VA Disability Rating Calculator

The VA combines disability ratings using a formula called VA Math that accounts for the fact that you cannot be more than 100% disabled. Here is how it works:

1. Start with your highest rating. This represents the percentage of your body that is disabled.
2. Apply the next rating to the remaining healthy percentage. If your first rating is 50%, you have 50% of your body considered healthy. Your next rating is applied to that 50%.
3. Repeat for each additional rating. Each new rating is applied to the remaining healthy percentage, not the original 100%.
4. Round to the nearest 10%. The final combined value is rounded to the nearest multiple of 10 to determine your official VA rating.

Example: A veteran with a 50% and a 30% rating:

• Start: 50% disabled, 50% healthy
• Apply 30% to the remaining 50%: 30% × 50% = 15%
• Combined: 50% + 15% = 65%
• Rounded to nearest 10%: 70%

The bilateral factor applies when you have disabilities affecting both paired extremities — for example, both knees, both shoulders, or paired arms/legs.

When bilateral conditions exist, the VA:

1. Combines just the bilateral ratings using VA Math
2. Adds a 10% bonus to that combined bilateral value
3. Then combines the bilateral result with your remaining non-bilateral ratings

This generally results in a slightly higher overall rating compared to combining everything without the bilateral factor.

VA Math is the method the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to combine multiple disability ratings. Instead of simply adding ratings together, the VA applies each rating to the remaining "healthy" percentage of the body.

For example, a 50% rating and a 30% rating do not equal 80%. The 50% is applied first, leaving 50% healthy. The 30% is then applied to that remaining 50%, which equals 15%. So the combined value is 50% + 15% = 65%, which rounds to 70%.

The bilateral factor applies when a veteran has disabilities affecting both paired extremities — both arms, both legs, or paired limbs. When this applies, the VA combines the bilateral ratings first, then adds a 10% bonus to that combined value before combining it with the remaining non-bilateral ratings.

This generally results in a slightly higher combined rating.

The VA's approach recognizes that a person cannot be more than 100% disabled. If ratings were simply added, a veteran with several moderate disabilities could exceed 100%, which is not medically possible.

VA Math reflects the idea that each additional disability has a proportionally smaller impact on overall health because it only affects the remaining healthy portion of the body.

VA disability compensation rates are adjusted annually based on the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA), which is tied to the Consumer Price Index. The new rates typically take effect on December 1 each year.

The 2026 COLA increase was 2.8%, effective December 1, 2025. Rate changes are published by the VA and apply automatically — veterans do not need to take any action to receive the updated amounts.

Veterans rated 30% or higher receive additional tax-free compensation for qualifying dependents:

• Spouse — adds $65-$220/month depending on rating
• Dependent parents — adds $52-$176/month per parent
• Children under 18 — first child adds $44-$147/month; each additional child adds $32-$109/month
• Children 18+ in school — each adds $105-$352/month
• Aid & Attendance spouse — adds $61-$201/month if your spouse needs daily care

Ratings of 10% and 20% receive a flat rate regardless of dependents.