What Is Special Monthly Compensation

There are ten basic types of Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) offered by the VA. These SMCs are a form of supplemental income offering financial relief for different types of disabilities, loss, loss of use, or situations resulting from disabilities.

For example, Special Monthly Compensations are available for the loss of a limb, sight, or hearing. One of the most common forms of SMC is that of Aid and Attendance.

Who Qualifies for Aid and Attendance?

Veterans who are housebound or require aid and attendance on a daily basis may be eligible for one form of Special Monthly Compensation called “Aid and Attendance.” A&A alone pays about $146.16 per month to a married veteran in addition to whatever benefits a veteran may currently be receiving.

To qualify for Aid and Attendance, the veteran must:

  • require the assistance of another to perform daily tasks;
  • be bedridden as a result of, or in treatment of, your disability
  • reside in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacities

Like other forms of compensation, actual rates of payment for Aid and Attendance may vary based on marital status and family size.

Eligibility for more than one type of Special Monthly Compensation

The interesting, and very helpful, thing about SMCs is that they can be ‘stacked.’ In other words,  if a veteran is eligible for several different types of Special Monthly Compensation, he or she may receive each of them.

These benefits can also be received in addition to disability compensation. There are some exceptions to this rule and the maximum number of SMC benefits payable is 3. The additional income generated from SMCs can often be significant though, at times, difficult to understand.

We can help you understand the different types of Special Monthly Compensation available and discuss your specific eligibility. Just read this short article if you would like to find out more about setting up a free veterans disability consultation.

Travis Studdard is an attorney who focuses on representing veterans in VA disability compensation claims.  He regularly writes about issues that are important to veterans and their families.

You can subscribe to his Veterans Disability channel on YouTube.

I recommend Travis for an Veteran that has been dealing with constant denial with claims. He also , cover cost for my nexus letter when I ran into financial troubles , that helped me win my case.edwin Cook
I highly recommend Travis Studdard to represent anyone looking to help with VA claims. The VA is very difficult to deal with when attempting to get benefits from service connected injuries, at least that's my experience. Travis and his team knows the VA system and the legal procedures to help you get what you deserve. Travis was kind and passionate with me throughout this process and therefore, I highly recommend this law firm to represent DAV's.Terry Hembree
Such an awesome team. They spoke to me like a person and helped me through every decision with knowledge.Kevin Collett
Highly recommend this firm. Did exactly what they said they were going to and fairly timely. The VA is sometimes extremely difficult to navigate but this took all the leg work away from me and got me the result I thought was fair.Andrew Boone
Amazing staff, very informed along with excellent communication. Within just a few weeks of work, Mr Studdard was able to make things happen that normally take years! Highly recommendJacob Sylvester
Perkins Studdard LLC is the place you need to be if you have a Workers Comp case going on! Mr. Jason Perkins and his staff get the results that you need. They work with you and fight for you.Coming from another lawyer my husband and I were really surprised and appreciated the communication and honesty and understanding throughout the entire process. My husband loves the videos because they held so much information and helped him understand what what was going on. Thank you so much for representing us!!!Deborah Tompkins
I highly recommend Jason Perkins and the Team at Perkins and Studdard. Jason did a wonderful job on my case and actually got me better results than what I was hoping for. He was always so patient with me and made sure I was understanding every process in my case. He never seemed to mind me asking questions and always gave me straightforward answers. My phone calls to him or his staff were promptly answered or returned and everyone was always so helpful, personable, and respectful. He kept me updated on all the details of my case and sent helpful videos for me to review that were very informative.Dru Vaughn
Helped me when I needed after getting hurt at work. Thank you for everything!The Knight Family
I could not have asked for a better lawyer to represent my worker comp. case. Any questions I had during the process was always answered in a timely manner. Mr. Perkins really cared about insuring that I wasn't being taken advantage of during this process and helped us reach a settlement that I feel comfortable with. I would recommend this firm to my parents or children.syndel Laber
I'm so thankful and grateful for all the hard work Jason, Tina and Liz did for me. They went above and beyond to get the best outcome for me. They took the to explain everything that was going on with my case again I'm so thankful grateful and happy with the outcome of my workers comp case.Adrian Adams

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