Verified 2026 rates (effective 2025-12-01) against VA.gov
2.8% COLA under 38 U.S.C. § 5312. All monthly figures, dependent add-ons, and SMC rates cross-checked cent-for-cent against VA's published tables.
Rates Changelog
Every time VA publishes a new cost-of-living adjustment, we swap the dataset behind the calculator and log it here.
September 14, 2026
December 1, 2024
Effective December 1, 2024: 2.5% COLA
100% veteran alone rose to $3,831.30/month, matching the Social Security COLA announced for 2025.
December 1, 2023
Effective December 1, 2023: 3.2% COLA
100% veteran alone rose to $3,737.85/month.
December 1, 2022
Effective December 1, 2022: 8.7% COLA
100% veteran alone rose to $3,621.95/month — the largest single-year increase in over four decades, matching that year’s Social Security COLA.
December 1, 2021
Effective December 1, 2021: 5.9% COLA
100% veteran alone rose to $3,332.06/month.