This is accurate, and it is not an error on the DEERS office's part. The "100% disabled veteran" annotation that some ID cards carry exists to extend specific benefits — primarily commissary and exchange shopping privileges — to veterans who would not otherwise have installation access. That population is mainly separated (non-retired) veterans who left service before reaching 20 years and later received a 100% Permanent and Total (P&T) VA disability rating. Because they are not military retirees, they would have no other path to base access, so DoD created this special ID category for them under the authority that expanded commissary and exchange privileges to certain disabled veterans, former POWs, and Purple Heart recipients.
Military retirees are in a different category entirely. A retiree ID card (often called a DD Form 1173-1 or the blue retiree ID) already grants full, lifetime access to commissary, exchange, and MWR privileges, regardless of VA disability rating. Whether a retiree is 0% or 100% disabled, their retiree ID already confers the maximum level of access, so there is no additional benefit to layering a "100%" designation on top of it. In other words, the special 100% annotation would be redundant for someone who already holds full retiree privileges.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
Does your rating decision hold up under a real audit?
Upload your decision letter and C&P exams — VetAid's analyzer reads the full file, checks every examiner statement word-for-word against your records, and shows which arguments for a higher rating actually hold. Free, and we never take a cut of your back pay.
Analyze my claim free →What does matter is that your VA disability rating gets properly recorded in DEERS, which it sounds like happened once you provided your VA eligibility letter. That update matters for things like TRICARE eligibility determinations, certain VA-DoD data-sharing functions, and confirming your disability status is on file for any future benefits that key off DEERS records, even if it doesn't change the physical appearance of your ID card.
If you want written confirmation of how your rating is recorded, you can request a DEERS/RAPIDS printout or ask the ID card office for a screenshot of your updated record showing the disability information. If you ever need to prove your 100% P&T status for a specific benefit (state tax exemptions, education benefits for dependents, property tax relief, etc.), your VA award letter or eligibility letter remains the primary document to use, not the ID card itself.
As a next step, keep a copy of your VA eligibility letter and the updated DEERS record, and use those documents directly whenever a benefit provider asks for proof of your 100% P&T status, since the physical retiree ID card is not the vehicle for displaying that rating.
Need a deeper analysis?
Our AI checks your situation against outcome data from 1,900,000+ Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) decisions (1992–2025).
Analyze Your Claim Free