100% Permanent & Total
Your 100% benefits — and how to claim every single one
Here is what I want you to understand: reaching a 100% (Permanent & Total) rating unlocks far more than a monthly check. Most veterans never claim half of what they earned — the health care, CHAMPVA family coverage, ID cards, education and housing benefits. On this page I lay out all of it in plain language, and I walk you through the 5, 10, 20 and 55-year rules that protect your rating for life so nobody can quietly take it back.
Congratulations — now make it count
A 100% disability rating is recognition of what you gave in service. It is also the key to a wide set of benefits for both you and your family — and the hard truth is that many veterans leave most of them on the table simply because no one ever handed them the full list. That ends here.
Below you will find every major benefit a 100% veteran can claim, written plainly, with the exact form and phone number for each one. You will also find the protection rules that keep the VA from quietly chipping away at the rating you fought for. If anything here is unclear, you do not have to figure it out alone — Albert Thombs, an accredited VA claims agent, reviews claims at no cost to see what you may be missing.
Protecting your rating
The 5, 10, 20 & 55-year rules
The VA does not simply set a rating and walk away — it can, in some cases, review and even reduce a rating later. But over time the law builds a series of protections around your rating. The longer a rating stands, the harder it becomes for the VA to touch it. These are the four milestones every veteran should know.
Three things get lumped together, so let me separate them. A 100% schedular rating means your combined conditions add up to total on the rating schedule. TDIU (100% by unemployability) pays at the 100% rate because your service-connected conditions keep you from working, even if your combined percentage is lower. Permanent & Total (P&T) is separate again: it means the VA considers your condition both total and unlikely to improve. Not every 100% rating, and not every TDIU award, is marked P&T — you have to check your decision letter. P&T veterans are rarely re-examined at all, and it is P&T status that unlocks the family benefits further down this page.
5-Year Rule
Stability after five years
Within the first five years of a rating, the VA may schedule a re-examination if your condition is expected to improve. Once a rating has been continuously in effect for five years or more, it is treated as a stabilized rating under 38 CFR 3.344: the VA cannot reduce it on the basis of a single re-exam. It must show sustained material improvement — proven by an examination at least as full and thorough as the one the rating was based on, and likely to hold up under the ordinary conditions of life, not just on the day of one exam.
10-Year Rule
Service connection is locked in
After service connection has been in place for ten years or more, 38 CFR 3.957 bars the VA from severing (terminating) that service connection — the only two exceptions are proven fraud or clear proof that you never had the required service or character of discharge in the first place. The VA can still reduce the percentage if your condition genuinely improves, but it can no longer take the connection to service away entirely.
20-Year Rule
Your rating is protected for life
This is the strongest protection. If a rating has been continuously in place for twenty years or more, the VA cannot reduce it below the level you have held — again, unless there is evidence of fraud. Two decades of living with a disability earns you the peace of mind that your compensation will not be arbitrarily cut.
55-Year Rule
Fewer exams as you age
As a matter of VA policy, veterans who are age 55 or older are generally not scheduled for routine re-examinations. The VA recognizes that, with age, the chance of a service-connected condition meaningfully improving is low — so older veterans are usually spared the stress of repeated exams. Understand what this is: an examination-scheduling policy, not an absolute guarantee that a rating can never change. It is a strong practical protection, and it works alongside the 5, 10 and 20-year rules above.
Fighting for 100%? We know exactly what it takes.
Getting to — and keeping — a 100% rating is where the details matter most. Ask us anything for free, or register when you’re ready to have us handle it.
I read every one of these myself. If you qualify, you’ll hear from me within 48 hours. Or call 702-992-4883.
Your health care
Full medical coverage at no cost
Let me be straight with you: a 100% rating gives you the VA's most complete tier of health care, and it costs you nothing — no copays for care, no copays for prescriptions, no surprise bills for the specialty visits most veterans put off because money is tight. That means primary care, mental health care, dental, vision, hearing aids, and your medications are all covered, and your family can be pulled in through CHAMPVA once your rating is Permanent & Total. I see too many men and women who earned this coverage and never switched it on. Here is exactly what is covered and exactly who to call so you stop leaving it on the table.
No-cost health care & prescriptions
A 100% rating gives you full VA medical coverage at no cost — primary care, specialty care, mental health care and prescription medications, with no copays. Enroll with VA Form 10-10EZ online, by mail, or in person at any VA medical facility.
VA Health Benefits Hotline: 877-222-8387
No-cost dental care
At 100% you qualify for comprehensive VA dental care at no cost — cleanings and preventive care, fillings, crowns, and dentures. Contact your nearest VA dental clinic to schedule.
