Veterans and surviving spouses who draw a VA pension are about to get a raise that Social Security has already set. Federal pension rates move with the same cost-of-living adjustment, so the 3.6 percent figure announced this month is the number that drives the next change. The new VA rates are due to take effect on December 1, though VA has not posted the 2027 tables yet.
The question for anyone on pension, Aid and Attendance or Housebound is what that 3.6 percent does to an actual monthly payment, and when the new amounts show up. The short answer is that the percentage is known, the effective date follows VA’s yearly pattern, and the dollar figures are still to come.
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Where the 3.6 percent comes from
The Social Security Administration’s cost-of-living adjustment page says Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits “will increase 3.6 percent in 2027.” The raise reaches nearly 72 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2027, while about 7.3 million SSI recipients see higher payments starting December 31, 2026.
That same percentage is what VA uses for pension. VA’s own Veterans Pension rate page says the maximum annual pension rates “are adjusted each year for cost-of-living increases.” Federal law ties the pension increase to the percentage Social Security applies to its own benefits.
What the VA tables show today
The rates now posted by VA reflect the cost-of-living increase of December 1, 2025, which was 2.8 percent. They are 2026 payment levels, and they stay in place until the new tables replace them.
For a veteran with no dependents, the maximum annual pension is $17,441 at the basic level, $21,313 with the Housebound add-on and $29,093 with Aid and Attendance. With one dependent, those amounts are $22,839, $26,710 and $34,488. Each additional dependent adds $2,984. VA also lists a net worth limit of $163,699 that applies from December 1, 2025, through November 30, 2026.
VA’s page does not carry a survivors table. It points surviving spouses to the federal pension regulations for those rates.
Why December 1 is the date to watch
Every table on VA’s page is dated to a December 1 start. The older tables list December 1, 2024, December 1, 2023 and December 1, 2022 as their effective dates, one for each year’s Social Security adjustment. That pattern is why the new rates are expected on December 1, 2026.
VA has not yet published the rates that will take effect then. The agency’s page still shows the December 1, 2025 tables as the latest, so the dollar amounts under the 3.6 percent change are not available. Anyone who sees a specific new pension number before VA posts it is looking at an estimate, not an official rate.
VA disability compensation is a separate benefit with its own rates and its own rules, and it is not part of this automatic pension reset.
Who draws the pension and the two add-ons
VA’s pension eligibility page sets three tests. Service must include at least one day during a wartime period, and the person must be 65 or older, or permanently and totally disabled, or in a nursing home for long-term care, or receiving Social Security Disability Insurance or SSI. Yearly family income and net worth must also be within limits set by Congress. A home, a car and most furnishings do not count toward net worth, but a spouse’s net worth does.
Aid and Attendance and Housebound are monthly payments added on top of a pension. VA’s Aid and Attendance and Housebound page says Aid and Attendance is for people who need another person’s help with daily activities, who must stay in bed much of the day because of illness, who live in a nursing home, or whose eyesight is severely limited. Housebound is for people who spend most of their time at home because of a permanent disability. A person cannot receive both at once.
Matching the new number to an award
The level on a pension award letter decides which column of VA’s table applies. Someone paid at the basic rate follows the first line, someone with Housebound the second, and someone with Aid and Attendance the third, with the dependent count picking the column.
Once VA posts the December 1 tables, the simple test is whether the monthly payment lines up with the new annual figure for that level and household. Pension is also income-tested, so a change in other income can alter what a person is paid even when the table rises. Anyone who sees a gap can ask VA about it; the agency’s pension pages list the ways to reach a regional office.
The percentage is set, the date is the usual one, and the dollar amounts are the piece still missing. The December 1 tables are the thing to look for.
Will the new Dec. 1 pension figure match a veteran’s own award?
A veteran or surviving spouse on pension, Aid and Attendance or Housebound will see a 3.6 percent-based change take effect on December 1, but VA has not yet posted the new tables. Anyone who cannot tell which of the three levels their award sits on has no easy way to tell whether the new payment is right.
The Veterans Benefits Action Kit lays out the three VA pension levels including Aid & Attendance, and how to file for free with VA Form 21P-527EZ. Part 2 is devoted to Aid & Attendance and Housebound, and the kit also carries a claim tracker and the pension-poacher warning signs.
Check the three pension levels and the free filing route with the Veterans Benefits Action Kit →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
