If the new diagnosis may be linked to your service (for example, a presumptive condition under the PACT Act, herbicide/burn pit exposure, or radiation exposure), file a claim for service connection using VA Form 21-526EZ as soon as possible. Filing promptly matters because an effective date is generally tied to the date VA receives your claim, so back pay and any dependent add-ons flow from that filing date forward, not before it.
On the insurance side, look at Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance (S-DVI, sometimes called RH insurance). If you already have any service-connected rating, you may be eligible to apply for up to a modest amount of guaranteed-issue life insurance using VA Form 29-4364, but there is a strict two-year window from the date VA notifies you of your disability rating, so don't delay confirming eligibility. If you are rated 100% permanent and total, VA also offers VALife, a guaranteed-acceptance whole life policy up to $40,000 with no medical underwriting required. If you separated from active duty and previously had SGLI, check whether you converted it to VGLI within the required window after discharge; if that window has passed, S-DVI or VALife become your main options.
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 |
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Analyze my claim free →Because you are not married, keep in mind that Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for a surviving spouse under 38 CFR 3.5 generally requires legal marriage, so an unmarried partner would not qualify the way a spouse would; a biological child, however, can be added as a dependent now (VA Form 21-686c) and could potentially receive Chapter 35 Dependents' Educational Assistance later if a service-connected death occurs. If your condition later prevents full-time work, ask your VSO about Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU), and if it causes loss of use of a body part, ask about Special Monthly Compensation, both of which can significantly change household income projections.
The concrete next step is to contact an accredited Veteran Service Officer this week to file the service-connection claim and confirm your exact S-DVI/VALife eligibility window before it closes.
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