How this calculator works
VA disability math is not normal math. Below is exactly what this calculator does, with worked examples — so you can check the result against your VA decision letter and spot anything that doesn't line up.
This calculator estimates your monthly VA disability compensation from the conditions and ratings you enter. It uses three things: the official 2026 VA pay tables (effective December 1, 2025), the combined-rating formula in 38 CFR § 4.25, and the bilateral factor in 38 CFR § 4.26. Nothing else. The math is open and the result is reproducible.
What it does not do:
- Decide whether a condition qualifies for service connection — only the VA does that
- Calculate Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)
- Project Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU)
- Compute backpay or effective dates
Use it as a sanity check on what the VA awarded you, or to estimate what an additional service-connected condition could push your combined rating to.
Why your ratings don't just add up
The most common surprise for veterans is that the VA does not add disability percentages together. A 40% rating plus a 20% rating is not 60%. It's 52%, which rounds down to 50%.
This is "VA math," and it's required by federal regulation. The reason: the VA treats your remaining capacity, not your accumulated disability, as the base for each new rating. A second 50% rating can't cut into the 50% that's already gone — it can only apply to the 50% that's left.
Here's how it works step by step.
Service-connected conditions: PTSD at 50%, sleep apnea at 30%, knee pain at 20%.
If you had added these like normal math (50 + 30 + 20 = 100%), you'd be at the top of the schedule. With VA math, you're at 70%. At 2026 rates that's a real difference of about $2,130 per month — over $25,000 per year — for a single veteran.
This is why a long list of low ratings doesn't get you to 100% — and why focusing on getting one high rating (especially something rateable at 70%+) is usually more valuable than stacking small ones.
The bilateral factor — both sides count for more
Some disabilities are worth more in combination than apart. This is the bilateral factor (38 CFR § 4.26): when you have service-connected conditions on both sides of your body — both arms or both legs — the VA combines those ratings first, then adds a 10% bonus, before merging the result with everything else.
The reasoning: losing function in both hands is more disabling than losing it in one. A veteran with 50% in one knee can compensate by relying on the other leg. A veteran with 50% in both knees cannot.
Conditions: 50% left knee, 20% right knee, 30% PTSD.
Without the bilateral factor, the same conditions combine to 70%. The 10-point bracket jump is worth about $300 per month for a single veteran in 2026.
The bilateral factor applies only to the four paired extremities: left and right arm, left and right leg. Hands count as part of the arm. Feet count as part of the leg. It does not apply to single conditions like back pain, hearing loss, or mental health, even when they affect everyday function on both sides of the body. And it does not apply if you have a condition on only one side — both Left and Right need ratings for the bonus to kick in.
This calculator applies the bilateral factor automatically. When you enter ratings on both Left Arm and Right Arm, or both Left Leg and Right Leg, the result card shows "Bilateral factor: Yes (+10%)".
Dependents change your pay, not your rating
Your rating percentage is set by your service-connected conditions. Dependents don't change that number. They change the monthly dollar amount the VA pays at that rating.
Three categories of dependents qualify for additional compensation:
Spouse. A legal spouse of any sex. If your spouse is incapacitated and requires Aid and Attendance — full-time help for daily activities like bathing, dressing, or eating — an additional bonus applies on top of the spouse rate.
Dependent children. Two age brackets count differently. Children under 18 add to your monthly pay at one rate. Children aged 18 to 23 who are enrolled in school (high school or college) add at a higher rate, reflecting the cost of supporting a student.
Dependent parents. Up to two parents (your or your spouse's) qualify if they rely on you for support and meet the VA's income and net worth limits.
Dependents only start affecting your pay when your combined rating reaches 30%. Below that — at 10% or 20% — you receive the flat statutory rate regardless of family situation.
