1. What is a VA Disability Rating?
A VA disability rating is a percentage from 0% to 100% that the Department of Veterans Affairs assigns to each service-connected condition. This rating represents how much your condition affects your ability to work and perform daily activities.
Your rating directly determines how much tax-free compensation you receive each month. In 2026, monthly payments range from $175.51 for a 10% rating to $3,832.73 for a 100% rating (veteran alone), with additional amounts for dependents.
Key Concept: VA ratings are assigned in 10% increments (10%, 20%, 30%, etc.). If your actual impairment falls between increments, the VA rounds to the nearest 10%. For example, a calculated 45% becomes 50%, but 44% becomes 40%.
What Ratings Mean
- 0% — Service-connected but not compensable. You still get VA healthcare priority.
- 10-20% — Mild impairment. Flat monthly rate, no dependent additions.
- 30-60% — Moderate impairment. Additional pay for dependents begins at 30%.
- 70-90% — Significant impairment. May qualify for TDIU.
- 100% — Total disability. May qualify for Special Monthly Compensation.
2. How the VA Assigns Ratings
The VA uses a standardized process to evaluate and rate your disabilities. Understanding this process helps you prepare better claims and know what to expect.
The Rating Process
- File a claim — Submit VA Form 21-526EZ with supporting evidence
- VA reviews records — Military service records, medical records, treatment history
- C&P examination — A VA or contract examiner evaluates your condition
- Rating decision — A VA rater applies the diagnostic codes and assigns percentages
- Notification — You receive a decision letter explaining your rating
The C&P Exam (Compensation & Pension)
The C&P exam is often the most important part of your claim. During this exam, a medical professional:
- Reviews your medical history and service records
- Asks about your symptoms, how they started, and how they affect daily life
- Performs physical tests and measurements (range of motion, reflexes, etc.)
- Completes a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) with specific findings
Important: Be honest but thorough at your C&P exam. Describe your condition on your worst days, not your best days. If something hurts when you do it, say so. The examiner only knows what you tell them.
Diagnostic Codes
The VA rates each condition using diagnostic codes from the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD). Each code has specific criteria for each rating level. For example:
- PTSD (9411) — Rated 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100% based on occupational and social impairment
- Knee limitation (5260/5261) — Rated based on degrees of flexion or extension limitation
- Tinnitus (6260) — Maximum 10% rating regardless of severity
3. The VA Combined Rating Formula Explained
This is where most veterans get confused. VA math doesn't work like regular math. If you have a 70% rating and a 50% rating, your combined rating is NOT 120%. It's 85% (which rounds to 90%).
The "Whole Person Theory": The VA views you as starting at 100% healthy. Each disability takes away from your remaining health, not from the original 100%. This is why disabilities are combined, not added.
The Formula
Here's how VA combined ratings actually work:
- Start with your highest rating as the base
- Apply the second-highest rating to the REMAINING healthy percentage
- Continue with each additional rating
- Round the final result to the nearest 10%
Example: 70% + 50% Disabilities
Why Does the VA Use This Method?
The VA's reasoning is that each disability diminishes your remaining capacity, not your original capacity. If you're already 70% disabled, a second condition can only affect the remaining 30% of your "healthy" function.
While this math seems to work against veterans, it does have some logic: it prevents impossible ratings over 100% (which would happen with simple addition), and it recognizes that each additional condition has a diminishing marginal effect on overall function.
4. Bilateral Factor Explained
The bilateral factor is one of the few rules that actually works in veterans' favor. It provides a 10% boost when you have disabilities affecting both paired extremities.
What "Bilateral" Means: Affecting both sides of a paired body part — both arms, both legs, both hands, both feet, both ears, or both eyes.
When the Bilateral Factor Applies
- Both knees rated (e.g., left knee 20%, right knee 10%)
- Both shoulders rated
- Both hips rated
- Both ears (hearing loss, tinnitus)
- Both eyes (vision conditions)
- Any combination of paired upper or lower extremities
How It's Calculated
- Combine the bilateral disabilities using VA math
- Add 10% of that combined value
- Use this boosted value when combining with your other disabilities
Example: Both Knees + Back
Left knee: 20% | Right knee: 10% | Back: 40%
5. How to Calculate Your Combined Rating
While you can calculate your combined rating by hand using the steps above, it's much easier (and less error-prone) to use a calculator. Here's the manual process if you want to understand it:
Step-by-Step Manual Calculation
- List all your ratings from highest to lowest
- Identify bilateral conditions and calculate their combined value with the 10% factor
- Start with the highest rating as your base
- For each subsequent rating:
- Calculate remaining health (100% minus current combined)
- Multiply the next rating by remaining health
- Add the result to your current combined
- Round the final number to the nearest 10%
Skip the Math
Our free VA disability calculator does all the math instantly, including bilateral factor calculations.
