Veterans who suffer from service-related injuries and mental health conditions are able to receive veterans’ benefits from the VA. These benefits provide some income to these disabled veterans to help them move forward in spite of their disabilities. Unfortunately, the process of claiming veteran’s benefits is complicated, and sometimes veterans do not get a fair amount of benefit.
If you are a veteran with a qualified service-related (connected) disability, your monthly payment amount is based on the percentage of disability you suffer. The VA will assign a percentage based on how severe your disability symptoms are, and your compensation is based on that number. The higher the percent, the more compensation you and your family will receive. With married veterans and veterans with dependents given a higher amount.
For veterans with a 60% VA disability rating, the monthly compensation may not be sufficient to live on. Here is a closer look at what 60% means, how you might be able to increase it and what you can do if you don’t feel this rating is fair.
Combined Rating System for Multiple Disabilities
The VA assigns a veteran a disability rating that is based on the severity of the disabilities received in service. Often, a veteran will have more than one disability after a service-related accident or injury. Thus, the VA will combine the rating to come up with a total percent disability.
However, finding the combined disability rating isn’t as simple as adding up the different percentages. This would easily lead to a rating of over 100% for some veterans, which is not possible. The VA offers a calculator to help veterans calculate the impact of their service-connected disabilities as they determine how much their VA benefits may be.
To figure your combined disability rating, you will need to go to the VA disability combined rating table. Find your highest disability rating on one column and your next lowest on the second column. Trace these two until they intersect, and that is your combined rating. Always round to the nearest 10%.
Using this figure, if you have a disability rating of 60% for one disability and 20% for a second disability, your combined rating would be 68%. Round to the nearest 10% to achieve a rating of 70%.
60% Disability Compensation Rates
A 60% disability rating means that the veteran is 60% disabled according to calculations set by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Several factors impact this rating, including:
- Evidence given to the VA from a doctor
- VA claim exam results
- Other information from federal agencies or similar sources
In addition, your VA disability benefits will depend on the number of dependents you have.
According to the 2022 veterans disability compensation rates figures, veterans with a 60% disability rating who have no children are able to receive the following:
- $1,214.03 a month for the veteran alone with no dependents.
- $1,325.03 for the veteran with a spouse, but no children.
- $1,414.03 for the veteran with a spouse and one dependent parent.
- $1,503.03 for the veteran with a spouse and two dependent parents.
- $1,303.03 for the veteran with no spouse, no children, but one dependent parent.
- $1,392.03 for the veteran with no spouse, no children, but two dependent parents.
If the veteran has dependent children, the amounts change to the following:
- $1,288.03 for a veteran with one child and no spouse.
- $1,407.03 for a veteran with one child and a spouse.
- $1,496.03 for a veteran with one child, a spouse, and one dependent parent.
- $1,585.03 for a veteran with one child, a spouse, and two dependent parents.
- $1,377.03 for a veteran with one child, no spouse, but one dependent parent.
- $1,466.03 for a veteran with one child, no spouse, and two dependent parents.
In addition to these amounts, the veteran adds $55 a month for each additional child under the age of 18 and $178 a month for a child over the age of 18 who is in a qualified school program. If the spouse receives Aid and Attendance, the veteran adds $102 in additional compensation a month.
These are the 2022 rates, but the VA is required by law to increase rates when Social Security rates increase to accommodate cost of living, so these can change.
What Is the Difference Between 60% and 100% VA Disability?
The amount of VA disability compensation received ties in directly to the disability rating. The amount increases by increments based on how high the percentage is. Here is a continuation based on percentage and the total number of dependents the veteran has.
For a veteran with a 70% disability rating, the monthly payment is:
- $1,615.95 for a veteran with a child only.
- $1,754.95 for a veteran with one child and a spouse.
- $1,858.95 for a veteran with one child and one parent.
- $1,962.95 for a veteran with one child and two parents.
- $1,719.95 for a veteran with one child and one parent.
- $1,823.95 for a veteran with one child and two parents.
