For certain veterans who experienced severe disabilities while serving in the military, standard VA disability benefits are insufficient. Designed with these veterans in mind, DVA also offers a program known as Special Monthly Compensation (SMC), which is occasionally disregarded. For people with service-related disabilities that are more severe than typical, SMC offers additional financial aid.
Paying for additional care and support that may be required is its main goal. In comparison with standard VA disability compensation, which is determined by the degree of each individual’s condition, SMC considers the individual as a whole including all of their disabilities. There are many SMC level (SMC-K through SMC-T) that concentrate on particular kinds of impairments.
VA Special Monthly Compensation
To keep up with the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) yearly cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), Veterans’ 2025 Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) rates will rise by 2.5% and this increase will take effect on December 31, 2024. On October 10, 2024, SSA made the cost-of-living adjustment for 2025 public.
Under federal law, VA disability compensation payments and other government benefits, like Supplement Security Income (SSI), rise in line with COL. If a veteran has a spouse, parent, or child as a dependent, they may be eligible for a higher SMC. Children enrolled in eligible school programs, whether they are 18 or older, are included in this.
Extra pay may also be given to spouses who need daily help with personal needs. Applying for Special Monthly Compensation is not required if you are eligible. You should get it automatically from the VA. Consult a lawyer or give your local VA office a call if you think you are eligible for SMC but aren’t getting the extra benefit.
What is Special Monthly Compensation?
A tax-free financial benefit known as VA disability compensation is given to veterans who have post-service or service-related ailments that are thought to be related to their military service. In addition to ordinary disability rates, Veterans, their surviving spouses, and parents who have specific needs or disabilities that may be more incapacitating are eligible for special monthly compensation (SMC), a tax-free disability payment. This greater amount of compensation takes into account people who might require assistance and attendance from someone else, or who have a particular handicap, like losing the use of a hand or leg.
Common Levels of SMC
VA provides Veterans with Special Monthly Compensation (SMC), an extra tax-free financial benefit, if their service-connected condition (or disabilities) is sufficiently severe that it causes symptoms that do not fall under the typical rating criteria. VA disability compensation ratings are higher than those of SMC.
Rather, a letter designating a monthly monetary payment is used to identify each “level” of SMC. The Veteran’s monthly compensation increases with the number of letters, usually indicating severe symptomology from a service-connected disability. The three most prevalent forms of SMC are: K, S, and L SMCs:
SMC- K
When a service-connected disability causes a Veteran to “lose of use” an anatomical bodily part or creative organ, they are eligible to receive SMC K. A Veteran may be eligible for up to three different SMC-K awards for loss of use under VA regulations. It sometimes referred to as “Special K,” is one of SMC plans that the VA offers. It is intended for veterans who have lost the ability to use certain body parts or bodily functions as a result of a condition related to their service. On top of the Veteran’s monthly disability compensation payment, the 2024 rate for a single SMC-K payment is $132.74.
SMC-S
The monthly SMC-S premium for a single Veteran in 2024 is $4,183.85, which also covers the Veteran’s disability compensation benefit. Veterans with service-connected disabilities who are typically confined to their homes are the target audience for SMC-S. Veterans who are rated 60% for their other combined ailments and have one 100% or TDIU condition are also eligible for SMC-S, depending on the severity of their illnesses and whether they are housebound.
SMC-L
Veterans with significant service-connected disabilities fall under Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) categories L through O. They are designed to help those who need more help with everyday tasks because they have more serious medical issues. Veterans may have limb loss or loss of function, such as losing both feet, or a combination of severe infirmities, such as blindness or bedridden status that necessitates the use of Aid and Attendance (A&A).
Personal care activities include things like dressing, grooming, toileting, cooking, shopping, and managing medications. In addition to not having to be a medical professional, the person who regularly helps the Veteran can be a spouse, kid, neighbor, or friend. The monthly SMC-L rate for a single Veteran in 2024 is $4,651.06, which also covers the Veteran’s disability compensation benefit.
2025 SMC Rate- Payment Amount
First off, don’t count on as much of a bump as you did in the previous two years. The biggest rate rise since 1981 was the 8.7 percent 2023 SMC rate increase, which was based on the COLA for that year. 5.9 percent was the previous all-time high for the SMC rate rise in 2022.
Knowing your SMC level is the first step in determining your rate; after that, you must add 2.5 percent. The rates for 2024 for a single Veteran without dependents, the expected rates for 2025, and the monthly rise at each level are shared below:
| SMC Level | 2024 Amount | 2025 Amount | Monthly Increase |
| K | $132.74 | $136.06 | $3.32 |
| L | $4,651.06 | $4,767.34 | $116.28 |
| L 1/2 | $4,891.50 | $5,013.79 | $122.29 |
| M | $5,132.92 | $5,261.24 | $128.32 |
| M 1/2 | $5,485.61 | $5,622.75 | $137.14 |
| N | $5,839.08 | $5,985.06 | $145.98 |
| N 1/2 | $6,182.55 | $6,337.11 | $154.56 |
| O/P | $6,526.64 | $6,689.81 | $163.17 |
| R-1 | $9,326.07 | $9,559.22 | $233.15 |
| R-2/T | 10,697.23 | $10,964.66 | $267.43 |
| S | $4,183.85 | $4,288.45 | $104.60 |
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