VA BENEFITS REFERENCE
VA Disability COLA History: 2016 To 2026
Compare the cost-of-living adjustments associated with VA disability compensation rate years 2016 through 2026, with effective dates and official sources.
The compensation tables reflect annual cost-of-living adjustments. A rate year starts with the prior December effective date. Use the published dollar tables for actual calculations instead of multiplying older rounded amounts yourself.
| Rate Year | COLA | Table Effective Date | Official Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0% | 2015-12-01 | COLA Series |
| 2017 | 0.3% | 2016-12-01 | COLA Series |
| 2018 | 2% | 2017-12-01 | COLA Series |
| 2019 | 2.8% | 2018-12-01 | COLA Series |
| 2020 | 1.6% | 2019-12-01 | COLA Series |
| 2021 | 1.3% | 2020-12-01 | COLA Series |
| 2022 | 5.9% | 2021-12-01 | COLA Series |
| 2023 | 8.7% | 2022-12-01 | COLA Series |
| 2024 | 3.2% | 2023-12-01 | COLA Series |
| 2025 | 2.5% | 2024-12-01 | COLA Series |
| 2026 | 2.8% | 2025-12-01 | COLA Series |
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Official Sources
Last verified 2026-10-25. Source publication or legal effective dates are shown separately where available.
- www.benefits.va.gov/COMPENSATION/resources_comp0114.asp
- www.benefits.va.gov/COMPENSATION/resources_comp0116.asp
- www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/past-rates-2018/
- www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/past-rates-2019/
- www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/past-rates-2020/
- www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/past-rates-2021/
- www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/past-rates-2022/
- www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/past-rates-2023/
- www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/past-rates-2024/
- www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/past-rates-2025/
- www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/
- www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/colaseries.html