VA Benefits Hotline: 800-827-1000
Emergency care outside the VA
You are covered for emergency care at non-VA hospitals so you can get immediate treatment even when a VA facility is not nearby. Notify the VA as soon as reasonably possible so the claim is handled correctly.
VA Health Benefits Hotline: 877-222-8387
Vision care & hearing aids
Your coverage includes eye exams, eyeglasses and contact lenses, plus hearing exams and hearing aids — the routine vision and hearing care most private insurance treats as extras.
VA Health Benefits Hotline: 877-222-8387
To enroll or ask about any of the above, the two numbers to keep handy are the VA Health Benefits Hotline (877-222-8387) and the VA Benefits Hotline (800-827-1000).
Getting set up
How to enroll, register & get your ID cards
Here is my honest advice: having the rating on paper is one thing, but turning it into active coverage and the ID cards you actually need to walk into a VA facility is another job entirely, and nobody at the VA is going to chase you down to make sure it gets done. I have watched veterans sit on a 100% rating for years without ever enrolling, without ever getting their VHIC card, without adding the dependents that raise their monthly check. Do not let that be you. Work through these four steps in order, one at a time, and you will have everything switched on and in your hands.
Step 1Enroll in VA health care
Complete VA Form 10-10EZ to turn your rating into active health coverage. You can apply four ways: online at VA.gov (fastest — often decided within a week), by phone at 877-222-8387, by mail, or in person at any VA medical center or clinic where staff will sit down and help you fill it out. If you enrolled years ago but never used it, call to confirm your enrollment is still active.
What to bring
- Your DD-214 (ask for Member Copy 4 — it shows your character of discharge).
- Your Social Security number, plus your spouse’s and any dependents’ SSNs.
- Your VA rating decision letter showing the 100% (Permanent & Total) rating.
- Your gross household income from last year, and cards for any other health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid you carry.
What they’ll ask you
- Your service dates and character of discharge (verified from your DD-214).
- Whether you have any other health insurance or Medicare coverage.
- Your prior-year household income and who your dependents are.
Step 2Get your Veteran Health ID Card (VHIC)
Once you are enrolled in VA health care you can request a Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) — the photo card you show at VA facilities to check in for appointments and pick up prescriptions. Ask at the enrollment desk of any VA medical center, or apply through your VA.gov account. They take your photo on the spot.
What to bring
- One government-issued photo ID (driver’s license, state ID, or passport).
- Your Social Security number — and you must already be enrolled in VA health care (Step 1).
What they’ll ask you
- They confirm your identity and active enrollment, then take your photo for the card.
Step 3Get a Uniformed Services (military) ID card
A 100% permanent and total rating makes you and your dependents eligible for a Uniformed Services ID card, which provides on-base access and certain privileges. You must first be enrolled in DEERS. Call ahead for an appointment at any military ID card office (RAPIDS). Locally, the ID Card Section at Nellis AFB can be reached at 702-652-6844.
What to bring
- Two unexpired IDs, at least one a government photo ID.
- Your DD-214, and proof each family member is in DEERS — a marriage certificate for a spouse and a birth certificate for each child.
What they’ll ask you
- Whether you and each dependent are already registered in DEERS.
- Each person’s full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number.
Step 4Set up direct deposit & add your dependents
Set up direct deposit through your VA.gov account so payments arrive on time and securely. Veterans rated 30% or higher can add dependents — spouse, children, and dependent parents — for extra monthly compensation using VA Form 21-686c. For a child aged 18-23 who is still in school, also file VA Form 21-674. Keep your records current whenever your family changes.
What to bring
- Your bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit.
- A marriage certificate for a spouse and a birth certificate for each child.
- Every dependent’s Social Security number; for a student child, the school’s name and expected graduation date.
What they’ll ask you
- Your banking details and who you want listed as dependents.
- For a spouse: the date and place of marriage (and any prior marriages that ended).
- For a child 18-23: the school and whether they are enrolled full-time.
More you have earned
Additional federal & state benefits
Let me tell you what I have learned after years of doing this: a 100% rating reaches a lot further than the monthly check and the health card. It reaches into life insurance through VALife, into your home through the Specially Adapted Housing grant, into federal student loan forgiveness, into state property-tax exemptions, and into burial benefits your family will one day be grateful you set up. Every single one of these is worth real money, and every single one is routinely overlooked because the VA does not advertise them. We only want what you EARNED, so read through each of these and claim the ones that are yours.
VALife life insurance
The Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife) program offers guaranteed-acceptance whole life coverage up to $40,000 for veterans with a service-connected disability — no medical exam required.