About Aid and Attendance for the spouse: this is separate from A&A for the veteran themselves, which falls under Special Monthly Compensation and isn't covered by this calculator. The spouse A&A bonus applies when your spouse has a medical condition severe enough to require help from another person for basic daily activities. Qualifying conditions usually include advanced dementia, severe paralysis, or blindness. You'll need VA Form 21-2680 and supporting medical documentation.
Rounding rules and why they matter more than you'd think
After all combinations and the bilateral factor are applied, the VA rounds your combined rating to the nearest 10% (38 CFR § 4.25(a)). This sounds minor. It isn't.
The rule: anything ending in 5% or higher rounds up. Anything below rounds down.
- 64.9% → 60%
- 65.0% → 70%
- 84.4% → 80%
- 85.0% → 90%
There is no in-between. The VA awards only 10%, 20%, 30%, and so on through 100%. No 65%, no 73%, no 88%.
A half-percentage difference at the right spot shifts you a full bracket. For a single veteran at 2026 rates, the jump from 60% ($1,435.02) to 70% ($1,808.45) is $373.43 per month — about $4,481 per year. The jump from 90% ($2,362.30) to 100% ($3,938.58) is $1,576.28 per month — about $18,915 per year.
If your exact combined rating sits at 64% or 84% — close to rounding up — a single new service-connected condition, even a small one, can push you over the threshold. This is why veterans who are "almost there" should look carefully at any additional conditions that might be service-connectable. A 10% rating for tinnitus or scars, on its own, doesn't seem like much. Combined with existing 60% or 80% ratings, it can be the difference between brackets.
The calculator above shows both numbers: the exact combined percentage with one decimal, and the rounded value the VA actually uses. If you're hovering near a rounding threshold, that's useful information for a conversation with a VA-accredited attorney.
What this calculator does not cover
This tool covers basic combined-rating math and dependent additions. Several other VA programs can substantially increase your total compensation but aren't included:
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC). Additional compensation for severe disabilities — loss of use of a limb, blindness, deafness, the need for Aid and Attendance for the veteran, and similar circumstances. SMC rates are paid on top of basic compensation and can substantially raise your monthly total. If you have any condition involving loss of use or anatomic loss, SMC likely applies.
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU). Pays at the 100% rate even if your combined schedular rating is below 100%, provided your service-connected conditions prevent you from maintaining substantially gainful employment. TDIU is one of the most underused programs in the VA system. Veterans with a combined rating of 60% or higher (or 70% with at least one condition at 40%+) who can't hold steady work should look carefully at TDIU.
Secondary service connections. Conditions caused or aggravated by an existing service-connected condition are themselves service-connectable. Common examples: depression secondary to chronic pain, GERD secondary to long-term NSAID use for joints, sleep apnea secondary to PTSD, weight-related conditions from limited mobility. Secondary connections often add significant rating points without requiring a new initial claim.
Backpay and effective dates. A successful claim or appeal can include retroactive payments back to the effective date — sometimes years in the past. Backpay calculations need the effective date, the rating history, and any intervening decisions. A back pay calculator is a separate tool.
Concurrent receipt offsets. Military retirees collecting both retirement pay and VA disability have interactions that depend on years of service, rating, and whether they qualify for CRDP or CRSC.
If any of these apply to your situation, the number this calculator shows is the floor — your actual compensation may be substantially higher.
If your rating doesn't match the math
A few common reasons your VA decision might show a different combined rating than this calculator predicts:
Pyramiding. The VA cannot rate the same disability twice under different diagnostic codes (38 CFR § 4.14). If you have back pain and a separate condition for radiculopathy, the VA may rate the spine under one diagnostic code that captures both symptoms instead of two separate codes. The pyramiding rule has exceptions and is often misapplied — both ways.
Effective dates. The VA may have rated some conditions effective today but others effective years ago. Your current combined rating reflects today's snapshot; your historical rates may differ.
Errors in the rating decision. This happens more often than it should. The examiner might have used the wrong diagnostic code, applied the wrong rating criteria, or made a math error in the combined-rating worksheet. Reviewing the actual decision letter against the math here is one way to spot inconsistencies.
