KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The VA benefit summary letter, sometimes called a VA award letter, is VA’s official proof of your service, your disability rating and what VA pays you.
- You can download it in a few minutes on VA.gov after signing in with Login.gov or ID.me. The other way is to call VA at 800-827-1000.
- You choose what goes on it: your service dates, your combined rating, your monthly payment and whether VA rates you permanent and total.
- States, counties, the military ID card office and Social Security all ask for it. It’s the document behind most state property-tax, tuition and license benefits.
- VA prints the letter with the address it has on file, and the letter stays valid even if that address is out of date.
- What Is a VA Benefit Summary Letter?
- What the Letter Shows
- How to Download Your Benefit Summary Letter
- Which Options to Choose
- Other Letters You Can Download
- Where You’ll Need It
- What to Do If Something on the Letter Is Wrong
- Tips for Using the Letter
- Frequently Asked Questions
Almost every benefit that comes after a VA rating starts with the same request: “send us your VA letter.” A county assessor wants it before cutting your property tax. A college wants it before waiving tuition for your child. The ID card office on base wants it before issuing a card. The letter they mean is the VA benefit summary letter, a one- or two-page document you can download yourself in a few minutes.
This guide explains what the letter shows, how to download it on VA.gov, which options to tick for each use, the other letters VA offers, and what to do if something on it is wrong. If you’re working through state benefits, our veteran benefits by state guide shows which programs in each state ask for it.
What Is a VA Benefit Summary Letter?
The benefit summary letter is VA’s official summary of the benefits you receive. VA calls it the “Benefit summary and service verification letter” on its letters page and notes that it’s sometimes called a VA award letter. It isn’t the same as your rating decision, the longer letter VA mailed when it decided your claim. The decision explains why VA rated each condition the way it did. The summary letter just states where things stand today, in a format agencies can read at a glance.
Because it’s generated from VA’s records on the day you download it, the letter reflects your current rating and payment. If your rating changed last month, a fresh download shows the new figures; an old copy in a drawer won’t.
What the Letter Shows
The letter has two main parts. Some lines appear only if you choose to include them when you download it (more on that below). Using a sample letter that state and local agencies publish for applicants, the sections are:
Military Service Information
- Your most recent verified periods of service, up to three
- For each period: branch of service, character of service (the discharge characterization) and the entry and discharge dates
VA Benefit Information
- Whether you have one or more service-connected disabilities
- Your combined service-connected evaluation, such as 70% or 100%
- Your current monthly award amount
- The effective date of the last change to your award
- Whether VA pays you at the 100% rate because you’re unemployable due to service-connected disabilities (individual unemployability)
- Whether you’re considered totally and permanently disabled due to service-connected disabilities, and the date that status began
That last line is the one many state programs care about most. A common example is South Carolina: its Department of Revenue tells disabled veterans applying for the property tax exemption to send a VA letter certifying you are totally and permanently service-connected disabled, with the effective date. Our guide to the 100% VA disability rating explains how a 100% rating, individual unemployability and permanent and total status differ.
| Section | What it proves | Who usually asks for it |
|---|---|---|
| Service periods and character of service | You served, when, and with what discharge | Veteran preference, state veteran programs, discounts |
| Combined rating | Your current disability percentage | Property tax, license plates, park passes, hunting and fishing licenses |
| Monthly award amount | Your VA income | Lenders, landlords, income-based programs |
| Individual unemployability | You’re paid at the 100% rate | Programs that treat TDIU like a 100% rating |
| Permanent and total status and date | Your rating isn’t expected to improve | Property tax exemptions, dependent tuition waivers, CHAMPVA |
How to Download Your Benefit Summary Letter
Downloading the letter is free and takes a few minutes once you can sign in. The steps:
- Go to the download VA letters page on VA.gov and select the option to get your letters.
- Sign in with Login.gov or ID.me. These are now the only two sign-in options. VA retired the old My HealtheVet username and password on March 4, 2025, and DS Logon on September 30, 2025, according to a VA news release.
- Check the mailing address. VA shows the address it has on file before you open your letters. You can update it there, but VA says the letter is still valid even if the address is out of date.
- Open the Benefit summary and service verification letter and choose which sections to include (see the next section).
- Download the PDF. VA recommends the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free. Save a copy on your phone and computer so you have it when an office asks.
If the download fails or the page says you have no letters, VA’s main information line can help. Letters only appear when you’re eligible for them, so a veteran with no service-connected rating won’t see the disability lines, and someone who hasn’t had a claim decided yet may see only the service verification portion.
Getting It by Phone or in Person
If you can’t sign in online, call VA’s benefits line at 800-827-1000 and ask for a benefit summary letter to be mailed to you. You can also visit a VA regional benefit office. A veterans service officer at a state or county veterans office can pull one for you during an appointment; their help is free.
Which Options to Choose
When you open the benefit summary letter, VA lets you decide which sections appear. State guides show options such as the award amount, the type of rating and your permanent and total standing. The right choice depends on who’s reading it:
| If you need it for | Include | Consider leaving off |
|---|---|---|
| Property tax exemption | Combined rating, permanent and total status and date, individual unemployability if it applies | Monthly award amount, unless the form asks for it |
| Dependent tuition waiver or college | Service information, rating, permanent and total status | Award amount |
| Mortgage or rental application | Monthly award amount, effective date | Anything the lender didn’t ask for |
| Military ID card (DoD card) | Combined rating, service information | Award amount |
| Discounts or proof of veteran status | Service information only | Rating and payment details |
Share only what the agency needs. A store giving a veteran discount has no reason to see your monthly payment, and a landlord doesn’t need your rating percentage.
