Why don't my ratings add up to what I expected?

Because each one applies only to the ability the previous ones left. Three ratings of 50%, 30% and 20% add to 100 but combine to 72, which rounds to 70%. This is often called VA maths, and it is why more small ratings move the total less and less.

Does the order of my conditions matter?

No. The regulation requires them to be arranged from most to least disabling, which the calculator does for you, and the result is the same whichever order you type them in.

How much does each extra condition add?

Less each time. From a 70% combined rating, another 10% condition adds only 3 points before rounding. From 90%, it adds 1.

VA Disability Calculator (Combined Rating & 2026 Pay)

Combined rating from several conditions, and the monthly rate.

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Formula

Working from the highest rating down, combined = previous + next × (100 − previous) ÷ 100, rounded each step, then converted once to the nearest 10 with a final 5 going up

Ratings do not add up. The regulation reasons in terms of what ability is left: a veteran rated 60% is treated as 40% able, and a further 30% disability takes 30% of that remainder — not 30 more points. Each combination is rounded to a whole number as it goes, and only the final figure is converted to the nearest 10.

Worked example

Ratings of 50%, 30% and 20% do not make 100%. The 50% leaves 50% ability, and 30% of that is 15, giving 65. The 20% then takes 20% of the remaining 35, which is 7, giving 72. Converted to the nearest 10 that is a 70% combined rating — $1,808.45 a month for a veteran with no dependents.

Where this can give the wrong answer

Rates shown are for a veteran with no dependents, effective 1 December 2025. A spouse, children or dependent parents raise the payment from 30% upward; below that the rate is the same either way.
The bilateral factor is not applied. Where disabilities affect both arms or both legs, 38 CFR 4.26 adds 10% of the combined value for those before the rest are combined, which can raise the result.
Special Monthly Compensation, Individual Unemployability and separate payments for dependents are all outside this calculation.
A combined value of 95 or more rounds to 100%. That is not the same as a 100% schedular rating, and it does not by itself carry the benefits that one does.
Only the VA can assign or confirm a rating. This reproduces the published arithmetic so you can check the figure on a decision letter.

FAQ

: Because each one applies only to the ability the previous ones left. Three ratings of 50%, 30% and 20% add to 100 but combine to 72, which rounds to 70%. This is often called VA maths, and it is why more small ratings move the total less and less.

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