The VA, under the Veterans Affairs department, has announced a 2.5% increase in benefits for 2025, providing extra money to veterans, addressing rising living costs.
(Credit: The Hill)
VA Benefits Increase March: Veterans in the U.S. will soon see more money in their pockets. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced a 2.5% increase in benefits for 2025. This change, called a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), will help veterans keep up with rising prices.
The increase will affect disability pay, pensions, and benefits for surviving family members. Payments with the new rates will start on December 1, 2024, but veterans will see the extra money in their bank accounts by late March 2025.
The 2.5% increase means veterans will get a little more money each month. For example, a veteran with a 10% disability rating and no family will see their monthly payment go up from $171.23 in 2024 to about $175.51 in 2025. That’s an extra $4.28 each month.
A veteran with a 100% disability rating and no family will get more too. Their monthly payment will rise from $3,737.85 in 2024 to around $3,831.30 in 2025. This means they will get an extra $93.45 every month.
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Veterans with families will get even more. For example, a veteran with a 70% disability rating, a spouse, and two kids under 18 will see their payment go up from $1,968.28 in 2024 to about $2,017.49 in 2025. That’s nearly $49.21 more each month. If the spouse also gets extra benefits for needing help with daily tasks, the family could get an additional $137 on top of that.
Surviving spouses of veterans will see their payments go up too. A basic payment for a surviving spouse, called Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), will increase from $1,562.74 in 2024 to around $1,601.81 in 2025. This is an extra $39.07 each month.
Other benefits, like special monthly payments, clothing allowances, and pensions, will also go up by 2.5%. Randy Reese, who works at an organization called DAV, said, “Many veterans rely on these benefits to cover essentials like food and housing. This adjustment helps ease the strain of inflation.”
A VA spokesperson also shared on social media, “It’s not a huge leap, but it’s something.” This means that while the increase might not seem like a lot, it will still help veterans and their families.
Veterans will start seeing the extra money in their March 31, 2025, payment. Whether it’s a few dollars or almost a hundred, this increase is a small but important way to thank veterans for their service.
Veterans can check exactly how much more they will get by using tools like the DAV’s disability calculator online. This way, they can plan ahead and know what to expect in 2025.
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