2026 VA disability rates and your CRSC cap: what the 2.8% raise actually changes

The short answer: yes, the 2026 VA disability rates rose 2.8% (the annual cost-of-living adjustment), effective December 1, 2025, first paid January 1, 2026. CRSC has no rate chart of its own — it uses the VA compensation tables to value your combat-related conditions, then caps that number at the retired pay you gave up. So the 2026 increase lifts one side of the CRSC math. Whether it lifts your payment depends on which of two numbers is the binding one in your case.

Information verified through July 16, 2026

Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) is the tax-free monthly payment that restores retired pay the VA waiver takes away — but only for disabilities your branch determines are combat-related. It is paid through the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and it depends entirely on your VA ratings, even though it is not a VA claim. That connection to the VA tables is exactly why the annual rate release matters to CRSC recipients — and why it's so easy to misread.

The 2026 raise, in plain numbers

On October 24, 2025, the Social Security Administration announced a 2.8% COLA. That same percentage flows to VA disability compensation. The VA rates rose 2.8% effective December 1, 2025; because VA pays in arrears, the higher amount first showed up in the payment dated January 1, 2026.

For a single veteran with no dependents, the 2.8% looks like this:

• 100%: $3,831.30 → $3,938.58 (+$107.28/month)
• 50%: $1,102.04 → $1,132.90 (+$30.86/month)
• 10%: $175.51 → $180.42 (+$4.91/month)

Every line on the table moved by the same COLA — base rates and the add-ons for a spouse, each child, and dependent parents. Here are the current 2026 monthly figures at the ratings that matter most for CRSC:

Keep this table handy — but do not mistake it for a CRSC chart. It is the input, not the answer.

There is no "CRSC pay chart" — and that matters

Search "CRSC pay chart 2026" and you'll find pages printing a grid of dollar figures by rating. Look closely and you'll notice those figures are identical to the VA disability table above. That's the tell. CRSC has no rate schedule of its own. To compute your payment, DFAS looks up the VA-table dollar amount for your combat-related percentage and dependents, then applies a cap. The VA table is step one, not the finish line — and treating it as the finish line is how retirees end up expecting hundreds or thousands of dollars a month they won't receive.

The formula: the lesser of two numbers

Your monthly CRSC is the lesser of:

• The VA-table value of your combat-related conditions. This is the dollar figure from the 2026 VA compensation table for your combat-related percentage — a separate percentage the CRSC board assigns based only on the conditions it accepts as combat-related — at your dependent status. It is not automatically your total VA rating.
• The retired pay you waived. For a full-career (20+ year) retiree, that's essentially your longevity-earned retired pay. For a Chapter 61 medical retiree, it is specifically the longevity portion: 2.5% × years of service × high-3 base pay (2.0% under the Blended Retirement System).

Whichever is smaller is your CRSC. We walk through the full mechanics in how CRSC is actually calculated. The reason the 2026 rate story isn't one-size-fits-all is that the raise lands on number one — and number one only sets your check if it's the smaller of the two.

Example 1 — when the VA increase flows straight through

Example 2 — when the cap holds you below the "chart"

Why both retirees still saw about 2.8%

It's tempting to say the VA raise only helps people whose VA value is the binding number. Not quite. Two separate COLAs are in play, and for 2026 they're the same 2.8%:

• The VA COLA raises the compensation tables (side one).
• The retired-pay COLA raises military retired pay, including the longevity amount that caps Chapter 61 CRSC (side two).

Both are tied to the same consumer price index, so in 2026 they move together. The practical upshot: almost every CRSC recipient sees roughly 2.8% more this year — but for the reason that matches their situation. If the VA value binds, the VA table gave you the raise. If the cap binds, the retired-pay COLA did. The one group that can be surprised is Chapter 61 retirees who assumed the headline VA increase set their amount; their check moves with the cap, which can sit far below the table.

The percentage that counts is combat-related, not total

The single most common misread of the VA table for CRSC purposes: using your total VA rating instead of your combat-related rating. If you're rated 90% by the VA but only conditions worth 40% are accepted as combat-related, your CRSC side-one value comes from the 40% row, not the 90% row. That's why two retirees with the same VA rating and the same dependents can have very different CRSC. It also points to where the money is actually won: proving that more of your conditions belong in one of the four combat-related categories. See where most CRSC packets die and confirm the basics on CRSC eligibility.

A note on 2027

You'll already see "2027 COLA" figures floating around. Ignore them as fact. The 2027 adjustment is a projection until the SSA locks it in October 2026, and only then do the VA and retired-pay tables follow. Plan with the 2026 numbers, which are real and in effect now.

What this means for military retirees

The annual VA rate increase is good news, and for a large share of CRSC recipients it flows straight into a tax-free raise. But the 2026 tables are the starting number for CRSC, not the answer — and for Chapter 61 medical retirees especially, the longevity cap, not the VA chart, usually sets the check. Knowing which number binds you is the difference between an accurate expectation and a $1,700-a-month disappointment. Chapter 61 retirees, who usually can't receive CRDP, are also the group for whom CRSC is not a tax swap but new money — which is all the more reason to get the number right.

What you should do now

• Find your combat-related percentage on your CRSC approval letter — not your total VA rating — and look up that row in the 2026 table above at your dependent status.
• Estimate your cap. For a career retiree, it's roughly your gross retired pay. For a Chapter 61 retiree, it's 2.5% × years of service × high-3 base pay.
• Take the lower of the two. That's your CRSC ballpark. Our free CRSC calculator does this with the 2026 rates built in.
• If the cap is binding, focus on counting every combat-related condition up to the cap rather than chasing a higher percentage above it.
• If the VA value is binding, the annual COLA is your friend — and adding a legitimately combat-related condition can raise your check.
• Not sure which number controls, or whether a condition qualifies? That's exactly the review to have before you file. Start with your branch guide — for example, Army CRSC.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

The 2026 VA disability rates are 2.8% higher and in effect now. For CRSC, treat that table as the input to a two-number formula, not as a CRSC pay chart. Your payment is the lesser of the VA-table value of your combat-related percentage and the retired pay you waived — and for many Chapter 61 retirees, the cap, not the chart, is what's writing the check.