What is a Special Monthly Compensation? 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) to qualifying veterans with especially serious disabilities or combinations of disabilities. Certain disabilities and combinations of disabilities are more debilitating than regular disability compensation rates account for, so VA pays a higher rate of compensation.

The VA states there are over 70 possible combinations of SMC ratings. 

SPECIAL MONTHLY COMPENSATION LEVEL L:

Permanently Bedridden, Blindness, Loss of Use, or Aid & Attendance

(38 U.S.C. § 1114(l) & 38 CFR § 3.350):

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) to qualifying veterans with especially serious disabilities or combinations of disabilities. Certain disabilities and combinations of disabilities are more debilitating than regular disability compensation rates account for, so VA pays a higher rate of compensation.

SMC-L is currently an extra $936.04/mo over 100% pay (2025)

Special Monthly Compensation under level L is based on a veteran with one or more of four criteria:

• SMC-L1- Has anatomical loss or loss of use of both feet or one hand and one foot.

• SMC-L2- Has blindness in both eyes with visual acuity of 5/200 or less.

• SMC-L3-AID AND ATTENDANCE (A&A)

The veteran’s condition is serious enough that they require the REGULAR help of another person (Not necessarily every day or every time):

a)        Due to inability of claimant to dress or undress himself (herself), or

b)        To keep himself (herself) ordinarily clean and presentable;

c)        Due to frequent need of adjustment of any special prosthetic or orthopedic appliances which by reason of the particular disability cannot be done without aid (this will not include the adjustment of appliances which normal persons would be unable to adjust without aid, such as supports, belts, lacing at the back, etc.);

d)        Due to inability of claimant to feed himself (herself) through loss of coordination of upper extremities or through extreme weakness;

e)        Due to inability to attend to the wants of nature; or

f)        Due to incapacity, physical or mental, which requires care or assistance on a regular basis to protect the claimant from hazards or dangers incident to his or her daily environment.

NOTE: It is important to note that being hospitalized for your condition doesn’t qualify under the term “aid and attendance.”

NOTE: Extra-Scheduler SMC-L-3 for Aid & Attendance may be awarded if the Veteran does not have a single disability evaluated as 100 percent (regardless of the combination) and the disability is so severe as to demonstrate the need for A&A. (Change as of August 1, 2022).

• SMC-L4-(Must be 100%)

Veteran is permanently bedridden and unable to get out of bed for any reason. This isn't a limited or short-lived situation where your doctor prescribed bed rest until you feel better. If you can get out of bed and move around, even on a restricted basis, you're not bedridden and won’t meet the criteria.

Loss of Use: A Veteran may qualify as having lost use of a hand if he or she is no longer able to grasp and pick up small items with that hand or if he is not able to manipulate them. For example, they may not be able to pick up and write with a pen or may not be able to fasten buttons. In the same way, if the Veteran cannot bend the elbow, he or she may be considered to have lost the use of that arm.

Similarly, where a Veteran is not able to balance on a foot or use it to move forward, he or she may qualify for loss of use of that foot. In addition, where a Veteran is unable to bend the knee and, therefore, unable to properly use the leg, he or she may qualify for loss of use of that leg.

NOTE: If you have a claim that is not yet one year old, SMC-L is an inferred claim. If the VBA did not examine for SMC-L, request consideration with a VBA Form 21-4138. If older than one year, file a VBA Form 21-526EZ. For SMC-L3 and SMC-L1 include a VBA Form 21-2680 from your provider for faster processing.

NOTE: Filing will typically entail a new Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam.