VA Disability COLA 2027: 3.6%, Projected Rates — Act Still Pending
Where the 2027 VA COLA stands
| Step | Who acts | Status (checked Oct 24–29, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| COLA percentage set at 3.6% | SSA, from BLS CPI-W data | Done — announced October 14, 2026 |
| Compensation COLA Act enacted | Congress + President | Not yet — S. 4487 in the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee since May 11, 2026; H.R. 8552 forwarded by a House subcommittee June 30, 2026; no floor vote in either chamber |
| Official 2027 rate table published | Department of Veterans Affairs | Not published — VA.gov still shows the rates effective December 1, 2025 |
Congress has passed this act every recent year, often late — the last two were signed on November 25. History is not a legal guarantee, so budget on the current rates until the act is law.
Projected 2027 rates — veteran alone (PROJECTED)
| Rating | Official 2026 rate | 2027 projected (× 1.036) | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | $186.92 | +$6.50 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,173.68 | +$40.78 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,080.37 | +$141.79 |
Projected add-on amounts (also × 1.036): each additional child under 18, $109.11 → $113.04; a child 18–23 in a qualifying school program, $352.45 → $365.14; a spouse receiving Aid and Attendance, $201.41 → $208.66.
Method: VA's official rates effective December 1, 2025, multiplied by 1.036 and rounded to the cent. This reproduced VA's published veteran-alone rates exactly in the last cycle; VA sets dependent amounts in whole dollars, so dependent cells can differ by up to about $2. Special monthly compensation (SMC) rises by the same percentage under the act. Survivors' DIC rates: VA DIC & survivor COLA 2027.
Why the VA needs an act at all
The dollar amounts for VA compensation sit in a statute (38 U.S.C. §1114) and nothing in the law indexes them to inflation. Social Security's COLA, by contrast, is a standing formula in the Social Security Act. So every year, Congress passes a short act that instructs the VA to raise compensation, DIC, clothing allowances and SMC by the Social Security percentage — for this cycle, 3.6%, effective December 1, 2026 as the bills are written. Last year's act (Public Law 119-42) set the December 1, 2025 increase at 2.8% the same way.
If the act is enacted on the usual timetable, the first payment at the new rates arrives December 31, 2026: VA pays December's compensation on January 1 normally, and the New Year holiday moves it to the preceding business day. The Social Security side of the same 3.6% is already final — see the 2027 Social Security COLA guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is the VA disability COLA automatic like Social Security's?
No. Nothing in Title 38 indexes VA compensation to inflation. Each year Congress must pass a Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act that sets the increase equal to the Social Security percentage, and the VA then publishes new rate tables. Social Security's 3.6% for 2027 is final; the VA increase exists only once the act is enacted.
Has the 2027 VA COLA act passed?
Not yet, as of late October 2026. The Senate bill, S. 4487, has been in the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee since May 11, 2026; the House bill, H.R. 8552, was forwarded by a Veterans' Affairs subcommittee on June 30, 2026. Neither chamber has held a floor vote. In both of the last two cycles the act was signed on November 25 — late, but in time for the December 1 effective date.
When would the new VA rates start?
The bills are written with a December 1, 2026 effective date. VA pays monthly compensation in arrears, so the first payment at the new rates would arrive December 31, 2026 (the January 1 holiday moves the payment to the preceding business day).
Are the 2027 VA rates on this page official?
No — they are projections, labeled as such: the VA's official December 1, 2025 rates multiplied by 1.036. That method reproduced VA's published veteran-alone rates to the cent in the last cycle, but VA sets dependent amounts in whole dollars, so cells with dependents can land up to about $2 away from a straight multiplication. Only the VA's own table, published after the act passes, is official.
Does the act cover anything besides disability compensation?
Yes. The annual act raises, by the same percentage, clothing allowances, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for survivors, and special monthly compensation (SMC) rates.
Sources: VA.gov compensation rates effective December 1, 2025; Congress.gov action records for S. 4487 and H.R. 8552 (checked October 24, 2026); SSA 2027 COLA announcement (October 14, 2026). Projected rates are estimates, not VA figures.