How the VA combines ratings
Ratings are not added. The VA starts with your most severe condition and rates what is left of you after it. A 50% rating leaves 50% of the person. A 30% rating then takes 30% of that remaining 50, which is 15, so the two combine to 65. A further 10% takes 10% of the remaining 35, which is 3.5, rounded to 4, for 69. Each step is rounded to a whole number, the way the VA's own table is, and the final value is rounded to the nearest 10 with values ending in 5 going up: 65 becomes 70, 64 becomes 60.
This is why a long list of small ratings climbs slowly. Three 10% ratings combine to 27, which rounds to 30, and a veteran at 90% needs a great deal to reach 100%.
The bilateral factor
When conditions affect both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles, the VA combines the two sides first, then adds 10% of that value, added rather than combined, and treats the result as a single rating. In the regulation's own example, ratings of 60, 20, 10 and 10, with the two 10s bilateral, become 60, 21 and 20: the 10 and 10 combine to 19, plus 10% is 21. Then 60 and 21 combine to 68, 68 and 20 to 74, which rounds to 70. Where leaving the factor out would rate higher, it is left out.
What dependents add
From a 30% combined rating, the monthly amount rises for a spouse, for children, and for dependent parents. The VA's table has a row for each family shape with one child; each further child adds a set amount, more for a child between 18 and 23 in a qualifying school program, and a spouse who receives Aid and Attendance adds a further amount. At 10% and 20% the payment is the same with or without dependents. Dependents count once the VA has them on file, which is a separate form.
Questions people ask
Why isn't my combined rating just my ratings added up?
The VA rates what is left of you after each condition, starting with the most severe. A 50% rating leaves 50% of the person; a 30% rating then takes 30% of that remaining 50, which is 15, so the two combine to 65, not 80. Each step is rounded to a whole number and the final value is rounded to the nearest 10, with values ending in 5 rounded up.
What counts as a bilateral disability?
Disabilities of both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles. The VA combines the two sides as usual, adds 10% of that value, and treats the result as one rating that is then combined with the rest, before anything else is combined. Where leaving the factor out would give a higher rating, it is left out.
Does a 10% or 20% rating pay more with dependents?
No. Added compensation for a spouse, children or dependent parents starts at a 30% combined rating. At 10% and 20% the monthly amount is the same whoever depends on you.
When do the rates change?
Each December 1, when the cost-of-living adjustment takes effect. This calculator uses the rates effective December 1, 2025, published by the VA.
Is this the exact amount I will get?
It is an estimate from the numbers you enter. Your VA decision letter is the amount that counts. Special Monthly Compensation, individual unemployability and offsets such as military retirement pay are not included, and dependents only count once the VA has them on file.