Method
How VA disability ratings are combined
Why ratings are not added
If you have a 40% rating and a 20% rating, the total is not 60%. The VA looks at the person as a whole. Think of it as ability: a 40% rating leaves 60% of your ability. A 20% rating then applies to what is left, not to the original 100%. That is why the combined figure is always a little lower than the sum.
The method, step by step
- List every rating and put them in order, highest first.
- Combine the first two ratings. This gives a value, not yet rounded.
- Combine that value with the next rating, and so on until none are left.
- Only at the end, round to the nearest 10. A value ending in 5 is rounded up.
The rule is in 38 CFR 4.25. It is published as a table; this calculator uses the same arithmetic and compares itself with every cell of that table on each update.
Worked examples
40% and 20%. Combining gives 52. Rounded to the nearest 10 that is 50%. The rule's own text uses this example.
50% and 30%. Combining gives 65. A value ending in 5 rounds up, so the combined rating is 70%.
60%, 40% and 20%. The first two combine to 76. Combining 76 with 20 gives 81. Rounded, the combined rating is 80%.
60%, 30% and 10%. The first two combine to 72. The table gives 75 for 72 with 10, and a value ending in 5 rounds up, so the combined rating is 80%. Because the rule carries the whole number from the table at each step, a calculator that keeps decimals would see 74.8 instead and show 70%. The rule's table is the reference, and this calculator follows it.
The bilateral factor
When a disability affects both arms, both legs, or paired muscles, the VA treats those ratings together first. They are combined as usual, then 10 percent of that value is added. The result is treated as one disability before the other ratings are combined. The rule is 38 CFR 4.26.
60%, 20%, 10% and 10%, where the two 10% ratings are both legs. The two 10% ratings combine to 19, plus 10 percent gives 21. The ratings in order are then 60, 21 and 20. 60 with 21 gives 68, and 68 with 20 gives 74. Rounded, the combined rating is 70%. This is the example printed in the rule.
The rule also says the evaluation most favorable to the veteran is used if leaving a paired rating out of the factor would give a higher result. The calculator checks this and tells you when it applied.
How monthly compensation is found
Once you have the combined rating, the monthly amount comes from the VA's compensation rate tables. At 10% and 20% the amount is the same whatever your dependents. From 30% up, the amount depends on whether you have a spouse, children or parents who depend on you. Some situations add an amount, such as each additional child or a spouse who receives Aid and Attendance. The tables used here are effective December 1, 2025 and are published on the VA website.
A veteran alone at 50% is paid $1,132.90 a month at the rates effective December 1, 2025.
What this calculator does not do
- It does not decide a claim or tell you what rating you will receive. Only the VA does that.
- It does not include special monthly compensation, offsets, back pay, or other benefits.
- It is not legal advice. For a claim or an appeal, an accredited representative can help, often at no cost.
How the numbers are checked
On every update the calculator is compared with each of the 684 cells of the VA's combined ratings table, and with the examples printed in the rules. The pay tables are read directly from the VA's published page. If the VA changes its rates each December, the calculator is updated and checked again before the date shown above is changed. See the editorial standards for the full process and how to report an error.