Use the benefits you earned
You earned these benefits, and using them well can make a move, a new career or a new chapter a lot easier. These plain-English guides walk you through the biggest VA benefits, what they pay in 2026, and what to do when you relocate. All of the help you need to file is available for free.
Where to startStart here
Do these in order, ideally before your last day in uniform.
Get your DD-214
Your DD-214 proves your service for almost every benefit. Keep several copies, and if you lost yours, request it through milConnect or the National Archives.
Create a verified VA.gov account
Sign in to VA.gov with Login.gov or ID.me and verify your identity. This lets you file claims, check status, refill prescriptions and update your address in one place.
File an Intent to File
This quick form saves your start date for one year while you gather evidence. If you are approved, VA can pay back to that date.
File a BDD claim 180 to 90 days before you separate
If you are still serving, Benefits Delivery at Discharge lets VA rate your conditions before you leave, so payments can start soon after you separate.
Find a free accredited VSO
Veterans Service Organizations like the DAV, VFW and American Legion, plus your county veteran service officer, help with claims at no cost. Use VA's accredited representative search to check them.
Enroll in VA health care
Apply online with form 10-10EZ, even if you have other insurance. Many veterans now qualify without a disability rating.
Check your state's veteran benefits
Look up your state veterans agency for property tax breaks, retirement pay tax rules and tuition programs, especially before you choose where to move.
Benefit guides
Getting Started
Filing Your Claim: BDD, Intent to File, Exams and Appeals
The best time to file is before you leave the military. Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) lets you file 180 to 90 days out so your rating can arrive soon after you separate. If you get a decision you disagree with, you have three ways to ask for another look.
State Veteran Benefits: Taxes, Property and More
Where you live can be worth thousands of dollars a year. States offer property tax breaks for disabled veterans, tax-free military retirement pay, free tuition, hiring preferences and more. Check your new state before you move.
Moving and Your VA Benefits
Most VA benefits move with you, but a few things need your attention. Update your address once on VA.gov, then handle the benefits that keep separate records, like VA home loans, VGLI and CHAMPVA. Move your health care to a new VA facility before you need it.
Home & Housing
VA Home Loan: Buy With No Down Payment
A VA-backed loan lets you buy a home with no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance. You pay a one-time funding fee unless you are exempt, and you can use the benefit again and again.
Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) and SHA Grants
These grants help you build, buy or change a home so you can live more independently. You can use them up to six times over your life, so they can follow you when you move.
Money & Disability
VA Disability Compensation and Ratings
VA pays a tax-free monthly amount for health problems connected to your service. The amount depends on your disability rating (0% to 100%) and, at 30% and up, on your family. Many toxic exposure conditions are now presumed to be service-connected.
VA Pension for Wartime Veterans
VA pension is a needs-based monthly payment for low-income wartime veterans. Extra money is available for veterans who need help with daily activities (Aid and Attendance) or who are mostly stuck at home (Housebound).
Health Care
VA Health Care: Enrolling, Priority Groups and Community Care
VA health care covers checkups, specialists, mental health, prescriptions and more. Your priority group decides if you pay copays. If VA cannot see you in time or close enough, you may get care from a local community provider.
Education & Careers
Post-9/11 GI Bill and Other Education Benefits
The Post-9/11 GI Bill can pay in-state public tuition in full, a monthly housing allowance, and money for books. You may be able to transfer it to family while you serve. Other programs like Montgomery, VET TEC 2.0, DEA and the Fry Scholarship fill the gaps.
Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E, Chapter 31)
VR&E helps veterans with service-connected disabilities find and keep the right job. It can pay for college or training, give a monthly living allowance, and help you start a business. It often saves your GI Bill for later.
Family & Survivors
VA Life Insurance: VGLI and VALife
Your SGLI ends soon after you leave the service. VGLI lets you keep term coverage up to $500,000 with no health questions if you apply within 240 days. VALife offers up to $40,000 of guaranteed whole life coverage for veterans with any VA rating.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) and Survivor Benefits
DIC is a tax-free monthly payment for the families of service members and veterans whose deaths were connected to service. Survivors may also get health care, education help, home loan access and more.
Burial and Memorial Benefits
Eligible veterans can be buried in a VA national cemetery at no cost, with a free headstone, flag, and military honors. Families may also get money to help with burial costs.
Support for Family Caregivers (PCAFC)
VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers can provide a monthly stipend, health coverage, training, mental health help, and respite care for the person caring for a seriously disabled veteran.
Buying a home with your VA loan?
Get matched with a local agent who closes VA loans regularly and knows how to write offers sellers take seriously.
Find a VA-savvy agent
Common questions
Is VA disability compensation taxed?
No. VA disability compensation is not taxed by the federal government, and states do not tax it either. It also does not count as income for most purposes. You can work full time and still receive it.
How much will VA disability pay go up for 2027?
VA disability rates follow the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. On October 14, 2026, Social Security announced a 3.6% increase for 2027. VA normally applies its raise starting December 1, so watch VA.gov for the new rate tables.
Can I use my VA home loan more than once?
Yes. The benefit can be used again and again. Selling the home and paying off the loan restores your entitlement, and you may be able to buy again even while keeping an earlier VA-financed home, using your remaining entitlement.
Do I have to pay the VA funding fee?
Most borrowers pay it, but you are exempt if you receive VA disability compensation, are a surviving spouse receiving DIC, have a pre-discharge rating before closing, or are on active duty with a Purple Heart. Check your Certificate of Eligibility before closing.
When should I file my disability claim?
If you are still serving, file through BDD 180 to 90 days before your separation date. If you have already separated, file an Intent to File right away to protect your start date, then submit your claim within one year.
Can I transfer my GI Bill to my kids after I get out?
No. You must request the transfer while you are still on active duty or in the Selected Reserve, with at least six years of service and an agreement to serve four more. Once you separate, you can no longer start a new transfer.
What happens to my VA health care when I move?
Your enrollment stays the same, but you should change your preferred VA facility. Update your address on VA.gov, call the enrollment office at your new VA medical center, and refill prescriptions before you move.
What is the deadline to apply for VGLI?
You have one year and 120 days after you leave the military. Apply within 240 days and you will not have to answer health questions. Eligible VGLI members also pay no premiums from November 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027.
Is there a deadline for PACT Act claims?
No. You can file a PACT Act claim at any time, and VA encourages you to file soon so benefits can start sooner. If you were denied before for a condition that is now presumptive, you can file a Supplemental Claim.
Should I pay a company to help with my VA claim?
No. Accredited Veterans Service Organizations help for free, and federal law bars anyone from charging you to prepare or file an initial claim. Accredited attorneys and claims agents may charge only after VA decides your initial claim, and only with a fee agreement on file.
MissionPCS is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Benefit rules and amounts change; VA.gov and an accredited representative have the final word. Last reviewed 2026-11.