When the disability rating increases to 80%, the amounts increase to:
- $1,877.43 for a veteran with a child only.
- $2,035.43 for a veteran with one child and a spouse.
- $2,154.43 for a veteran with one child and one parent.
- $2,273.43 for a veteran with one child and two parents.
- $1,996.43 for a veteran with one child and one parent.
- $2,115.43 for a veteran with one child and two parents.
At 90%, the monthly payment increases to:
- $2,109.52 for a veteran with a child only.
- $2,287.52 for a veteran with one child and a spouse.
- $2,421.52 for a veteran with one child and one parent.
- $2,555.52 for a veteran with one child and two parents.
- $2,243.52 for a veteran with one child and one parent.
- $2,377.52 for a veteran with one child and two parents.
Finally, for veterans who reach 100% disability rating, the amount increases to:
- $3,456.30 for a veteran with a child only.
- $3,653.89 for a veteran with one child and a spouse.
- $3,802.99 for a veteran with one child and one parent.
- $3,952.09 for a veteran with one child and two parents.
- $3,605.40 for a veteran with one child and one parent.
- $3,754.50 for a veteran with one child and two parents.
The monthly payment amount increases if there are additional children as follows:
- 70% disability rating: $64 a month for each additional child under 18, and $208 for each child over 18 in a qualifying school program.
- 80% disability rating: $73 a month for each additional child under 18, and $238 for each child over 18 in a qualifying school program.
- 90% disability rating: $83 a month for each child under 18, and $268 for each child over 18 in a qualifying school program.
- 100% disability rating: $93.31 a month for each child under 18, and $298.18 for each child over 18 in a qualifying school program.
Based on these figures, a veteran living alone with a 60% disability rating receives $1,214.03. If that rating is 100%, the amount the disabled veteran receives increases by over $2,000 to $3,456.30 a month.
Increasing 60% VA Disability Rating to 100% Rating
Because there is such a big difference between a 60% and a 100% disability rating, many who qualify for VA disability claims want to increase their total disability to as close to 100% as possible. This maximizes the veterans benefits they receive for their injuries received as part of their military service.
Unfortunately, with the combined disability rating process, reaching 100% is not easy. The charts are set up to make it difficult to reach that level, even with multiple disabilities.
For many veterans, a more realistic option may be to file for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability, which allows the same benefit as a 100% rating without actually being at 100%.
Does 60% Disability Make You Eligible for Individual Unemployability?
Yes, 60% may make you eligible for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability, or TDIU. If you have one single service connected condition that is rated at 60%, then you may want to consider TDIU. In short, TDIU allows veterans to receive the 100% VA disability monthly payment amount, even if their rating falls below 100%.
This is because achieving 100% is difficult in general, and VA accepts that some disabilities can still render the veteran unemployable because of the symptoms or treatment, etc. This is intended to help some veterans get the full amount if they are unable to work due to their disability.
According to the VA, any veteran earning less than the federal poverty level is considered unemployable in fact, and if they are earning that amount because of a service-connected disability, they may be eligible for VA disability because of TDIU.
How Do I Increase My 60% Disability Rating?
You’ll want to understand how VA rates your condition’s symptoms and see what it takes to qualify for a higher rating according to the Diagnostic Code and Rating sheet for your condition. If you determined that the VA got it wrong and that your condition should qualify for a higher rating (70%, 80%, 90%, or 100%) then you likely should consider putting a VA claim in.
You start by filing a VA disability claim or appeal if your rating decision’s deadline has not passed. The earlier you file, the earlier your claim’s effective date is. This means more compensation for you if your claim happens to take several months – years. In our blogs here, we cover how to start a claim in great detail.
If you have a family member or friend who observed how your injuries or disability impact your everyday life, you could have them write a Buddy Letter. This letter, which the VA considers when evaluating your claim, should show how the injuries impact you. If you can get a letter from a fellow veteran who served with you and can talk about what happened, how you were before, and how you were after then that’s even better.
