Read the Full Report here VBA Annual Benefits Report FY 2016
Totals – new recipients
| Veterans who began receiving compensation benefits | 284,550 |
| Survivors who began receiving service-connected death benefits | 28,891 |
| Total: | 313,441 |
Estimated annual amounts paid – new recipients
| Benefit program | Number of recipients | Estimated average individual amount paid annually | Estimated total amount paid annually |
| Compensation | 284,550 | $11,661 | $3.32 Billion |
| Service-Connected Death1 | 28,891 | $16,016 | $462.7 Million |
| Total: | 313,441 | $12,063 | $3.78 Billion |
Most prevalent service-connected (SC) disabilities of new compensation recipients
(Note: Total disabilities are not the total number of veterans, as one veteran may have multiple disabilities)
| Tinnitus | 149,429 |
| Hearing loss | 77,622 |
| Limitation of flexion, knee | 72,270 |
| Lumbosacral or cervical strain | 71,653 |
| Scars, general | 58,134 |
| Post-traumatic stress disorder | 53,983 |
| Limitation of motion of the ankle | 48,601 |
| Migraine | 42,400 |
| Impairment of the knee, general | 36,490 |
| Paralysis of the sciatic nerve | 34,505 |
| Total number of most prevalent disabilities Total number of disabilities2 | 645,087 1,495,373 |
Average number of SC disabilities per new compensation recipient
| New Recipients: 284,550 | Total number of disabilities: 1,495,373 |
| Average SC disabilities per Veteran: | 5.26 |