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By Jordan King
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Those who receive a Department of Veterans Affairs disability payments will get a 2.5 percent increase next year, to take into account the cost of living.
Newsweek has broken down when you can expect these payments.
When Does VA Disability Get Paid?
Disability benefits are paid monthly, in arrears, on the first business day of the relevant month. If the first day of a month falls on a non-business day or a holiday, benefits will be paid on the last business day of the month before, according to Military.com.
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This is the VA disability payment schedule for 2025:
January – Friday, Jan 31
February – Friday, February 28
March – Tuesday, April 1
April – Thursday, May 1
May – Friday, May 30
June – Tuesday, July 1
July – Friday, August 1
August – Friday, August 29
September – Wednesday, October 1
October – Friday, October 31
November – Monday, December 1
December – Wednesday, December 31
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What Is VA Disability?
VA disability is a monthly payment given to veterans who live with a service-related disability and an "other than dishonorable" discharge, that is not taxed.
These payments vary from between $165 to more than **$**3,600.
Changes to VA Disability
There are several changes being made to VA disability, including an expansion of coverage for certain illnesses linked to toxic exposure, according to Tucker Disability Law. VA plans to add more presumptive conditions, which may make it easier for veterans to qualify.
The VA is also adding coverage for alternative therapies for PTSD and depression, such as psychedelics, for treatment-resistant cases.
Another change being made is to mental health, sleep apnea, and tinnitus ratings, which will focus more on severity rather than social impact, creating higher ratings for veterans with severe symptoms.
Will Project 2025 Change VA Disability?
Project 2025, a mandate for conservative leadership created by the Heritage Foundation, a think tank in Washington, D.C., includes plans for restructuring the Department of Veterans Affairs—such as increasing "robust political control" of the VA, removing abortion access for VA health care recipients and reviewing the VA's protocols for disability aid.
While Donald Trump, who was elected president a second time in November's election, has repeatedly said he is not associated with the 900-page document, several of his former aides were directly involved in creating Project 2025, including Brooks Tucker, who wrote the chapter on the Department of Veterans Affairs. Tucker served as the VA's acting chief of staff during the first Trump administration.
Spokesperson for the Trump-Vance transition team, Taylor Rogers, told Newsweek: "As President Trump said many times, he had nothing to do with Project 2025."
Update 1/13/25, 3:35 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from the Trump-Vance transition team and to correct the currency symbol used in one sentence.
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