Other Letters You Can Download
VA’s letters page offers several other documents. You’ll only see the ones you’re eligible for:
| Letter | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Proof of VA income | Showing VA payments as income, such as for a loan or rental application |
| Service verification | Proving your military service without disability details |
| Civil service preference | Veterans’ preference when applying for federal jobs |
| Commissary eligibility | Showing you qualify for commissary and exchange access |
| Proof of service card | A wallet-sized proof of service |
| TSA PreCheck application fee waiver | Applying for the PreCheck fee waiver |
| Creditable coverage for health care and prescription drugs | Showing health and drug coverage, such as for Medicare Part D |
| Foreign Medical Program enrollment | Using the Foreign Medical Program abroad |
A few documents aren’t on that page. Your VA home loan Certificate of Eligibility comes from a separate VA.gov tool; see our COE guide. Your DD-214 comes from the National Archives, not VA, and our DD-214 guide covers how to request it.
Where You’ll Need It
State and Local Benefits
Property tax exemptions, disabled veteran license plates, free state park passes, hunting and fishing licenses and state tuition waivers are almost all handled by state agencies or county offices, and almost all ask for a VA letter showing your rating. Programs for veterans rated 100% permanent and total, such as full property tax exemptions in states like Texas, Florida and Oklahoma, usually need the permanent and total line and its effective date. Our state guides, starting with Texas and Florida, list what each program asks for.
Military ID Cards and Base Access
Veterans rated 100% service-connected can get a Department of Defense ID card, which brings commissary, exchange and base recreation access. The ID card office asks for a completed DD Form 1172-2, your DD-214 and your benefit summary letter showing your rating. Our guide to veteran ID cards covers each card and what to bring.
Social Security Disability
If you apply for Social Security disability benefits and VA rates you 100% permanent and total, Social Security says you may qualify for expedited processing. It usually identifies these veterans automatically, but in rare cases you may need to show your VA notification letter as proof.
Loans, Rentals and Income Verification
Lenders and landlords often ask for proof of VA income. The benefit summary letter with the award amount works, and VA also offers a separate proof of VA income letter. A rating of 10% or more also waives the VA loan funding fee, which the lender confirms through VA.
Federal Jobs
Federal agencies award veterans’ preference points, and disabled veterans get more. The civil service preference letter, or the benefit summary letter showing your rating, supports your claim for preference. Our guide to finding federal jobs for veterans explains how preference works.
What to Do If Something on the Letter Is Wrong
- Wrong address: update it on VA.gov when you download. The letter is still valid either way.
- Wrong rating, payment or dependents: VA generates the letter from its records, so the record itself has to change. Call 800-827-1000. If you’ve added a spouse or child, make sure VA has processed the dependent claim; the payment line won’t change until it does.
- Missing permanent and total status: if your decision letter says you’re permanent and total but the summary letter doesn’t, call VA. If you believe your conditions should be rated permanent, you can ask VA to consider it with new medical evidence. A free accredited representative can help, and if VA denies it you can use one of the VA decision review options.
- Wrong service dates or character of service: VA reports what the military records show. If those are wrong, the fix starts with your service branch’s records board. Our guide to military discharges covers how corrections and upgrades work.
Tips for Using the Letter
- Download a fresh copy each time you apply. Some agencies want a recently dated letter, and a new download shows any change in your rating.
- Keep the PDF on your phone. When an office asks for your VA letter, you can download a fresh one or print the copy you saved.
- Check the date on the permanent and total line. Some property tax programs and tuition waivers date your eligibility from it.
- Know your rating before you apply. If you’re close to a threshold that unlocks a state benefit, our VA disability ratings guide explains how VA combines ratings, and the VA disability compensation calculator shows what each rating pays.
RELATED READING
Veteran ID Cards and Proof of Service 2026: Every Type Explained →
The VHIC, Veteran ID Card and DoD ID card, and which document each one needs.
VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE): What It Is and How to Get It →
The other VA document homebuyers need, and how to get it from VA.gov.
Veteran Benefits by State 2026: Comparing All 50 States →
What your letter unlocks in each state, from property tax to tuition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. VA says its benefit summary and service verification letter is sometimes called a VA award letter. It’s different from your rating decision, the longer letter VA sent when it decided your claim. The summary letter shows your current rating, payment and status, and you can download a new one any time on VA.gov.
Go to VA.gov’s download VA letters page and sign in with Login.gov or ID.me. Confirm your address, open the benefit summary and service verification letter, choose which sections to include, and download the PDF. If you can’t sign in, call VA at 800-827-1000 and ask for one to be mailed.
Yes. VA prints the letter with the mailing address it has on file and says the letter is still valid even if that address is out of date. You can update your address on VA.gov before downloading if you want the new one to appear.
It can. When you download it, you can include a line showing whether VA considers you totally and permanently disabled due to service-connected disabilities and the date that began. Include it when applying for property tax exemptions, dependent tuition waivers or CHAMPVA, which often depend on it.
Only when the agency needs it. Lenders, landlords and income-based programs usually do. Property tax offices, ID card offices and businesses offering a veteran discount usually don’t, so you can leave the award amount off for those.
VA doesn’t print an expiration date, but the letter reflects your record on the day you download it. Many agencies want a recently dated copy, so download a fresh one each time you apply. It’s free and only takes a few minutes.
Yes. Accredited veterans service officers at state and county veterans offices and veterans service organizations can pull your letters and help with the benefits that require them, at no cost. VA also mails letters on request if you call 800-827-1000.
This guide is provided by USMilitary.org, an independent educational resource. We are not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense or any government agency. VA’s letters and sign-in options can change; check VA.gov for the current process before you rely on it.