Missed conditions. You may have service-connectable conditions that were never claimed — secondaries to existing ratings, presumptive conditions under the PACT Act, conditions documented in your service treatment records that the original rater didn't address.
If your VA-awarded rating is significantly lower than what this calculator suggests, or if you've been denied for conditions you believe are service-connected, that's a signal to talk to a VA-accredited attorney. Accredited attorneys are the only people (besides VSOs and VA-accredited claims agents) legally permitted to represent you for fees in front of the VA, and on appeals they only get paid if you win.
There's a form below to be matched with an accredited attorney in your state. We forward your information at no cost — we don't store it, we don't contact you, and we don't take a referral fee.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, but the VA has to follow specific rules. Ratings can be reduced if your condition objectively improves, based on a re-examination. Certain protections kick in over time: ratings continuous for five years can't be reduced based on a single exam, ratings continuous for ten years are protected from severance of service connection (except for fraud), and ratings continuous for twenty years can't be reduced below the lowest level they've been at during that period.
Practical takeaway: if the VA schedules you for a re-examination, it matters. Attend it. Bring medical documentation showing your current symptoms. A re-examination is the most common path to a reduction.
A 0% rating means the VA recognizes the condition as service-connected but doesn't consider it severe enough at this moment to warrant monthly compensation. It still matters: a 0% rating preserves your service connection. If the condition worsens later, you can file an increased-rating claim without having to re-establish that it's service-related.
0% ratings also qualify you for some VA benefits beyond compensation, including certain healthcare priorities.
Maybe. Appeal deadlines depend on what kind of decision and when it was issued. Generally, you have one year from the date of a VA decision to file a Notice of Disagreement (legacy system) or a supplemental claim / higher-level review / Board appeal (AMA system, post-February 2019).
Even past those deadlines, there are routes back in: Clear and Unmistakable Error (CUE) claims for decisions with a legal or factual error on the face of the record, supplemental claims with new and relevant evidence, and reopening claims when new presumptive conditions are added (PACT Act, Camp Lejeune, Agent Orange expansions).
If a decision is old and you think it was wrong, an accredited attorney can tell you within one consultation whether there's a viable path forward.
Yes, but the type of duty matters. Active Duty for Training (ACDUTRA), Inactive Duty for Training (IDUTRA), and full active duty all count, but the standards for showing service connection differ.
On ACDUTRA, you can claim either a disease or an injury that arose during or was aggravated by that period. On IDUTRA (drill weekends), the standard is narrower: you generally need an injury, a heart attack, or a stroke — diseases that develop gradually are harder to connect.
All three involve presumptive service connection — the VA presumes your condition is service-connected if you served at the right place during the right time period and have one of the listed conditions, without you having to prove the link.
Camp Lejeune covers veterans (and family members) stationed at Camp Lejeune between August 1953 and December 1987, with conditions like kidney cancer, liver cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Parkinson's disease, and others. The PACT Act of 2022 significantly expanded burn pit presumptives for post-9/11 veterans with respiratory cancers, various other cancers, and chronic respiratory conditions. Agent Orange presumptives cover Vietnam-era veterans and certain other locations, with conditions including ischemic heart disease, several cancers, and type 2 diabetes.
If you have a presumptive condition and were denied because the VA couldn't see the service-connection link, the denial may have been incorrect. An accredited attorney can review the file and tell you whether reopening is worth it.
The VA does not publish an interactive combined-rating calculator. They publish the pay tables (which this calculator uses verbatim) and the regulations describing how combined ratings work. Tools like this one apply the regulations to your specific inputs.
The math here matches the VA's official method — same combined-rating formula (38 CFR § 4.25), same bilateral factor (§ 4.26), same rounding rule (§ 4.25(a)), same 2026 pay tables. If your VA decision shows a different combined rating, it's worth checking the calculation in the decision letter against the math here.