It sounds backwards, but some of the most reliable money in the VA system is attached to a 0 percent rating. SMC-K is a flat monthly add-on for the loss of use of specific body parts and functions, and it pays regardless of what your combined percentage says. Many veterans who qualify never receive it because nobody told them it exists.
What SMC-K is
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) at the K rate is an add-on payment under 38 CFR 3.350(a) for anatomical loss or loss of use of certain body parts or functions. It is paid on top of your regular disability compensation, not instead of it. For 2026 the SMC-K rate is $139.87 per month (effective December 1, 2025), and it adjusts each year with the cost-of-living increase.
What qualifies
Common SMC-K qualifiers include:
- Loss of use of a creative organ, which includes erectile dysfunction and certain reproductive losses (one of the most common and most missed);
- Loss or loss of use of a hand or foot;
- Loss of use of a buttock;
- Blindness in one eye with specific visual acuity;
- Deafness of both ears in defined circumstances;
- Aphonia (loss of voice).
Why it is missed
Erectile dysfunction is frequently a secondary condition, caused by service connected diabetes, PTSD, or the medications used to treat them. Even when ED itself is rated 0 percent, it can still qualify for SMC-K. Veterans often do not realize the extra payment exists, or assume a 0 percent rating means no money.
Combining multiple SMC-K awards
You can receive more than one SMC-K award at the same time (for example, loss of use of a creative organ plus loss of use of a foot), each adding the K amount, up to regulatory limits. SMC-K can also sit alongside higher SMC levels (L and above).
How to claim it
- Establish the underlying loss or loss of use, often as secondary to a service connected condition under 38 CFR 3.310.
- A short medical statement confirming the loss of use (for ED, a diagnosis and a note that medication is or is not effective) is usually enough for VA to consider SMC-K.
Where this comes from
- 38 CFR 3.350(a), Special monthly compensation ratings
- VA Special Monthly Compensation Rates (current K amount)
Related resources
- The SMC calculator: where the K award sits among the SMC levels.
- Aid and attendance for veterans: the higher SMC levels for daily living needs.