Why 50 plus 50 is not 100

Two ratings of 50% do not make 100%. They make 75%. This is the single most common piece of VA arithmetic that surprises people, and it is not a mistake.

The whole person idea

The VA's reasoning is that a person cannot be more than 100% able-bodied. So each rating is applied to whatever ability is left over after the previous one, not to the original whole.

Work it through with two 10% ratings:

1. Start at 100% able-bodied.
2. The first 10% rating leaves 90%.
3. The second 10% applies to that remaining 90%, which is 9%.
4. Add the two: 10 + 9 = 19%.

Not 20%. And because of the rounding rule below, 19% becomes 20% at the very end. But if a third rating comes along, it is calculated against the unrounded 19%, not the rounded 20%.

The order matters

Ratings are combined highest first, then the next highest, and so on. Combining in a different order can land on a different number, so the sequence is not arbitrary.

Rounding happens once, at the end

The VA rounds the final combined value to the nearest 10%. Values ending in 1 through 4 round down, values ending in 5 through 9 round up. Every intermediate step stays unrounded.

This is why a 94% combined value becomes 90%, and why a single extra small rating can sometimes be worth nothing at all, and sometimes be worth ten points.

The bilateral factor

If you have disabilities affecting both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles, an additional bilateral factor applies before the final combination. It exists to recognise that losing function on both sides is more limiting than the same loss on one side.

One more thing that confuses people

The percentage on your award letter and the money in your account are two different conversations. The letter may show a gross amount and a net amount. The difference is usually recoupment of a debt, or an offset against military retirement pay. A net figure that is lower than you expected is not necessarily a rating problem.

Run your own numbers

Our combined rating calculator does this arithmetic for you, including the ordering and the rounding, so you can see what an additional condition would actually change before you decide whether it is worth pursuing.