VA Disability Retroactive Pay: Understanding and Calculating: VA Historical Compensation Rates 1974 - Current

[Tbird]

Won Your VA Claim?

This reference will help you calculate your retroactive pay.

For Current VA Disability Compensation Rates, Click Here

VA Disability rates listed below are used to calculate your retroactive pay once you win your claim. For example, if you were awarded 50% from 1997 to the present, you will be paid at the 50% rate for the corresponding years.

 

VA disability compensation (pay) offers a monthly tax-free payment to Veterans who got sick or injured while serving in the military and to Veterans whose service made an existing condition worse. You may qualify for VA disability benefits for physical conditions (like a chronic illness or injury) and mental health conditions (like PTSD) that developed before, during, or after service. Find out how to apply for and manage the Veteran’s disability benefits you’ve earned.

 

Source of Data: Veterans Affairs Compensation and Pension Benefits Website

Quick Reference

• VA Disability Rates for Compensation
• Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) Current Rates
• Dependency Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Current Rates
• Parents DIC Current Rates
• Automobile Allowance, Clothing Allowance, and Medal of Honor Rates
• Birth Defects (Spina Bifida, Children of Women Vietnam Veterans) Rates
• You may wonder how the VA decides if I’m 70% or 30%. There are many reasons, but let’s start with the basics and move on from there.

 

VA Claims Are Ruled by Law 38CFR.

 

CFR 38 or Title 38 is how the USC 38 is interpreted. Then, the VA has manuals that tell the VA how to apply the law in CFR 38.

 

FYI:

• C.F.R. Code of Federal Regulations - The C.F.R. is the interpretation of the law.
• VA Manuals - Manuals interpret the law from the Code of Federal Regulations and tell the VA how to apply it.
• U.S.C. - The United States Code is the law, and the U.S.C. is the government’s official code copy.

 

First, your disability is listed in the law 38CFR4 Schedule for Rating Disabilities. This document is dry reading but read it anyway. It will list your disability/diagnosis and tell you what symptoms equal what percentage.

 

Now, the compensation and pension exam doctor will examine you and make notes indicating your disability and limitations. Then, a VA rater will look at the doctor’s results, look at the evidence, look at your claim (contentions) look at the law and then make a decision. So, the moral of the story is to spend some time looking at the 38CFR4 Schedule for Rating Disabilities. This will provide valuable information on how the VA views and rates your disability.

 

While I’m here, check out the side effects of any medications you are on for your service-connected condition. Those can be claimed as secondary to your service-connected disability. You are your best advocate.

For Current VA Disability Compensation Rates, Click Here

Past VA Disability rates: Calculate your retroactive pay after you win.

The research was unable to find rates for 1983 and 1999

 

 

