Special Monthly Compensation at the "S" rate, often called SMC-S or the housebound rate, is an additional monthly payment on top of regular VA disability compensation. It is paid to veterans who are rated 100 percent disabled for one service-connected condition and also have one or more additional service-connected conditions independently rated at 60 percent or more, or who are substantially confined to their home because of service-connected disabilities and that condition is reasonably certain to continue throughout their lifetime. The legal basis is 38 U.S.C. 1114(s) and 38 CFR 3.350(i).
SMC-S is different from SMC-L through SMC-R, which generally require loss of use of limbs, blindness, or need for aid and attendance from another person. SMC-S has a lower threshold in that sense, since it does not require proof that you need help with daily activities, only that you meet the 100 percent plus 60 percent combination, or that you are housebound in fact.
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 →The VA does not always award SMC-S automatically, even when the numbers on a rating decision appear to qualify someone. Adjudicators sometimes miss it, which is why veterans and accredited representatives often have to specifically raise entitlement to SMC-S, either in an initial claim, a supplemental claim with new evidence, or on appeal. If you believe you met the 100 percent plus 60 percent threshold at some point in the past but were not paid SMC-S for that period, you can file a claim for an earlier effective date and request it be evaluated as part of your existing service-connected disabilities.
When a veteran receives a P&T (Permanent and Total) rating at the same time SMC-S is granted, it generally means the VA has determined the combination of conditions is unlikely to improve and meets the statutory requirements, so no future reexaminations are expected for rating reduction purposes under 38 CFR 3.327.
Because eligibility turns on the specific percentages assigned to each condition and how they combine under 38 CFR 4.25, individual outcomes vary significantly, and only a review of a veteran's actual combined ratings can confirm SMC-S eligibility.
If you think you meet the 100 percent plus 60 percent combination now or did in the past, request a review of your rating decision and combined evaluations, and file VA Form 21-8940 or a supplemental claim with supporting medical and rating evidence to have SMC-S formally considered.
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