VA Combined Disability Rating Calculator

The VA uses the whole-person theory from 38 CFR § 4.25. Your ratings are sorted from highest to lowest. The largest rating is applied to 100% first, leaving a "remaining" percentage. Each subsequent rating is applied only to that remaining percentage — not the full 100. The final result is rounded to the nearest 10. This calculator applies that exact formula.

Because the VA does not add ratings together. Under whole-person theory, a 50% rating means 50% of the "whole person" is disabled — leaving 50% remaining. A second 30% rating is 30% of that remaining 50% (which is 15%), bringing the total disability to 65%. Rounded to the nearest 10, the combined rating is 70%, not 80%. The math prevents the total from exceeding 100%.

The bilateral factor (38 CFR § 4.26) applies when a veteran has ratable disabilities affecting both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles. The combined rating for the bilateral conditions is increased by 10% of that combined value before being incorporated into the overall combined rating. For example, 20% bilateral ratings combine to 36% (20 + 20×0.8 = 36), then get a 10% bilateral boost to approximately 40% before being combined with other ratings.

Dependent allowances (for spouse and children) begin at a 30% combined rating. Veterans rated at 10% or 20% receive the same base compensation regardless of dependents. At 30% and above, the VA provides separate monthly rates for veterans with a spouse, with children, or with both. This calculator adjusts the monthly compensation figure when you select dependents at 30% or higher.

Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) under 38 CFR § 4.16 allows veterans to receive compensation at the 100% rate without a schedular 100% rating. You may qualify if you have one service-connected disability rated at 60% or higher, or two or more service-connected disabilities combined to at least 70% (with at least one rated 40% or higher), and your disabilities prevent substantially gainful employment.

Yes, in limited circumstances. The VA can reduce a rating if your condition has improved — but only after a thorough re-examination showing actual sustained improvement under ordinary conditions of life. Ratings in effect for 5 or more years are "stabilized" and require a showing of sustained improvement. Ratings in effect 20+ years are "protected" and cannot be reduced unless fraud is involved. See 38 CFR § 3.344.

Usually not dramatically. A 10% condition applied to a small remaining "whole person" percentage has minimal impact. For example, if you already have a 70% combined rating, adding 10% yields 70 + (30 × 0.10) = 73%, which rounds to 70% — no change. The impact is greatest when your remaining whole-person percentage is large. Low-value conditions can still matter by pushing a borderline number past a rounding threshold.

This calculator computes the standard 38 CFR § 4.25 combined rating without the bilateral factor. The bilateral factor (38 CFR § 4.26) is a separate calculation that the VA applies when both sides of a paired body part are rated. If you have bilateral conditions, your actual VA rating may be slightly higher than what this calculator shows. The bilateral boost is typically applied before submitting individual ratings into the whole-person formula.