed compared with 40%: VA health care enrollment (priority group) and Concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA compensation (CRDP). Each threshold quote and source is on this page or the page for the level where it last changed.

How much does a 50% VA disability rating pay in 2026?

In 2026, 50% pays $1,132.90 a month ($13,594.80 a year) to a veteran alone, using VA's rates in effect since December 1, 2025. With a spouse it is $1,241.90, and with a spouse and one child $1,322.90.

Does 50% qualify for CHAMPVA, Chapter 35 or Space-A?

At 50%, VA's matrix does not list them below 60%: CHAMPVA, Chapter 35 and Space-A depend on a permanent and total rating, which the matrix lists at 100%, or at 60% to 90% only through a permanent TDIU rating. Separately, 38 CFR 4.16(b) tells rating boards to submit "all cases of veterans who are unemployable by reason of service-connected disabilities, but who fail to meet the percentage standards set forth in paragraph (a) of this section" for extra-schedular consideration, so TDIU can be considered below the 4.16(a) thresholds. This page does not predict whether it is granted.

What changes between 50% and 60%?

Going from 50% to 60% adds or changes: VA dental care (Class IV); CHAMPVA health coverage for a spouse and children; Chapter 35 education benefits for a spouse and children (DEA); and Individual unemployability (TDIU): the 100% rate. Pay for a veteran alone rises by $302.12 a month in 2026.

Does a 50% VA disability rating allow concurrent receipt of military retired pay?

At 50%: A military retiree whose service-connected disability is rated at least 50% can be paid retired pay and VA compensation together, without the usual offset. Disability retirees with under 20 years of service are excluded, and those with 20 years or more are limited by 10 U.S.C. 1414(b)(1). Applies only to a military retiree entitled to retired pay. For a member retired for disability under chapter 61 with 20 years or more of service, 1414(b)(1) says retired pay is still subject to reduction under 38 U.S.C. 5304 and 5305, but only to the extent the chapter 61 retired pay exceeds what other law would give for the same service. With less than 20 years of service, the statute says the concurrent-payment rule does not apply.

Sources: VA Benefit Eligibility Matrix: Service Connected Matrix (benefits.va.gov) · VA: priority groups for health care · VA: eligibility for Veteran Readiness and Employment · 38 U.S.C. 3102 (basic entitlement, VR&E) · VA: commissary and exchange privileges for Veterans · VA: funding fee and closing costs · 38 U.S.C. 3729 (loan fee) · VA: add or remove a dependent on VA disability benefits · 38 U.S.C. 1115 (additional compensation for dependents) · VA: get reimbursed for travel pay · VA: Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife) · OPM: veterans preference groups · OPM: Vet Guide for HR Professionals · 10 U.S.C. 1414 (concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation) · VA disability compensation rates