Why Doesn’t the VA Just Add My Ratings Together?
Because a person cannot logically be more than 100 percent disabled, the VA does not use simple addition when combining multiple disability ratings together. Under 38 CFR § 4.25, each rating applies to whatever percentage of function remains after the prior ratings are factored in, rather than stacking directly on top of one another.
How Does the Math Actually Work?
The VA starts with the most severe rating, then applies each additional rating to the remaining percentage rather than the original 100 percent. A 50 percent rating combined with a 30 percent rating does not equal 80 percent; it equals 65 percent, because the 30 percent rating only applies to the 50 percent of function that remained after the first rating. The result then gets rounded to the nearest 10 percent.
- Start with the highest rating and work down in severity
- Each rating applies to the remaining percentage, not the original 100
- The combined result rounds to the nearest 10 percent at the very end
- Veterans call this process VA math
Can You Walk Through an Example?
A veteran with a 60 percent rating and a 40 percent rating does not reach 100 percent. The 60 percent rating leaves 40 percent of function remaining. The 40 percent rating applies to that remaining 40, adding 16 percentage points, for a combined total of 76 percent, which rounds down to 80 percent under the standard rounding rule.
This example illustrates why veterans with several moderate ratings often feel shortchanged when they first see their combined percentage, even though the calculation was performed correctly. The gap between what simple addition would suggest and what the formula actually produces tends to grow larger as more ratings get added into the mix.
What Is the Bilateral Factor?
Under 38 CFR § 4.26, disabilities affecting paired body parts, such as both knees, both arms, or one arm and one leg, receive a 10 percent bonus applied to the combined value of those specific paired conditions before they get folded into the rest of the overall calculation. This factor recognizes that impairment affecting both sides of the body creates more overall disability than the same impairment on just one side.
Why Does a Small Additional Rating Sometimes Matter So Much?
Because rounding only happens once, at the very end of the entire calculation, a small additional rating can sometimes push a veteran from just below a rounding threshold to just above it, adding an entire 10 percent tier to the final combined rating. A veteran sitting at 65 percent before rounding, for example, benefits enormously from any additional rating that nudges the underlying number past 65, since that shift can mean the difference between a 60 percent and a 70 percent final rating once rounding applies.
Does the Order I File Claims In Matter?
Not for the math itself, since the combined ratings table always arranges conditions from most to least severe regardless of filing order. It can matter strategically, though, since understanding how close a veteran sits to the next rounding threshold can help prioritize which additional conditions to pursue first. A Miami VA disability compensation lawyer reviewing a veteran’s existing ratings can identify whether a specific additional claim is likely to move the needle or fall short of the next threshold entirely, before any time gets spent pursuing it.
Where Can I Verify My Own Combined Rating?
A Miami VA disability compensation lawyer reviewing a decision letter checks the underlying math against the official combined ratings table, since calculation errors on the VA’s own decision letters are not uncommon and can result in a lower monthly payment than the ratings actually support.
Who Can Help Get the Math Right?
Glover Luck LLP reviews combined rating calculations as a standard part of evaluating a veteran’s overall claim, checking for errors that could otherwise go unnoticed for years and quietly cost a veteran money every single month.