Specially Adapted Housing
The Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant program helps pay for home modifications so you can live more independently with a service-connected disability. Call 800-827-1000.
Student loan forgiveness
A 100% (total and permanent) rating can discharge your federal student loans through the Total and Permanent Disability program. Provide your VA disability determination to the Department of Education; call 800-433-3243.
State & property tax benefits
Most states add their own benefits on top of federal ones — commonly a property tax exemption, plus education, employment and recreation benefits. Amounts vary by state, so check your state Department of Veterans Affairs.
Burial & plot allowance
The VA provides a burial and plot allowance, a gravesite in a national cemetery, a government headstone or marker, and a burial flag. Apply with VA Form 21P-530. Call 800-827-1000.
Extra pay for dependents
At 100% with a spouse and one child the monthly rate rises from $3,938.58 (veteran alone) to about $4,318.99 — and more with additional dependents. Make sure every eligible dependent is on your award.
Leaving benefits on the table? Let’s check.
Many 100% veterans miss benefits they’ve already earned. Send us your question free, or register and an accredited agent will make sure nothing is missed.
I read every one of these myself. If you qualify, you’ll hear from me within 48 hours. Or call 702-992-4883.
Benefits for your family
Coverage that reaches your spouse & children
A Permanent & Total rating is what unlocks benefits for the people who stood beside you. The biggest is CHAMPVA — real health coverage for your family — but it is far from the only one.
CHAMPVA health coverage
When your disability is rated permanent and total, your spouse and dependent children may qualify for CHAMPVA — health coverage for hospital care, surgery, and prescription medications. Apply with VA Form 10-10d. Mail it to the CHAMPVA Eligibility office (PO Box 137, Spring City, PA 19475), fax 303-331-7809, or apply online.
CHAMPVA: 800-733-8387
What to bring
- Your rating decision showing the permanent & total status that unlocks CHAMPVA.
- The spouse’s marriage certificate and each child’s birth certificate; for a child aged 18-23, a school certification letter.
- A front-and-back copy of any Medicare card, plus VA Form 10-7959c if a family member has Medicare or other health insurance.
What they’ll ask you
- Whether your dependent is enrolled in Medicare Part B — if a family member is eligible for Medicare at any age, they must carry both Part A and Part B to keep CHAMPVA. Drop Part B and CHAMPVA ends the same day.
- Whether the dependent has any other health insurance (CHAMPVA pays second, after Medicare or private insurance).
Delta Dental (VADIP) for family
The VA Dental Insurance Program (Delta Dental) offers affordable dental coverage for CHAMPVA-enrolled family members. Rates depend on where you live and how many people you enroll. Enroll directly with Delta Dental once your family is CHAMPVA-eligible.
Delta Dental: 855-460-3302
What they’ll ask you
- Confirmation of your CHAMPVA enrollment, your ZIP code, and how many family members you are covering (both affect the rate).
Chapter 35 education (DEA)
A permanent and total rating opens Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35 / DEA) — money toward college, career training, and apprenticeships for your spouse and children. Apply with VA Form 22-5490 online or by mail.
VA Education: 888-442-4551
What they’ll ask you
- Your relationship to the veteran, the veteran’s P&T effective date, and the school or training program the dependent plans to attend.
Vocational rehab for dependents
Dependents of 100% disabled veterans may qualify for career counseling, job-search help, and training programs. Call 800-827-1000 to ask what your family qualifies for.
VA Benefits Hotline: 800-827-1000
What they’ll ask you
- The dependent’s education or career goals and confirmation of the veteran’s permanent & total rating status.
CHAMPVA is for family members who are not eligible for TRICARE. To enroll your family, submit VA Form 10-10d to the VA Health Administration Center and call 800-733-8387 with any questions.
Keep what you have earned
The best protection against a future rating reduction is a documented record. Keep up with your VA appointments, keep copies of every decision letter, and note when each rating went into effect — those dates are what start the 5, 10 and 20-year clocks. If the VA ever proposes to reduce a protected rating, you have the right to respond and to a hearing before anything changes.
If you receive a proposed reduction, do not ignore it. Under 38 CFR 3.105, the VA must give you notice and time to respond before it can act, and the protections above still apply. This is exactly the kind of situation where an accredited advocate earns their keep.
Not sure you are claiming everything?
Albert Thombs is an accredited VA claims agent (#45147). A free review will show you which of these benefits you are already getting — and which you have earned but never claimed.
Call 702-992-4883 · Mon–Fri, 11:00 – 18:00 Pacific
