Combined Rating Calculator
Click your rating percentages, one at a time. For arms or legs, pick the extremity first. The result updates as you add each disability and shows every step.
When paired extremities are both affected, VA combines those ratings, then adds 10 percent of that combined value, and only then combines with the rest of your disabilities. The factor applies to the paired group, not your final number.
Example: both arms rated 20 percent. They combine to 36 percent. The bilateral factor is 10 percent of 36, which is 3.6 percent. That 3.6 is added to the 36, giving 39.6. Only then is 39.6 combined with everything else. In practice the factor usually changes a final rating by a few points and sometimes pushes you over a rounding threshold. This is from 38 CFR 4.26.
One more wrinkle: near the top of the scale the factor can occasionally work against you. Since April 16, 2023, 38 CFR 4.26(d) requires VA to leave bilateral disabilities out of the factor whenever that produces a higher combined evaluation. This calculator checks both methods and always shows the higher result.
VA combined-rating math diminishes
VA combines ratings under 38 CFR 4.25. Each new rating takes a percentage of the remaining unrated body. Three 50 percent ratings combine to 87.5 percent, which rounds to 90 percent. The "missing" 10 percent is the regulation working as designed.
This chart is an example. To calculate your own rating, use the percentage buttons in the box above.
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Questions veterans ask about combined ratings
How does VA calculate a combined disability rating?
VA does not add your ratings together. It uses the combined ratings table in 38 CFR 4.25 and applies each disability to the part of you that is still considered healthy. Start with your highest rating, subtract it from 100 to find what is left, apply the next rating to that remainder, and repeat for each disability. The final value is then rounded to the nearest 10 percent.
Why is my combined rating lower than the sum of my ratings?
Each new disability is applied only to the portion of you that is still healthy, not to the full 100 percent. That is why two 50 percent ratings combine to 75 percent rather than 100. This whole-person math is the reason a combined rating is almost always lower than a simple sum of the individual ratings.
What is the bilateral factor?
When both arms or both legs are affected, VA combines those paired ratings, adds 10 percent of that combined value, and only then combines the result with your other disabilities (38 CFR 4.26). The factor applies to the paired group, not to your final number, and usually shifts a final rating by a few points.
How does VA rounding work?
After combining, VA rounds the result to the nearest 10 percent. Values ending in 5 or higher round up, so a combined value of 75 becomes 80 and 74 becomes 70 (38 CFR 4.25).
Does a higher combined value always mean more pay?
Not always. Compensation is set in 10 percent steps, so two combined values that round to the same bracket pay the same. Crossing a rounding threshold, for example moving from 74 to 75, is what raises your official rating and your monthly payment.
What if my combined rating is under 100 but I cannot work - what is TDIU?
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) can pay at the 100 percent rate even when your combined rating is lower. It turns on whether your service-connected conditions keep you from holding down steady work, not on the rating math alone.
- Schedular path: generally one disability at 60 percent, or a combined 70 percent with at least one at 40 percent (38 CFR 4.16(a)).
- Do not meet those numbers? It can still be considered on an extraschedular basis under 4.16(b).
- The real question VA asks is about substantially gainful employment, not your exact combined percentage.
What is Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)?
SMC is extra money paid on top of (or instead of) the regular rate for specific, serious situations. It is not part of the combined-ratings table - it is awarded separately when the circumstances are shown (38 USC 1114, 38 CFR 3.350).
- Loss, or loss of use, of a limb, eye, or reproductive organ.
- Being housebound, or needing the regular aid and attendance of another person.
- Because it is separate, a veteran can be 100 percent schedular and still receive an additional SMC amount.
How is Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) different from a rating?
DIC is a separate, flat-rate monthly benefit for eligible survivors after a veteran's death - not a rating you build from conditions (38 CFR 3.5, 3.22).
- Generally applies when death was caused by a service-connected condition.
- Or when the veteran was rated totally disabling for a set period before death.
- It is calculated independently of the combined-rating math on this page.