VA Combined Disability Rating Calculator
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Understanding "VA Math" and Combined Disability Ratings
Calculating your Veterans Affairs (VA) disability rating is often confusing because the VA does not use simple addition. If you have a 50% rating for one condition and a 30% rating for another, your total is not 80%. Instead, the VA uses a "Combined Rating Table" system, often referred to as "VA Math."
How VA Math Works
The logic behind the VA's calculation is based on the idea of a veteran's remaining "efficiency." Everyone starts at 100% efficiency. If you receive a 50% disability rating, you are considered 50% disabled and 50% efficient.
Any subsequent ratings are applied only to the remaining efficiency. Using our example:
- Initial Efficiency: 100%
- First Rating (50%): 50% of 100 = 50. Remaining efficiency is now 50%.
- Second Rating (30%): 30% of the remaining 50% = 15.
- Combined Raw Score: 50 + 15 = 65%.
- Rounding: The VA rounds to the nearest 10%. Since 65 is the halfway point, it rounds up to 70%.
Example Combinations
| Disability Ratings | Raw Score | Final VA Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 70%, 20%, 10% | 78.4% | 80% |
| 50%, 50% | 75% | 80% |
| 30%, 30%, 30% | 65.7% | 70% |
Rounding Rules
The VA always rounds the combined raw score to the nearest 10% increment. Any score ending in 1-4 rounds down (e.g., 64% becomes 60%). Any score ending in 5-9 rounds up (e.g., 65% becomes 70%).
The Bilateral Factor
If you have disabilities affecting both limbs (both arms, both legs, or all four limbs), the VA applies an additional 10% "bilateral factor." This calculation is complex: the ratings for the paired limbs are combined first, then an additional 10% of that value is added to that specific sub-total before combining it with non-bilateral conditions. This calculator provides a standard combined rating; for complex bilateral cases, please consult a VSO.