VA Compensation Calculator — Update 1.26.9
Version 1.26.9 of the VA Compensation Calculator is rolling out on the App Store. This update adds crisis and VA resources where you can reach them fast, makes the app easier to support, and — I want to be upfront about this — introduces anonymous, opt-out usage analytics.
Veterans Crisis Line & VA resources
The Support screen now leads with the Veterans Crisis Line — call 988 then press 1, text 838255, or chat online. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7, and you don’t need to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to use it.
Below it are quick links to the things people ask about most: filing a disability claim, checking your claim or appeal status, the current compensation rates, finding a VSO or accredited representative, VA health care eligibility, and the VA facility locator.
A note on anonymous analytics
Until now, the app collected nothing and talked to no servers. Starting with 1.26.9 it sends a small amount of anonymous, first-party usage data so I can see which features people actually use and spend my time where it helps most. I’d rather explain it plainly than bury it in a changelog.
- What it never includes: anything you enter — your disabilities, ratings, dependents, notes, or dollar amounts — and no name, no email, no location, no advertising identifiers, and no device fingerprint.
- What it does include: a random ID that isn’t tied to you (and is erased if you delete the app), the app version, which screens and tools you open, and when.
- It’s yours to turn off. Analytics are on by default, but a single switch in Settings → Analytics turns them off completely. When you do, the app sends one final note that you opted out, then goes silent.
- No third parties. The data goes only to a server I run — no Google, no Facebook, no ad networks, no analytics SDKs.
Your VA information has never left your device, and that hasn’t changed. The only thing that’s new is this anonymous, opt-out usage signal.
Tip Jar, one tap closer
If the app has helped and you’d like to support it, the Tip Jar is now a tap from the main screen instead of buried in a menu. It’s still entirely optional and still unlocks nothing — the app is free and ad-free, forever.
Accuracy & fixes
- More accurate Backpay for rating decreases, and CRDP eligibility now reflects TDIU.
- Clearer 38 CFR Diagnostic Codes guidance — nerve rating caps, what counts as an incapacitating episode, and dependent details.
- Save as PDF works reliably with multiple windows on iPad.
- Various bug fixes and performance improvements.
Your VA data stays on your device. The new anonymous analytics are the only thing the app sends, and you can turn them off anytime in Settings → Analytics.
For questions or feedback, use the contact page.