Effective	10%	20%	30%	40%	50%	Effective
5/1/74	$32	$59	$89	$122	$171	5/1/74
8/1/75	$35	$65	$98	$134	$188	8/1/75
10/1/76	$38	$70	$106	$145	$203	10/1/76
10/1/77	$41	$75	$113	$155	$216	10/1/77
10/1/78	$44	$80	$121	$166	$232	10/1/78
10/1/79	$48	$88	$133	$182	$255	10/1/79
10/1/80	$54	$99	$150	$206	$291	10/1/80
10/1/81	$58	$107	$162	$232	$328	10/1/81
10/1/82	$62	$114	$173	$249	$352	10/1/82
4/1/84	$64	$118	$179	$258	$364	4/1/84
12/1/84	$66	$122	$185	$266	$376	12/1/84
12/1/85	$68	$126	$191	$274	$388	12/1/85
12/1/86	$69	$128	$194	$278	$394	12/1/86
12/1/87	$71	$133	$202	$289	$410	12/1/87
12/1/88	$73	$138	$210	$300	$426	12/1/88
12/1/89	$76	$144	$220	$314	$446	12/1/89
1/1/91	$80	$151	$231	$330	$470	1/1/91
12/1/91	$83	$157	$240	$342	$487	12/1/91
12/1/92	$85	$162	$247	$352	$502	12/1/92
12/1/93	$87	$166	$253	$361	$515	12/1/93
12/1/94	$89	$170	$260	$371	$529	12/1/94
12/1/95	$91	$174	$266	$380	$542	12/1/95
12/1/96	$94	$179	$274	$391	$558	12/1/96
12/1/97	$95	$182	$279	$399	$569	12/1/97
12/1/98	$96	$184	$282	$404	$576	12/1/98
12/1/99	$98	$188	$288	$413	$589	12/1/99
12/1/00	$101	$194	$298	$427	$609	12/1/00
12/1/01	$103	$199	$306	$439	$625	12/1/01
12/2/02	$104	$201	$310	$445	$633	12/1/02
12/1/03	$106	$205	$316	$454	$646	12/1/03
12/1/04	$108	$210	$324	$466	$663	12/1/04
Effective	60%	70%	80%	90%	100%	Effective
5/1/74	$211	$250	$289	$325	$584	5/1/74
8/1/75	$236	$280	$324	$364	$665	8/1/75
10/1/76	$255	$302	$350	$393	$707	10/1/76
10/1/77	$272	$322	$373	$419	$754	10/1/77
10/1/78	$292	$346	$400	$450	$809	10/1/78
10/1/79	$321	$380	$440	$495	$889	10/1/79
10/1/80	$367	$434	$503	$566	$1,016	10/1/80
10/1/81	$413	$521	$604	$679	$1,130	10/1/81
10/1/82	$443	$559	$648	$729	$1,213	10/1/82
4/1/84	$459	$579	$671	$755	$1,255	4/1/84
12/1/84	$474	$598	$692	$779	$1,295	12/1/84
12/1/85	$489	$617	$713	$803	$1,335	12/1/85
12/1/86	$496	$626	$724	$815	$1,355	12/1/86
12/1/87	$516	$652	$754	$849	$1,411	12/1/87
12/1/88	$537	$678	$784	$883	$1,468	12/1/88
12/1/89	$562	$710	$821	$925	$1,537	12/1/89
1/1/91	$592	$748	$865	$974	$1,620	1/1/91
12/1/91	$614	$776	$897	$1,010	$1,680	12/1/91
12/1/92	$632	$799	$924	$1,040	$1,730	12/1/92
12/1/93	$648	$819	$948	$1,067	$1,774	12/1/93
12/1/94	$666	$841	$974	$1,096	$1,823	12/1/94
12/1/95	$683	$862	$999	$1,124	$1,870	12/1/95
12/1/96	$703	$887	$1,028	$1,157	$1,924	12/1/96
12/1/97	$717	$905	$1,049	$1,181	$1,964	12/1/97
12/1/98	$726	$916	$1,062	$1,196	$1,989	12/1/98
12/1/99	$743	$937	$1,087	$1,224	$2,036	12/1/99
12/1/00	$769	$969	$1,125	$1,266	$2,107	12/1/00
12/1/01	$790	$995	$1,155	$1,299	$2,163	12/1/01
12/2/02	$801	$1,008	$1,171	$1,317	$2,193	12/1/02
12/1/03	$817	$1,029	$1,195	$1,344	$2,239	12/1/03
12/1/04	$839	$1,056	$1,227	$1,380	$2,299	12/1/04

 

Past VA Disability Compensation Rates

 

Historical Rate Tables source: VA.gov

• Current VA Compensation Rates
• 2023 rates (effective December 1, 2022)
• 2022 rates (effective December 1, 2021)
• 2021 rates (effective December 1, 2020)
• 2020 rates (effective December 1, 2019)
• 2019 rates (effective December 1, 2018)
• 2018 rates (effective December 1, 2018)
• 2017 rates (effective December 1, 2017)
• 2016 rates (effective December 1, 2016)
• 2015 rates (effective December 1, 2015) – not found
• 2014 rates (effective December 1, 2014)
• 2013 rates (effective December 1, 2013)
• 2012 rates (effective December 1, 2012)
• 2011 rates (effective December 1, 2011)
• 2010 rates (effective December 1, 2010) – not found
• 2009 rates (effective December 1, 2009)
• 2008 rates (effective December 1, 2008)
• 2007 rates (effective December 1, 2007)
• 2006 rates (effective December 1, 2006)
• 2005 rates (effective December 1, 2005)
• 2004 rates (effective December 1, 2004
• 2003 rates(effective December 1, 2003
• 2002 rates (effective December 1, 2002
• 2001 rates (effective December 1, 2001
• 2000 rates (effective December 1, 2000
• 1999 rates (effective December 1, 1999

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[Atlcocky]

Tbird,

Good mornng and thank you.

[Tbird]

You are welcome.

[Kandajag]

This is very useful.  Helping a veteran with a backpay issue going  from 30% to 100% all the way back to 1971.

If you have a link to the sources you used to compile this table, it would be nice to see them posted.  I still need the rates for veteran with spouse and dependents for some years. 

Also, I believe I have a way to extrapolate the rates for 1999, if you're interested.  Feel free to contact me offline.

Wish I'd kept all the 38 CFRs in hard copy i used to have - had them for every year from 1969 to 2006, threw them out because i thought they'd be available on line (bad assumption), and wanted to save space. 

[Tbird]

On 4/27/2024 at 11:35 AM, Kandajag said:

This is very useful.  Helping a veteran with a backpay issue going  from 30% to 100% all the way back to 1971.

If you have a link to the sources you used to compile this table, it would be nice to see them posted.  I still need the rates for veteran with spouse and dependents for some years. 

Also, I believe I have a way to extrapolate the rates for 1999, if you're interested.  Feel free to contact me offline.

Wish I'd kept all the 38 CFRs in hard copy i used to have - had them for every year from 1969 to 2006, threw them out because i thought they'd be available on line (bad assumption), and wanted to save space. 

 

Source: Historical Rate Tables