Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) — Every Level From K to T
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) is a set of compensation rates, separate from the 0 to 100 percent schedule, for particular losses and for veterans who need another person's help. Each level is named by the subsection of 38 U.S.C. 1114 that sets it, from (k) to (t), and 38 CFR 3.350 says who qualifies for each one. This guide maps every level and links to the detailed guides for the most common ones.
The rules below come from 38 CFR 3.350 and 3.155(d)(2) as published on eCFR (current through October 26, 2026) and from 38 U.S.C. 1114 as printed in the 2024 edition of the United States Code on govinfo.gov, read on October 28, 2026.
How SMC fits with your regular rating
Most SMC levels are a monthly rate of their own under section 1114 that takes the place of the regular schedular rate. SMC-K is different: it is added to the rate you already receive. SMC-R and SMC-T are allowances paid on top of other compensation. VA publishes the current dollar amount for each level in its compensation rate tables.
You do not always have to ask. When VA decides a complete claim, it decides entitlement to ancillary benefits that arise from that decision, and the regulation names SMC under 3.350 as one of them. You may raise SMC when you file, but you do not have to (38 CFR 3.155(d)(2)).
The levels at a glance
| Level | 38 CFR 3.350 | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|
| K | 3.350(a) | Each anatomical loss or loss of use of one hand, one foot, both buttocks, or one or more creative organs; blindness of one eye having only light perception; deafness of both ears with absence of air and bone conduction; complete organic aphonia with constant inability to communicate by speech; or, for a woman veteran, loss of 25 percent or more of tissue from a single breast or both breasts in combination (including by mastectomy or partial mastectomy), or radiation treatment of breast tissue |
| L | 3.350(b) | 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; or being permanently bedridden or so helpless as to need regular aid and attendance |
| M | 3.350(c) | The losses and conditions listed there, including loss or loss of use of both hands, of both legs at a level preventing natural knee action with a prosthesis in place, and blindness in both eyes having only light perception |
| N | 3.350(d) | The losses and conditions listed there, including loss or loss of use of both arms at a level preventing natural elbow action with a prosthesis in place, anatomical loss of both eyes, and blindness without light perception in both eyes. Amputation is a prerequisite except for loss of use of both arms and blindness without light perception in both eyes |
| O | 3.350(e) | Among others, conditions entitling you to two or more of the rates in (l) through (n), no condition being considered twice; anatomical loss of both arms so near the shoulder as to prevent use of a prosthesis; and certain combinations of deafness and blindness |
| P | 3.350(f) | An intermediate or next higher rate when your service-connected disabilities exceed the requirements for any of the rates (38 U.S.C. 1114(p)). Under 3.350(f), an intermediate rate is the arithmetic mean, rounded to the nearest dollar, between the two rates concerned |
| R | 3.350(h) | An added allowance for a veteran receiving the maximum rate under (o) or (p), or the intermediate rate between (n) and (o) plus SMC-K, who needs regular aid and attendance or a higher level of care, during periods not hospitalized at government expense |
| S | 3.350(i) | A single service-connected disability rated 100 percent plus either additional service-connected disability independently ratable at 60 percent, separate and distinct and involving different anatomical segments or bodily systems, or being permanently housebound by service-connected disability |
| T | 3.350(j) | Need for regular aid and attendance for residuals of traumatic brain injury, when not eligible under 1114(r)(2), and when without that care you would need hospitalization, nursing home care or other residential institutional care |
SMC-K and its ceiling
SMC-K is payable for each qualifying loss or loss of use, so more than one award is possible. There is a ceiling. Paid alongside a regular schedular rate or SMC-S, the combined rate cannot exceed the SMC-L rate. Paid alongside SMC-L through SMC-N or an intermediate SMC-P rate, the total cannot exceed the SMC-O rate. Those limits do not reduce the additional compensation for dependents under 38 U.S.C. 1115 or the SMC-R aid and attendance allowance (3.350(a)). The detailed rules, including how loss of use of a creative organ, a hand or a foot is shown, are in the SMC-K guide.
SMC-L and aid and attendance
SMC-L is where aid and attendance first appears. The criteria for being so helpless as to need regular aid and attendance, and for being permanently bedridden, are in 38 CFR 3.352(a), which 3.350(b) cross-references. The SMC-L guide covers both. The regulation also says that, where possible, the decision should rest on being permanently bedridden rather than on need for aid and attendance, so the award is not reduced during a hospital stay where that care is provided in kind (3.350(b)(4)).
SMC-S, the housebound rate
SMC-S has two routes, and only one involves being housebound. The first is a single disability rated 100 percent plus separate disabilities independently ratable at 60 percent. The second is being permanently housebound, which 3.350(i)(2) defines as being substantially confined, as a direct result of service-connected disabilities, to your dwelling and its immediate premises, or to the ward or clinical areas if institutionalized, when it is reasonably certain the confinement will last for life. The SMC-S guide works through both.
The higher levels
SMC-M through SMC-O, the intermediate P rates, and the R and T allowances cover the most severe combinations of loss and need for care. The higher SMC levels guide walks through them. VA's separate aid and attendance and housebound benefits are covered in the aid and attendance and housebound guide.
Note: This article references sections of the VA's M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual. The VA periodically reorganizes the M21-1 and section numbers may have changed since this article was written. For the most current section references, visit the VA's public M21-1 Web Automated Reference Material System (WARMS).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to file a separate claim for SMC?
Not necessarily. When VA decides a complete claim, it decides entitlement to ancillary benefits arising from that decision, and 38 CFR 3.155(d)(2) names SMC under 3.350 as one of them. You may raise SMC when you file, but you do not have to.
Can I receive SMC-K more than once?
Yes. 38 CFR 3.350(a) makes SMC-K payable for each qualifying anatomical loss or loss of use, subject to a ceiling: with a regular rate or SMC-S the combined rate cannot exceed the SMC-L rate, and with SMC-L through SMC-N or an intermediate rate the total cannot exceed the SMC-O rate.
Do I have to be housebound to get SMC-S?
No. 38 CFR 3.350(i) has two routes: a single service-connected disability rated 100 percent plus additional service-connected disability independently ratable at 60 percent, separate and distinct, or being permanently housebound by service-connected disability.
What is SMC-T?
An aid and attendance allowance for a veteran who needs regular aid and attendance for the residuals of traumatic brain injury, is not eligible under 38 U.S.C. 1114(r)(2), and without that care would need hospitalization, nursing home care or other residential institutional care (38 CFR 3.350(j)).
Where do I find the current SMC dollar amounts?
Each level is a rate set under 38 U.S.C. 1114, and VA publishes the current amounts in its compensation rate tables on VA.gov.