You Hit 100% P&T — Now What? The Benefits Checklist (2026)

Getting to 100% P&T is the end of one process and the start of another. The rating itself is only part of what you are now entitled to, and the VA does not send you a list. Most of what follows, veterans find out about years later from another veteran.

Here is the list, in the order that actually matters.

Do this first — there is a deadline

The VA annual clothing allowance has an August 1 filing deadline.

If a service-connected prosthetic or orthopedic device (a wheelchair counts) wears out your clothing, or a prescribed medication for a service-connected skin condition stains it irreparably, you are owed an annual payment. For 2026 that is $1,053.19.

• File VA Form 10-8678 with your local VA Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service.
• You can qualify for more than one allowance if you have multiple qualifying devices or medications.
• Since December 2022, VA pays it recurring annually without re-filing, as long as your devices and medications have not changed.

This is one of the most under-claimed benefits in the system, largely because nobody mentions it. If you use a brace, a prosthetic, a wheelchair, or a prescribed topical, ask.

Get the right ID cards

Two different cards do two different things, and people conflate them constantly.

Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) — your VA healthcare card. This is also the card that gets you onto a base for commissary and exchange privileges, and it must show your service-connected eligibility. Get it through VA healthcare enrollment.

Uniformed Services ID (DoD ID) — if you are a retiree or otherwise DoD-ID eligible, this comes through DEERS at a RAPIDS/ID card office. Book an appointment through the ID Card Office Online (IDCO) rather than walking in.

What to bring to a DEERS appointment:

• DD-214
• Retirement or separation orders
• Your VA disability rating letter
• Two forms of REAL-ID-compliant identification for every person getting a card
• Your CAC, if you still hold one

Also worth doing: register with your state's department of veterans affairs. State benefits are separate from federal, they are often better than people expect, and many require you to be in their system first.

Commissary, exchange, and MWR — broader than most people think

The Facebook version of this list usually says commissary access is a 100% benefit. It is not.

Since January 1, 2020, any veteran with a VA service-connected disability rating — 0% through 100% — has in-person commissary, exchange, and MWR privileges, along with Purple Heart recipients, former POWs, and caregivers enrolled in VA's Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers program. Veterans at 100% already had it before the change.

You need a VHIC showing your eligibility to get on base. That is the whole gate.

Health coverage for your family — TRICARE vs CHAMPVA

This is the single most-muddled item on every version of this list, so be precise:

They are not a fallback chain and they are not interchangeable. If you retired, your family is on TRICARE. If you did not retire and you are 100% P&T, your family may qualify for CHAMPVA — 1-800-733-8387.

You cannot generally have both. Do not drop one before confirming the other.

Money you may be leaving on the table

Special Monthly Compensation (SMC). SMC pays above the 100% rate for specific losses and combinations — loss of use, housebound status, aid and attendance, certain paired disabilities. Many veterans sitting at 100% qualify for SMC and never file. Run the numbers and read the SMC guide.

If you are a military retiree, your retirement pay may be getting offset:

• CRDP (Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay) — restores retirement pay that VA compensation offsets. Requires a VA rating of 50% or higher and eligibility for retired pay. Usually automatic, but confirm it.
• CRSC (Combat-Related Special Compensation) — for disabilities that are combat-related. Requires a 10% or higher rating and that your retirement pay is currently reduced by VA compensation. You must apply — this one is not automatic.

You cannot receive both CRDP and CRSC at the same time; DFAS pays whichever is greater and gives you an annual open season to switch. See the CRDP/CRSC guide.

State and local benefits — where the real money often is

These vary enormously by state and are worth an afternoon:

• Property tax exemption (often total at 100% P&T — in some states worth more annually than any federal benefit here)
• Sales tax and motor vehicle excise tax exemptions
• State income tax exemption on military retirement pay
• Free or reduced hunting and fishing licenses
• Free admission to state parks and museums
• Toll and turnpike exemptions in some states
• Disabled veteran license plates

Check yours: State Benefits by State and the state comparison tool.

Education and family

• DEA / Chapter 35 — education benefits for the spouse and children of a 100% P&T veteran. This is one of the biggest dollar-value consequences of P&T specifically.
• Folds of Honor — private scholarships for spouses and children of disabled veterans, roughly $5,000/year. Not a VA program; apply directly.
• College credit for military experience — most schools award credit for military training via the ACE recommendations on your Joint Services Transcript. Ask before you pay for a class you already earned.
• VR&E (Chapter 31) — job training, education, and employment support. Frequently better than the GI Bill for service-connected veterans, and it does not burn GI Bill entitlement. Compare them.

One thing to be careful about: 100% P&T vs 100% scheduler

They are not the same, and it changes what you get.

Permanent and Total (P&T) means VA does not expect improvement — no future re-exams, and it is what unlocks CHAMPVA and DEA/Chapter 35 for your family. 100% scheduler without the permanent finding pays the same monthly, but the dependent benefits above may not apply and you can be scheduled for a re-examination.

Read your decision letter. It will say. If you are 100% but not P&T and your condition is clearly static, that is a conversation to have with a VSO.

And the part worth repeating

You never have to pay anyone to file a VA claim. Filing an initial claim is free, and no accredited representative may charge you for one. Accredited VSOs — DAV, VFW, American Legion, your county or state veterans service office — do this at no cost, and they do it well.

If you are not yet at the rating you believe you have earned, there are free avenues to pursue it. Companies charging thousands of dollars, or a percentage of your back pay, are selling you something you can get for nothing.

Find a free accredited VSO near you →

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Sources: VA clothing allowance, VA Form 10-8678, CHAMPVA, DoD expanded commissary/exchange access, ID Card Office Online. Figures and rules change — confirm against VA.gov and your state DVA before acting. This is general information, not legal advice.