How VA Combined Disability Ratings Work

Last reviewed: October 2026. Based on 38 CFR 4.25 (combined ratings table), 38 CFR 4.26 (bilateral factor), and VA's page About disability ratings.

If you have more than one service-connected condition, VA does not add your ratings together. A 50% rating and a 30% rating don't make 80%. VA uses what it calls the "whole person" method, and the result is often lower than the simple sum. Here is how it works, step by step.

Why doesn't VA add disability ratings together?

VA starts by treating you as 100% able-bodied. Each rating takes away part of what is left, not part of the original 100%. That way, your combined rating can never go above 100%, because, as VA puts it, a person can't be more than 100% able-bodied.

Think of it like this: if one condition is rated 50%, VA sees you as 50% disabled and 50% "efficient." The next rating only applies to that remaining 50%.

How do you calculate a VA combined rating?

VA follows the same steps every time:

1. Put your ratings in order from highest to lowest.
2. Start with the highest rating. Subtract it from 100 to find what is left.
3. Apply the next rating to what is left. Multiply what is left by the next rating, and add the result to your running total.
4. Repeat for each remaining rating. Don't round the running total to 10 yet.
5. Round only at the end to the nearest 10. Values ending in 1 to 4 round down. Values ending in 5 to 9 round up.

Worked example: 50% + 30% + 10% = 70%

This is the same example VA uses on its own ratings page. A veteran has three ratings: 50%, 30%, and 10%.

Step	Rating applied	What is left before this step	Math	Combined value so far
1	50%	100	50% of 100 = 50	50
2	30%	50	30% of 50 = 15	50 + 15 = 65
3	10%	35	10% of 35 = 3.5	65 + 3.5 = 68.5
Final	—	—	Round 68.5 to the nearest 10	70%

In words:

• 50% leaves you 50% "efficient."
• 30% of the remaining 50 is 15. Your combined value is now 65, and 35 is left.
• 10% of the remaining 35 is 3.5. Your combined value is now 68.5.
• 68.5 rounds to 70%.

A simple sum would be 90%. VA's method gives 70%.

One small note: VA's printed combined ratings table uses whole numbers, so it shows 69 where the exact math gives 68.5. Both round to the same 70%.

You can check any set of ratings with our free VA combined rating calculator.

Common combinations at a glance

These values come from VA's combined ratings table.

Ratings	Combined value	Final combined rating
10% + 10%	19	20%
20% + 10%	28	30%
30% + 20%	44	40%
40% + 20%	52	50%
50% + 30%	65	70%
50% + 50%	75	80%
60% + 30%	72	70%
70% + 50%	85	90%
80% + 10%	82	80%

Notice the last row. Adding a 10% rating to an 80% rating gives a combined value of 82, which still rounds to 80%. That's why a new small rating sometimes changes nothing, and sometimes pushes you to the next level.

What is the bilateral factor?

The bilateral factor is an extra amount VA adds when you have disabilities on both sides of the body. Under 38 CFR 4.26, it applies to both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles. "Arm" and "leg" mean the whole limb. A right thigh and a left foot count as a pair.

Here is how VA applies it:

1. Combine the ratings for the paired limbs as usual.
2. Add 10% of that combined value. VA adds this amount. It does not combine it.
3. Treat the result as one disability, and combine it with your other ratings in order.

VA's regulation gives this example. A veteran has ratings of 60%, 20%, 10%, and 10%, and the two 10% ratings are bilateral (for example, one for each knee):

• 10% and 10% combine to 19. Add 10% of 19 (1.9) to get 20.9, which VA counts as 21.
• Now the order is 60, 21, and 20.
• 60 and 21 combine to 68.
• 68 and 20 combine to 74, which rounds to 70%.

The bilateral factor only applies when each paired limb has a disability rated at 10% or more. And if using it would give you a lower combined rating, VA leaves it out.

What does each combined rating pay in 2026?

Your combined rating sets your monthly payment. These are VA's 2026 rates for a veteran with no dependents, effective December 1, 2025.

Combined rating	Monthly payment (veteran alone)
40%	$795.84
50%	$1,132.90
60%	$1,435.02
70%	$1,808.45
80%	$2,102.15
90%	$2,362.30
100%	$3,938.58

In the worked example above, the veteran's 70% combined rating pays $1,808.45 a month in 2026. At 30% and above, a spouse or children raise the amount. Our compensation calculator adds those in.

Does the order of my ratings matter?

VA always lists ratings from highest to lowest before it combines them, and its table is built that way. With exact math, the order doesn't change the final number. But following VA's order is the easiest way to match VA's table and your decision letter.

If your combined rating on your letter doesn't match what you expected, an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representative can go over it with you for free.

Frequently asked questions

Why is 50% plus 50% not 100% in VA math? The second 50% applies only to the 50% that is left after the first one. That adds 25, for a combined value of 75. VA rounds 75 up to 80%.

What combined value rounds up to 100%? A combined value of 95 or higher rounds up to 100%. A value of 94 rounds down to 90%.

Does VA round after each rating? No. VA does not round to the nearest 10 until all your ratings are combined. Then it rounds once, and values ending in 5 round up.

What do two 10% ratings combine to? Two 10% ratings combine to 19, which rounds to 20%. If they are on paired limbs, like both knees, the bilateral factor adds a little more.

What is the bilateral factor in VA ratings? It is an extra 10% of the combined value of disabilities on both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles. VA adds it before combining those ratings with your others. It comes from 38 CFR 4.26.

How do 50%, 30%, and 10% combine? 50% leaves 50. 30% of 50 is 15, for 65. 10% of the remaining 35 is 3.5, for 68.5. That rounds to a 70% combined rating.