Understanding VA Math and the VA Combined Rating Table

When a veteran receives more than one disability rating, it can be confusing to figure out how the VA comes up with their combined rating. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just adding individual ratings together. Instead, they use “VA math” to determine a veteran’s total combined rating and how much VA disability compensation they will receive as a result. This article will explain how VA math works and share three ways to calculate a VA combined rating.

How does VA math work?

The VA developed its own special formula, often referred to as “VA math,” to determine the combined rating for veterans with multiple service-connected disabilities. 

The VA looks at a disability rating as the percentage of your working capacity that you can no longer use due to your service-connected disability. 

For example, if you joined the military completely healthy, with no preexisting conditions, injuries, or ailments, you would be considered to have 100% working capacity, or 100% efficiency.

“Disability is the amount of economic impact that has been removed from your working capacity as a result of a service-connected condition. In other words, disability is what you can no longer do,” said VA disability lawyer Zack Evans.

“Efficiency, on the other hand, is what is left in your working capacity. It is an economic representation of what you are still able to do after we compensate you for what you are disabled from doing,” Evans continued.

Each service-connected condition you have chips away at your efficiency and adds to your disability. As the amount of efficiency you have remaining decreases, it becomes harder for your disability ratings to add up.

While veterans can do VA math by hand, it can be easier and more accurate to use the tools like the VA’s combined rating table or our VA rating calculator. We explain all three methods below.

Doing VA math by hand

Doing VA math by hand is by far the most difficult way to calculate your combined rating. It takes a lot of patience and a solid understanding of how the VA considers efficiency versus disability. It also requires knowing how to find percentages of percentages.

VA disability lawyer Zack Evans explains the math behind the VA’s combined rating table and our VA disability calculator in the video below. This can help you do your own VA math by hand.

Some things to consider when doing your VA math by hand include:

1. The VA does not simply add percentages together. In VA math, 30% + 40% does not equal a 70% rating.
2. Always start with your highest disability rating and work your way down to your lowest.
3. Your calculation should change with each additional VA rating as your disability increases and your efficiency decreases.

VA combined rating table

The VA does the math for veterans in their combined ratings table published in the Schedule for Rating Disabilities or online at va.gov. 

Here’s how to use the VA combined rating table:

1. Order your disability ratings from highest to lowest. This is very important for getting an accurate combined rating. You’ll start with the highest rating you have for any one condition.
2. Locate your highest rating along the far left side of the chart. Start dragging your finger across that row.
3. Now, locate your next highest rating on the horizontal row across the top. Drag your finger down that column. 
4. Where that column and row intersect is your combined rating. For example, if you had a 60% rating for one condition and a 30% rating for another, this column and row intersect at 72. Your combined rating would be 72%.
5. If you have any additional ratings to combine, start with the number you calculated in step 4. In this example, you would find 72 along the far left side. If you had an additional 20% rating, you’d drag your fingers to where the 72 row and 20 column met, which would make the new combined rating 78%.
6. Repeat this process until you have used all your ratings, in order from highest to lowest. When you are finished, round to the nearest ten. In this example, 78% rounds up to be an 80% total combined rating for the veteran.

VA combined rating calculator

VA math can be confusing, and the VA chart is not a perfect tool as it still requires you to hunt down further information about your compensation.

That’s why Woods and Woods developed our VA disability calculator. This free online calculator can tell you your combined rating and how much money you can expect to receive each month. 

To use our combined rating calculator, you will answer various questions. 

1. First, we need to know the level of disability in your arms and legs. This helps us determine if the VA’s bilateral factor applies to you, which can also affect your overall rating. 
2. Then you’ll share any additional VA ratings you have, selecting as many as apply. You can even select the same rating twice – for example, if you have two additional 30% ratings, you’ll click the 30% button two times. 
3. Finally, you’ll share some information about your family to calculate your combined total rating. This includes whether you are married or have qualifying children, and whether you provide care for a dependent parent.

Inputting this info will prompt our calculator to show you the monthly amount you should expect in VA disability payments. 

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TDIU vs 100% combined ratings

It can be very challenging to get a 100% rating by stacking disabilities using this VA math. However, even if a veteran does not get to a 100% rating when their disabilities are combined, if the veteran can’t maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected conditions, they are still eligible for pay at the 100% disability rating level.

In this scenario, the veteran can be awarded total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) benefits. Veterans will typically be eligible for TDIU if they have:

• One service-connected disability rated at 60% or more disabling OR
• Two or more service-connected disabilities with at least one rated at 40% or more disabling and a combined rating of 70% or more. 

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