VA Disability Calculator

Combine two to four individual VA disability ratings into your official combined disability percentage using the VA's whole-person combined ratings formula (38 CFR 4.25), then compare it to simple addition.

Quick Facts

Formula (38 CFR 4.25)
Combine highest to lowest, never add
Each new rating applies only to the body's remaining "nondisabled" percentage, so combined totals stay below the simple sum.
Rounding rule
Nearest 10% (5 rounds up)
Official VA disability ratings are only ever issued in 10% increments.

Your Results

Calculated
Combined VA rating
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Official rating, rounded to nearest 10%
Exact combined value
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Before rounding to the nearest 10%
Simple sum of ratings
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What naive addition would total (not the VA method)
Difference vs. simple sum
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How much lower combining is than adding

Ready

Enter up to four disability ratings, then press Calculate.

How the VA Disability Calculator works

Veterans with more than one service-connected condition often assume their disability ratings simply add up. The VA does not work that way. Under 38 CFR 4.25, the Department of Veterans Affairs uses a "whole person" combined ratings formula: each additional rating is applied only to the portion of the body still considered nondisabled, not to the full 100 percent. This calculator reproduces that formula so you can see your official combined rating alongside what simple addition would have given.

The formula

Sort your ratings from highest to lowest. Start with the highest rating as the running combined value. For each remaining rating r, compute the remaining "efficiency" as 100 − combined, then add remaining × (r / 100) to the combined value, rounding to the nearest whole number after each step — this mirrors the VA's published Combined Ratings Table. Once every rating has been folded in, round the final combined value to the nearest 10 percent (5 rounds up), because official VA disability ratings are only ever issued in 10 percent increments.

Worked example

Take ratings of 50%, 30%, and 20%. Starting with 50%, the remaining efficiency is 50%. Adding the 30% rating contributes 50% × 0.30 = 15 points, for a running total of 65%. The remaining efficiency is now 35%. Adding the 20% rating contributes 35% × 0.20 = 7 points, for an exact combined value of 72%. Rounded to the nearest 10%, the official combined rating is 70% — ten points lower than the 100% you would get by simply adding 50 + 30 + 20.

Why combining is not addition

The whole-person model assumes a veteran starts at 100% "able-bodied." Each disability rating chips away at whatever percentage remains undisabled, not at the original 100%. That is why a second or third condition always contributes less to the combined total than its own rating would suggest, and why the combined value can never reach or exceed 100% no matter how many ratings are entered.

What this calculator does not include

  • The bilateral factor (38 CFR 4.26): when ratings affect paired body parts — both arms, both legs, or both ears — the VA adds an extra 10% of those paired ratings' combined value before folding the result into the rest of the calculation. That adjustment is not modeled here.
  • Monthly compensation amounts: the dollar value of a combined rating depends on the VA's compensation rate tables, which vary by number of dependents and are updated annually. This calculator produces the rating percentage only, which you can look up against the VA's current rate table.
  • Special monthly compensation and TDIU: ratings for severe individual conditions (loss of a limb, individual unemployability, etc.) can follow separate rules outside the standard combined ratings table.

Getting accurate results

  • Enter each service-connected condition's rating separately — do not pre-add them before entering.
  • Leave unused rating fields at 0%; they are excluded from the calculation automatically.
  • Ratings must be whole percentages between 0% and 100%; VA ratings are issued in multiples of 10%.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the VA combine multiple disability ratings?
The VA does not add ratings together. Under 38 CFR 4.25, ratings are combined from highest to lowest using a whole-person model: each new rating is applied only to the percentage of the body that is still considered nondisabled. Starting with the highest rating, each subsequent rating multiplies the remaining efficiency (100 minus the running total), and that amount is added to the running total, rounded to a whole number at each step. The final total is then rounded to the nearest 10 percent, with 5 rounding up.
Why is the combined rating lower than adding the percentages?
Because each new rating only applies to the remaining nondisabled percentage, not the full 100 percent. For example, a 50% rating combined with a 30% rating is not 80%. The 30% applies to the 50% of the body still considered undisabled, adding 15 points for a combined value of 65%, which rounds to a 70% official rating — ten points lower than simple addition would give.
Does this calculator include the bilateral factor?
No. When a veteran has ratings for paired body parts (both arms, both legs, or both ears, for example), 38 CFR 4.26 adds an extra 10% of those combined ratings before folding the result into the rest of the calculation. This calculator implements the core combined ratings formula only; if your ratings involve paired limbs or organs, the official combined value may run slightly higher than the estimate shown here.
Does this tool calculate my monthly compensation amount?
No. This calculator computes the combined disability rating percentage only. Monthly compensation dollar amounts depend on the combined rating, number of dependents, and the VA's published compensation rate tables, which are updated annually and are not reproduced here. Use your combined rating percentage as the input to the VA's current rate table for a dollar estimate.

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