How to claim VA Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) — pay above the 100% rate for specific losses, aid and attendance, or housebound status
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) is extra VA pay for specific service-connected losses or needs that the regular rating schedule does not fully cover (38 USC 1114; 38 CFR 3.350). SMC-K is an added $139.87 a month for each qualifying anatomical loss. SMC-L through SMC-R.2 and SMC-T are paid in place of the basic rate — $4,900.83 to $11,271.67 a month for a veteran alone — and SMC-S (housebound) is $4,408.53. Rates effective December 1, 2025. VA is supposed to consider SMC on its own when the evidence shows it, but it helps to ask for it by name and to send the evidence that proves it.
What you'll need
- Your VA rating decision listing each service-connected condition
- VA Form 21-526EZ (to claim SMC or an increase) — va.gov/find-forms/about-form-21-526ez/
- VA Form 21-2680, Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance, completed by a physician (for L and higher, S and T)
- Medical records or a doctor's statement describing the loss or the help you need
- A county veterans service officer or other accredited representative (free)
Step-by-step
Step 1: SMC-K — the add-on for a specific anatomical loss
Under 38 CFR 3.350(a), SMC-K is paid for the anatomical loss or loss of use of one hand, one foot, both buttocks, or one or more creative organs; blindness of one eye with only light perception; deafness of both ears with absence of air and bone conduction; complete organic aphonia (constant inability to communicate by speech); or, for women veterans, loss of 25% or more of tissue from a single breast or both breasts (or following radiation treatment). Loss of a creative organ is shown by acquired absence of one or both testicles (other than undescended) or ovaries or another creative organ; VA also recognizes loss of use for service-connected erectile dysfunction. Each separate qualifying loss earns its own K ($139.87/mo each), but the combined total cannot exceed the L rate when paid with the basic rates or S, and cannot exceed the O rate when paid with L through N.
Step 2: SMC-L and higher — serious losses, or needing regular aid and attendance
SMC-L ($4,900.83/mo, veteran alone) is paid for anatomical loss or loss of use of both feet, or of one hand and one foot; blindness in both eyes with visual acuity of 5/200 or less; being permanently bedridden; or being so helpless as to need regular aid and attendance (38 CFR 3.350(b)). Aid and attendance means regular help with daily needs such as dressing, eating, bathing, adjusting prosthetics, or protecting yourself from hazards — not 24-hour care (38 CFR 3.352(a)). Levels M, N and O are for more extensive combinations of losses (for example loss of both hands is M), and R.1/R.2 are for veterans at the O level who need a higher level of care. VA determines the exact level from the medical evidence.
Step 3: SMC-S — housebound
SMC-S ($4,408.53/mo, veteran alone) requires a single service-connected disability rated 100% PLUS either (a) additional service-connected disability or disabilities independently ratable at 60% or more, or (b) being permanently housebound — substantially confined to your home or immediate premises because of service-connected disability, with reasonable certainty that the confinement will continue for life (38 CFR 3.350(i)). The 100% must come from one disability, not from combining several and not from TDIU based on more than one condition.
Step 4: SMC-T — regular aid and attendance for traumatic brain injury
SMC-T applies when you need regular aid and attendance for the residuals of a traumatic brain injury, are not eligible for the R.2 rate, and without that care would require hospitalization, nursing home care or other residential institutional care (38 USC 1114(t)). It is paid at the R.2 rate ($11,271.67/mo for a veteran alone).
Step 5: How to ask for SMC and what to send
To claim SMC, file VA Form 21-526EZ (the same form used for an increase) and name the SMC level and the condition — for example "SMC-K for loss of use of the left hand." For aid and attendance or housebound levels, have your doctor (VA or private) complete VA Form 21-2680 describing what help you need and how often; statements from family or caregivers about your daily care are also evidence VA must consider. If VA denies or sets the wrong level, you can request a Higher-Level Review (within one year) or file a Supplemental Claim with new evidence. A county veterans service officer can help for free.
Critical tips
- SMC-K is an add-on: $139.87 a month for each qualifying loss, on top of your regular rate, within the caps in 38 CFR 3.350(a).
- SMC-L through R.2 and T replace the basic rate; they are not added to it.
- Housebound (S) needs one disability rated 100% by itself — a combined 100% or TDIU from several conditions does not qualify (38 CFR 3.350(i)).
- Aid and attendance does not mean round-the-clock care; regular help with basic daily needs can qualify (38 CFR 3.352(a)).
- SMC can be granted back to the date VA should have recognized it, so include effective-date arguments in any review.
- This is the most technical corner of VA ratings. A county veterans service officer or VSO representative can check which level fits before you file — find one at warriorsfund.org/find-cvso.
- In crisis: dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255.