VA Disability Calculator
Add each rated condition to see how the VA actually combines them under 38 CFR 4.25 — with the step-by-step math, the final rounded rating, and the monthly compensation it pays.
Your service-connected ratings
Add each rated condition separately. Order does not matter — they are sorted by severity automatically, as the regulation requires.
Step by step
Each step applies the next rating to the efficiency you have left, not to the original 100%.
- Start with the most severe rating: 50% — leaving 50% efficiency.
- Apply 30% to the 50% efficiency remaining: 50 + (50 × 30%) = 65%
- Apply 20% to the 35% efficiency remaining: 65 + (35 × 20%) = 72%
- Round 72% to the nearest 10 — 70%.
This is an unofficial estimate, not a rating decision. Only the VA can determine your combined rating and compensation; this calculator does not account for the bilateral factor, special monthly compensation, or dependents beyond a spouse.
How VA combined ratings work
The VA does not add disability ratings. It combines them, using the method in 38 CFR 4.25, which thinks in terms of the efficiency a person has left rather than the disability they have accumulated. The regulation puts it directly: a person with a 60% disability is considered 40% efficient, and a further 30% disability leaves only 70% of that remaining 40% — 28% efficiency altogether, which is 72% disabled.
The practical consequence is that later ratings are worth less than earlier ones. The same 30% rating is worth 30 points to someone with no other conditions, but only 12 points to someone already rated at 60%.
Worked example
A veteran is rated 50%, 30%, 20% across three service-connected conditions. Added together that would be 100%, but combined the way the VA actually does it:
- Start with the most severe rating, 50%, leaving 50% efficiency.
- Apply 30% to the 50% still remaining: 50 + (50 × 30%) = 65%.
- Apply 20% to the 35% still remaining: 65 + (35 × 20%) = 72%.
- Round 72% to the nearest 10 — a final rating of 70%, worth $1,808.45 a month for a veteran with no dependents.
The gap matters: 100% on paper becomes 70% in practice.
The regulation's own examples
38 CFR 4.25 gives worked examples in its text. This calculator reproduces each of them exactly, which is the check that the implementation is faithful rather than approximate.
| Ratings | Combined value | Final rating |
|---|---|---|
| 60% + 30% | 72% | 70% |
| 50% + 30% | 65% | 70% |
| 40% + 20% | 52% | 50% |
| 60% + 40% + 20% | 81% | 80% |
Sources: 38 CFR 4.25 — Combined ratings table (7-1-25 Edition) for the combining method, and VA disability compensation rates effective 1 December 2025 for the monthly figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't the VA just add my ratings together?
Because the ratings describe how much working capacity you have lost, and you cannot lose more than all of it. A 50% rating leaves 50% efficiency; a further 30% rating takes 30% of what remains, not 30% of the whole person. That is why 50% and 30% combine to 65% rather than 80%, and it is set out in 38 CFR 4.25.
What is VA math, in one sentence?
Order your ratings from most to least severe, then apply each one to the efficiency you have left rather than to 100%, and round the final answer to the nearest 10.
How does the rounding work?
The combined value is converted to the nearest multiple of 10, and a value ending in 5 is adjusted upward. So 65% becomes 70%, while 52% becomes 50%. Crucially the rounding happens once, at the very end — intermediate values are never rounded to tens before the next condition is combined.
Does the order I enter my conditions in matter?
No. The regulation requires the ratings to be arranged from most to least severe, and this calculator sorts them for you, so entering them in any order gives the same answer.
Why is it so hard to reach 100%?
Each additional condition can only take a share of a shrinking remainder. Once you are at 80%, a further 50% rating only adds half of the remaining 20 points. Several veterans with many rated conditions land in the 90% band and find that the next rating barely moves the total.
Does this include the bilateral factor or special monthly compensation?
No. This calculator implements the core combined-ratings method in 38 CFR 4.25 only. The bilateral factor under 4.26 (which applies when disabilities affect paired limbs) and special monthly compensation are handled separately by the VA and are not modelled here.
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