Veterans deserve financial clarity: benefits, free help and next steps

A lot changes at once

Leaving military life comes with pride, change and a whole lot of new decisions. Your pay, health care, housing and benefits can all shift at the same time. Sorting out the money side can feel heavier than it needs to.

Many veterans put off asking for help. It can feel like one more hurdle while you’re still adjusting to everyday life. Good help makes things lighter, not heavier. It listens first, learns what you’ve been through and what you want next, and turns the fine print into a few clear steps.

You’ve carried so much. You shouldn’t have to carry financial uncertainty alone.

Check your VA disability compensation

VA disability compensation is a tax-free monthly payment. It’s for veterans who got sick or injured while serving, and for veterans whose service made an existing condition worse. It can cover physical conditions, like a chronic illness or injury, and mental health conditions, like PTSD. The condition can develop before, during or after service.¹

To qualify, you need a current illness or injury that affects your mind or body. You also need to have served on active duty, active duty for training or inactive duty training. Then at least one of these must be true:³

• You got sick or injured while serving.
• You had a condition before you joined, and serving made it worse.
• You have a disability tied to your active-duty service that didn’t show up until after you left.

For some conditions, VA assumes your service caused them. These are called presumptive conditions. If you have one, you don’t need to prove that link. You only need to meet the service requirements.³

Your monthly payment depends on your disability rating and your family. Here are the rates that took effect on December 1, 2025, for a veteran with no dependents.⁴ You can find every rate on VA’s rate tables.

What the PACT Act changed

The PACT Act is a law that expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances. Among other things, it:⁵

• Expands VA health care for veterans with toxic exposures, and for veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War and post-9/11 eras
• Adds more than 20 presumptive conditions for burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic exposures
• Requires VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every veteran enrolled in VA health care

From August 10, 2022, through June 30, 2026, VA did 6.9 million toxic exposure screenings. In nearly half, the veteran reported at least one possible exposure.² If you’re enrolled in VA health care, ask about a screening at your next appointment, or contact your local VA health facility. If you’re not enrolled but meet the requirements, you can enroll and get screened.⁵

Were you turned down before? If VA denied your claim in the past and now treats your condition as presumptive, you can file a Supplemental Claim, and VA will review your case again. You don’t have to wait for VA to contact you. Veterans and survivors can file for PACT Act benefits anytime, but the sooner you file, the sooner benefits can start.⁵ Read more on VA’s PACT Act page.

Get free, trusted help with your claim

You don’t have to file alone. VA accredits three kinds of helpers: Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representatives, attorneys and claims agents.⁷

• VSO representatives can help you gather evidence, file a claim or ask for a decision review. Their help on your claim is always free.⁷
• Accredited attorneys and claims agents can charge you only after VA decides your first claim, and only with a signed fee agreement on file with VA.⁷

Before you sign anything, make sure the person helping you is accredited. VA keeps a list of every accredited attorney, claims agent and VSO representative, and you can search it by name, state or ZIP code.⁸ Start with VA’s tool to find a representative.

Money help beyond your claim

Benefits are one part of the picture. Budgets, debt and savings are the rest, and there’s free help for those too.

• Financial counseling through VA. VA’s Veterans Benefits Banking Program offers free financial counseling to veterans, beneficiaries, caregivers and survivors, along with free financial education.⁹ VA also offers free tools for managing money, like a budget worksheet and a monthly spending plan.¹⁰
• Military OneSource in your first year out. Military OneSource offers free financial counseling to service members and their families, by phone, by video and in person.¹¹ Recent veterans can use Military OneSource services for up to 365 days after they leave.¹² If you were discharged rather than retired, that takes an honorable discharge.¹³ Call 800-342-9647 to ask what’s open to you.
• The CFPB. Its Office of Servicemember Affairs helps service members, veterans and their families with money challenges.⁸ The CFPB has resources for veterans and military families, and you can send it a complaint about a financial company.¹⁴

Your next move

Start with a simple question: what support would make life feel lighter right now? Maybe it’s knowing what you’re eligible for, a plan for your debt, or a budget that fits your new pay. From there, the path gets clearer.

If money stress ever feels like too much, you don’t have to wait. The Veterans Crisis Line offers free, confidential support 24/7 for veterans and the people who care about them. Dial 988, then press 1, or text 838255. You don’t need to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to reach out.¹⁶