100% Permanent & Total
Your 100% benefits — and how to claim every single one
Reaching a 100% (Permanent & Total) rating unlocks far more than a monthly check. Most veterans never claim half of what they have earned — the health care, the family coverage, the ID cards, the education and housing benefits. This page lays out all of it in plain language, and explains the 5, 10, 20 and 55-year rules that protect your rating for life.
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.
A Permanent & Total (P&T) rating means the VA considers your condition both total (100%) and unlikely to improve. P&T veterans are rarely re-examined at all, and P&T status is what 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 in place five years or more, the VA cannot reduce it unless there is clear and convincing evidence that your condition has actually improved — and will stay improved under the ordinary conditions of life, not just on the day of one exam.
10-Year Rule
Service connection is locked in
After a service-connected rating has been in place for ten years or more, the VA cannot sever (terminate) service connection — the only exception is proven fraud. 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 spared the stress of repeated exams.
Your health care
Full medical coverage at no cost
A 100% rating gives you the VA's most complete tier of health care — with no copays for care or prescriptions. Here is what is covered and exactly who to call.
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
Having the rating is one thing; turning it into active coverage and the cards you need is another. Work through these four steps in order.
Step 1Enroll in VA health care
Complete VA Form 10-10EZ — online at VA.gov, by mail, or in person at any VA medical center or clinic. This is the single application that turns your rating into active health coverage. If you enrolled years ago but never used it, call to confirm your enrollment is still active.
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.
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. Schedule at any military ID card office (RAPIDS). Locally, the ID Card Section at Nellis AFB can be reached at 702-652-6844.
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 also add dependents — spouse, children, and dependent parents — for extra monthly compensation. Keep your records current whenever your family changes.
More you have earned
Additional federal & state benefits
Beyond health care, a 100% rating reaches into insurance, housing, education, taxes and more. Each of these is worth real money — and each is commonly overlooked.
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.
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 to the VA Health Administration Center.
CHAMPVA: 800-733-8387
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.
Delta Dental: 855-460-3302
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.
VA Education: 888-442-4551
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
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