Understanding VA combined ratings

If you have more than one service-connected condition, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gives you a single combined rating. Many Veterans expect that number to be the total of their individual ratings. It usually is not.

This guide explains why, and walks through the math with a simple example.

Why VA doesn't add ratings together

VA uses what is often called the whole-person method. The idea is that a person starts at 100% of their ability to function. Each disability reduces what remains, not the original 100%.

Definition

Whole-person method: The way VA combines multiple ratings. Each rating is applied to the part of a person's ability that remains after the more serious conditions are counted. This is why combined ratings are lower than a simple sum.

This also explains why simple addition would not work. If you added ratings together, some Veterans would end up above 100%. The whole-person method keeps every combined rating at or below 100%.

How the combined rating is calculated

VA uses a Combined Ratings Table, published in federal regulations at 38 CFR 4.25. The table does the math for VA. The steps below show what the table is doing.

1. List your ratings from highest to lowest.
2. Start with the highest rating. Subtract it from 100 to find what remains.
3. Apply the next rating to the amount that remains, not to 100.
4. Add that result to the running total.
5. Repeat for each remaining rating, in order.
6. Round the final number to the nearest 10.

VA keeps the unrounded number while it works through each condition. It rounds only once, at the end.

A worked example

Here is a hypothetical example. The numbers are for illustration only. They are not a prediction for anyone's claim.

Say a Veteran has two service-connected conditions. One has a 50% rating. The other has a 30% rating.

1. Start with the highest rating, 50%. That leaves 50% of the whole person remaining.
2. Apply the 30% rating to the remaining 50%. Thirty percent of 50 is 15.
3. Add 15 to the first 50. The combined value is 65.
4. Round 65 to the nearest 10. Values ending in 5 round up, so 65 becomes 70.

The result is a combined rating of 70%, not 80%. This same example appears in the regulation itself.

How rounding works

VA rounds the final combined value to the nearest number divisible by 10. Values ending in 5 round up. Values ending in 1 through 4 round down.

• A combined value of 65 rounds up to a combined rating of 70%.
• A combined value of 64 rounds down to a combined rating of 60%.
• A combined value of 94 rounds down to a combined rating of 90%.

Because each new rating applies only to what remains, each added condition tends to raise the combined value by less. This is normal. It is how the whole-person method is designed.

The bilateral factor

There is one important adjustment. It applies when conditions affect both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles on both sides of the body.

Definition

Bilateral factor: An extra amount VA adds when you have rated conditions affecting both sides of a paired set of limbs or muscles. VA combines the ratings for the right and left sides, then adds 10% of that combined value before combining it with your other ratings.

For example, if both knees are rated, the bilateral factor may apply. The details are set out in 38 CFR 4.26, and VA applies them when it calculates your combined rating. You do not need to request it separately.

Checking your own numbers

You can see your individual and combined ratings by signing in to VA.gov. Your decision letters also list them.

If your combined rating seems different from what you expected, the whole-person method or the bilateral factor is often the reason. If you still believe there is an error, VA offers decision review options, which have time limits. Our guide When can a VA disability rating be reviewed? explains them.

Understanding the math can make your rating easier to read. If you want help reading your own decision letter, you can talk with our team about your situation.