VA special monthly compensation rates 2026, SMC-K to SMC-S.

The short version: what SMC pays in 2026

Special monthly compensation (SMC) is a higher rate VA pays instead of the ordinary 0% to 100% disability rate when a service-connected condition causes specific losses or needs. The table VA labels the 2026 rates took effect December 1, 2025. A veteran with no dependents is paid $4,900.83 a month at SMC-L, $5,408.55 at SMC-M and $6,152.64 at SMC-N; SMC-R.2/T, the highest level in the table, pays $11,271.67.

VA's page was last updated December 3, 2025 and, when read on November 2, 2026, still showed the December 1, 2025 table. VA says it is required by law to match the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, so a new table is expected to take effect December 1, 2026. It has not been published, so every figure below is the current table.

SMC-L through SMC-N, veteran without children (effective December 1, 2025)

Find your dependent status in the left column and your SMC letter across the top. Add the amounts in the last table for a spouse on Aid and Attendance.

SMC-N 1/2 through SMC-S, veteran without children

SMC-S is the housebound level (a veteran who cannot leave the house because of service-connected disabilities, per VA).

SMC-L through SMC-N, veteran with children

These rows already include payment for one child under 18. Use the added amounts for each further child.

SMC-N 1/2 through SMC-S, veteran with children

Added amounts and the SMC-K and SMC-Q variations

The same added amounts apply to every SMC letter in the tables above.

SMC-K adds $139.87 a month to the basic rate for any disability rating from 0% to 100%, and to all SMC basic rates except SMC-O, SMC-Q and SMC-R. A veteran can receive one to three SMC-K awards. SMC-Q is a protected rate of $67.00 that VA has not awarded since August 19, 1968; it is paid in place of the basic rate.

Worked example, using VA's own numbers

A veteran at SMC-L with a spouse who receives Aid and Attendance and four children (three under 18 and one over 18 in a qualifying school program) starts from the "1 child and spouse" row: $5,281.24. Two further children under 18 add $109.11 each ($218.22), the school-age child adds $352.45 and the spouse's Aid and Attendance adds $201.41, for a total of $6,053.32 a month. This matches the example printed on VA's page. A veteran at SMC-M with a spouse and no other dependents reads $5,628.14 straight from the table.

What the letters mean (plain-English summary)

• SMC-K: loss or loss of use of a hand, foot or creative organ, blindness of one eye with light perception only, deafness of both ears, complete aphonia, or (for women veterans) loss of 25% or more of breast tissue; paid in addition to other rates (38 CFR 3.350(a)).
• SMC-L: loss or loss of use of both feet, or one hand and one foot; blindness in both eyes with visual acuity of 5/200 or less; being permanently bedridden; or needing regular aid and attendance (38 CFR 3.350(b)).
• SMC-M: loss or loss of use of both hands or both legs at a level preventing natural knee action, and similar combinations (38 CFR 3.350(c)).
• SMC-N: loss of both arms or legs so near the shoulder or hip that a prosthesis cannot be used, or loss of both eyes or blindness without light perception in both eyes (38 CFR 3.350(d)).
• SMC-O/P: combinations of two or more of the L through N conditions, with the intermediate "1/2" rates set at the arithmetic mean of the two neighboring rates, rounded to the nearest dollar (38 CFR 3.350(e) and (f)).
• SMC-R and SMC-S: R is for a veteran who needs daily help from another person for basic needs, in addition to qualifying for the higher levels; S is the housebound rate (VA, current SMC rates page).

This is a summary of the regulation, which has more conditions and definitions than fit here. Read 38 CFR 3.350 before relying on any single line.

Common mix-ups

• Adding an SMC level to the ordinary 100% rate. The tables show the complete monthly amount for each letter; per VA, only SMC-K is added on top of another rate.
• Counting a child twice. Rows with a child already include one child under 18; only further children are added.
• Assuming the Aid and Attendance added amount is the same everywhere. For SMC it is $201.41 for a spouse; DIC and pension use different amounts (see the Aid and Attendance rates page).
• Treating a figure from an older year as current. Check the "effective" date on the VA table.

Who this is for and what it does not cover

This page is for veterans, family members and benefits counselors looking up the monthly SMC amount. It does not decide which SMC level applies, which is a VA rating decision, and it does not cover SMC paid to surviving spouses or parents, the special benefit allowances, or birth defect compensation. For ordinary 10% to 100% ratings see the VA disability rates table.