Permanent and Total (P&T) means VA has rated your service-connected disabilities at the total level, either a 100% schedular rating or TDIU, and has decided the impairment is reasonably certain to continue for life. It is a label on your rating, not a separate benefit. It generally ends routine re-exams and opens benefits for your family, such as CHAMPVA health coverage and Chapter 35 education.
What does “permanent” mean to VA?
VA’s regulation on this point, 38 CFR 3.340, says permanence exists when the impairment is reasonably certain to continue throughout your life. That is a judgment about what medical evidence expects, not a promise that nothing can ever change. The same rule treats some situations as permanent by nature, such as being permanently helpless or bedridden, or the loss of use of both hands or both feet.
Conditions that are often described as permanent include limb loss, degenerative disease and some chronic mental health conditions, but VA decides each case on its own evidence.
What does “total” mean?
Total means you are paid at the 100% rate. VA’s regulation describes total disability as impairment that makes it impossible for the average person to follow a substantially gainful occupation. You can reach total in two ways: a 100% schedular rating, or TDIU, which pays the 100% rate when service-connected conditions keep you from steady work even though your combined rating is lower.
How is P&T different from a 100% rating?
The 100% rating tells you how much VA pays. P&T tells you how long VA expects it to last. A 100% rating that is not P&T can still be re-examined, and the family benefits that depend on P&T do not apply. Our comparison of P&T and a temporary 100% rating shows the differences side by side.
What changes when you have P&T?
- Fewer re-exams. Under 38 CFR 3.327, VA does not schedule periodic re-exams when a disability is static or permanent in character. VA can still ask for an exam at any time if evidence suggests your condition has changed.
- CHAMPVA. A spouse or child of a veteran rated permanently and totally disabled may qualify for this VA health coverage, unless they are eligible for TRICARE.
- Chapter 35 education. Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) is available to eligible spouses and children when the veteran is permanently and totally disabled.
- Survivor benefits. Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) can be paid to a surviving spouse when a veteran who died of a cause that was not service-connected had been rated totally disabling for at least 10 years. That test is about the total rating and how long you held it, so P&T is not required.
- State benefits. Property tax exemptions, vehicle fees and tuition waivers vary by state, and some tie them to P&T. Check your state’s veterans affairs office.
Your monthly pay does not change. For the longer list, including which perks need only a 100% rating, see the complete list of 100% P&T benefits.
How can you tell if you are P&T?
Read your VA rating decision letter. A decision that finds you permanently and totally disabled typically includes a line about basic eligibility for Chapter 35 education benefits, and some letters state the finding in plain words. If yours is silent, you may have a 100% rating that is not permanent. You can ask a free accredited VSO representative to read it with you, or call VA at 800-827-1000 to ask what is on your record.
If you are on TDIU and wondering whether the two can go together, read how TDIU and P&T fit together.
Can you ask VA for P&T if you are already rated 100%?
Yes. P&T status is not automatic at 100% — it requires the VA to determine permanence. If you are at 100% but have not been designated P&T, you can file a claim requesting P&T status with supporting medical evidence showing your conditions are permanent and unlikely to improve. Work with an accredited VSO to build this request.
Does P&T status expire?
Generally no. Once VA grants P&T status, it does not usually schedule future re-examinations, but it is not a guarantee that the rating can never change. If VA proposes a reduction in your underlying rating, P&T status may be reviewed. The VA must follow strict procedural requirements before reducing a P&T rating and must show material improvement under ordinary conditions of life.
Frequently asked questions
What does P&T stand for in VA disability?
P&T stands for Permanent and Total. Total means a 100% schedular rating or TDIU, paid at the 100% rate. Permanent means VA has decided the impairment is reasonably certain to continue for life.
Is P&T the same as a 100% rating?
No. A 100% rating describes how much VA pays. P&T describes how long VA expects it to last. You can have a 100% rating that VA has not designated permanent, and VA may schedule future exams for it.
Does P&T mean higher monthly pay?
No. You are paid at the same 100% rate with or without P&T. What P&T changes is the stability of the rating and access to family benefits such as CHAMPVA and Chapter 35 education.
Can a rating below 100% be P&T?
Not on its own. Total means the 100% rate, which you can reach through a 100% schedular rating or TDIU. VA has separate rules that limit reductions of long-standing lower ratings, so ask an accredited representative how they apply to you.
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