Va Didability Calculator
Enter each disability rating (0-100). Leave unused boxes empty.
If you have more than one service-connected disability, the VA does not simply add your ratings together. A 50% rating plus a 30% rating is not 80% — it is 65%, rounded to 70%. This surprises almost every veteran the first time they see it. The calculator above uses the VA's official combined-ratings formula, so you can enter up to five ratings and instantly see your true combined percentage and the rounded rating the VA actually pays on.
How to Use the VA Disability Calculator
- Enter each disability rating. Type your individual ratings as percentages from 0 to 100, starting with the highest.
- Leave unused boxes empty. If you have only two ratings, fill in Rating 1 and Rating 2 and ignore the rest.
- Press Calculate. The tool applies the VA combined-ratings formula in the correct order.
- Read your combined rating. This is the exact percentage before the VA's final rounding.
- Read your rounded VA rating. The VA rounds to the nearest 10% — this is the number tied to your monthly compensation.
- Press Reset to run a new combination of ratings.
Worked Example
Suppose you have ratings of 50% and 30%:
- Start with the highest: 50% disabled means 50% efficiency remaining.
- Apply the 30% to what remains: 30% of 50 = 15, so the combined disability is 50 + 15 = 65%.
- Rounded to the nearest 10%: 70%.
That is why 50 + 30 = 70 in VA math, not 80.
Now add a third rating of 20%:
- After 50% and 30%, you are 65% disabled with 35% efficiency left.
- 20% of 35 = 7, so combined = 65 + 7 = 72%.
- Rounded: 70%.
Enter these ratings into the calculator to verify both results.
More Helpful Information
The formula. Combined ratings use "whole person" theory: each new rating applies only to the efficiency you have left. Mathematically: combined = 1 − (1−r₁)(1−r₂)...(1−rₙ), then rounded to the nearest 10%. Always sort ratings from highest to lowest first — the VA does this, and it slightly favors the veteran.
Why simple addition is wrong. You cannot be more than 100% of a person. Adding 50 + 30 + 20 = 100 would claim total disability, but the VA's method gives 72% — a big difference in monthly pay.
Bilateral factor. If you have disabilities on both arms, both legs, or paired muscle groups, the VA adds a bilateral factor before rounding. This calculator uses the standard combined-ratings table without the bilateral factor, so treat results with paired disabilities as a close estimate.
What the rating unlocks. Your combined rating drives monthly tax-free compensation and can affect health-care priority, education benefits, and housing grants. Even a move from 80% to 90% changes the payment substantially, which is why getting the math right matters.
Common mistakes. Adding ratings together, forgetting the final rounding to the nearest 10%, and entering ratings the VA has not actually granted (pending claims don't count until decided).
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does the VA combine multiple disability ratings?
Using the combined-ratings formula: each rating applies to your remaining efficiency, highest first, then the result is rounded to the nearest 10%.
2. Is 50% + 30% really 70%?
Yes. The combined value is 65%, which rounds to 70% — not 80%.
3. What does "whole person theory" mean?
It means each disability is rated against the healthy portion of you that remains after previous ratings are applied.
4. Does the order of ratings matter?
Slightly. The VA sorts from highest to lowest, which gives the veteran the most favorable result.
5. What is the bilateral factor?
An extra increase the VA adds when you have disabilities affecting both sides of the body, applied before final rounding.
6. Can my combined rating exceed 100%?
No. The formula can never produce more than 100%, and the VA caps ratings there.
7. How is the final rating rounded?
To the nearest 10%. A combined 73% becomes 70%; 75% becomes 80%.
8. Do 0% ratings affect the total?
A 0% rating contributes nothing to the combined percentage, though it still establishes service connection.
9. Why is my VA rating lower than my ratings added up?
Because the VA combines ratings with the whole-person formula instead of adding them.
10. Does this calculator include the bilateral factor?
No. It uses the standard combined-ratings table; paired disabilities may rate slightly higher in reality.
11. How often does the VA update ratings?
Ratings can be re-examined if conditions change; you can also file for an increase if a condition worsens.
12. Is VA disability compensation taxable?
No. VA disability payments are tax-free at the federal level.
13. What rating qualifies for full benefits?
Any service-connected rating brings some benefits, but higher ratings (especially 100% or TDIU) unlock the most.
14. Can I work while receiving VA disability?
Yes, except in specific cases like Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) with certain income limits.
15. Where do I check my official rating?
On VA.gov or in your VA decision letter — this calculator is an estimate tool, not an official record.
CONCLUSION
VA math is deliberately different from normal addition, and now you know why: the whole-person formula applies each rating to what remains of your efficiency, then rounds to the nearest 10%. Use this calculator to estimate your combined rating before decisions are finalized, to check the VA's math on your award letter, and to model "what if" scenarios when filing for increases. Just remember it is an estimate — your official rating always comes from the VA itself.