Calculate Your Combined Rating6. Common Rating Combinations Table
Here are the 20 most common rating combinations and their results. Use this as a quick reference:
| Disabilities | Exact % | Rounded | 2026 Payment (Alone) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50% + 30% | 65% | 70% | $1,760.58 |
| 50% + 40% | 70% | 70% | $1,760.58 |
| 50% + 50% | 75% | 80% | $2,046.06 |
| 60% + 30% | 72% | 70% | $1,760.58 |
| 60% + 40% | 76% | 80% | $2,046.06 |
| 60% + 50% | 80% | 80% | $2,046.06 |
| 70% + 30% | 79% | 80% | $2,046.06 |
| 70% + 40% | 82% | 80% | $2,046.06 |
| 70% + 50% | 85% | 90% | $2,299.34 |
| 70% + 50% + 30% | 90% | 90% | $2,299.34 |
| 80% + 30% | 86% | 90% | $2,299.34 |
| 80% + 40% | 88% | 90% | $2,299.34 |
| 80% + 50% | 90% | 90% | $2,299.34 |
| 90% + 30% | 93% | 90% | $2,299.34 |
| 90% + 40% | 94% | 90% | $2,299.34 |
| 90% + 50% | 95% | 100% | $3,832.73 |
| 30% + 30% + 30% | 66% | 70% | $1,760.58 |
| 40% + 40% + 40% | 78% | 80% | $2,046.06 |
| 50% + 30% + 20% | 72% | 70% | $1,760.58 |
| 70% + 30% + 20% | 83% | 80% | $2,046.06 |
Note: These calculations don't include bilateral factor. If bilateral conditions are involved, your combined rating may be higher.
7. Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) is additional tax-free compensation paid to veterans with severe disabilities that go beyond the standard rating schedule. Think of it as "extra" compensation on top of your regular disability pay.
Common SMC Levels
- SMC-K ($136.47/month) — Loss or loss of use of a creative organ, one hand, one foot, or one eye. Multiple SMC-K awards are possible (up to 3).
- SMC-S ($456.22/month) — "Housebound" — either 100% schedular rating plus additional 60%+ rating, or permanently confined to home due to disabilities.
- SMC-L through SMC-O — Progressive levels for severe disabilities like loss of multiple limbs, blindness, or paralysis.
- SMC-R — Need for regular Aid and Attendance at the highest levels.
Key Point: SMC is paid IN ADDITION TO your base disability compensation. A veteran at 100% ($3,832.73) with SMC-K receives $3,832.73 + $136.47 = $3,969.20 per month.
How to Qualify for SMC
SMC is usually assigned automatically based on your rated conditions, but you can specifically claim it if you believe you qualify. Common qualifying situations:
- Loss or loss of use of a limb or organ
- Need for Aid and Attendance (help with daily activities)
- Being housebound due to service-connected disabilities
- Anatomical loss (amputation)
8. TDIU: Total Disability Individual Unemployability
TDIU is a crucial benefit for veterans who can't work due to their service-connected disabilities but don't have a 100% schedular rating. TDIU pays you at the 100% rate ($3,832.73/month in 2026) even if your combined rating is lower.
TDIU Eligibility Requirements
You may qualify for TDIU if:
- One disability rated 60% or higher, OR
- Combined rating of 70% or higher with at least one disability rated 40% or higher
- AND you cannot secure or maintain substantially gainful employment due to your service-connected disabilities
Exception: Even if you don't meet the schedular requirements, you can still apply for TDIU on an "extraschedular" basis if your disabilities prevent you from working. These are decided on a case-by-case basis.
Substantially Gainful Employment
The VA defines this as earning above the federal poverty level (approximately $15,000/year). Working part-time, working in a protected environment (like a family business), or working with significant accommodations may not count as "substantially gainful."
How to Apply for TDIU
- Submit VA Form 21-8940 (Veteran's Application for Increased Compensation Based on Unemployability)
- Submit VA Form 21-4192 (Request for Employment Information) to recent employers
- Provide medical evidence showing how your disabilities affect your ability to work
- Consider a vocational assessment from a qualified expert
9. How to Increase Your VA Disability Rating
If your conditions have worsened or you believe your rating doesn't accurately reflect your impairment, you have several options to pursue a higher rating.
File a Claim for Increase
If an existing service-connected condition has gotten worse, file VA Form 21-526EZ selecting "claim for increase." You'll likely receive a new C&P exam. Provide:
- Recent medical records showing worsening
- Statements describing how symptoms have increased
- Impact on work and daily activities
Claim Secondary Conditions
Secondary conditions are disabilities caused or aggravated by your already service-connected conditions. Common examples:
- Depression or anxiety secondary to chronic pain
- Hip or back problems secondary to knee disabilities
- Radiculopathy secondary to spine conditions
- Sleep apnea secondary to PTSD
File for New Conditions
If you have service-connected conditions you never claimed, you can file new claims at any time. Common overlooked conditions include:
- Tinnitus (ringing in ears) — common 10% rating
- Scars from injuries or surgeries
- Mental health conditions
- Conditions that developed years after service but are linked
Appeal a Denial or Low Rating
If you disagree with your rating, you have three appeal options under the Appeals Modernization Act:
- Supplemental Claim — Submit new and relevant evidence
- Higher-Level Review — A senior rater reviews the same evidence
- Board Appeal — Appeal to the Board of Veterans' Appeals