Why don’t VA ratings add up?
VA treats a person as 100% able before any disability. A 50% rating leaves 50% able. A second rating of 30% does not take another 30 points: it takes 30% of the 50 that is left, which is 15. Together that is 65, not 80, and however many ratings you have, the total can never pass 100. This is what people call “VA math”. It is set out in 38 CFR 4.25, which has a combined ratings table (Table I) for doing it by hand.
How does VA combine ratings, step by step?
- Sort ratings from highest to lowest.
- Combine the first two with the table (or formula) and keep the exact whole-number result.
- Combine that result with the next rating, and so on.
- Only at the very end, round to the nearest 10 (a final 5 rounds up). That is the combined rating that sets the pay rate.
Each step of the table follows one rule: the running value a, plus the next rating b times (100 − a) ÷ 100, rounded to a whole number with a half rounding up. We checked that rule against all 684 cells of Table I, and it matches every one, so the VA disability calculator uses the rule rather than the table.
What are the regulation’s own examples?
38 CFR 4.25 works three examples. The same function as our calculator gives the same answers:
- 50% and 30% → 65 → 70%: our result is 65, rounding to 70%.
- 40% and 20% → 52 → 50%: our result is 52, rounding to 50%.
- 60%, 40%, 20% → 76 then 81 → 80%: our result is 76 then 81, rounding to 80%.
A longer one: ratings of 70%, 40%, 20% and 10%. Sorted from highest, 70 and 40 make 82; 82 and 20 make 86; 86 and 10 make 87. Only now is it rounded: 87 becomes 90%.
How does the rounding work?
The running total keeps its whole number all the way through; it is not rounded to 10 between steps. At the end, the combined value goes to the nearest number divisible by 10, and one ending in 5 goes up. In the regulation’s words: “combined values ending in 5 will be adjusted upward.” So 65 becomes 70, 64 becomes 60, and 95 becomes 100.
Can a combined rating reach 100%?
Yes, but only when the combined value reaches 95 or more, because 95 rounds up to 100. Ratings of 90% and 50% make 95, which rounds to 100%. Ratings of 80%, 50% and 30% make 93, which rounds down to 90%: each new rating adds less, because it only applies to what is left. That is why a small extra rating often changes nothing: 70% and 10% make 73, which is still 70%.
What does each combined rating pay?
Monthly compensation from December 1, 2025, not taxed:
| Combined rating | Veteran alone | With a spouse |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | $180.42 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 |
At 10% and 20% the amount is the same for everyone; from 30%, a spouse, children and dependent parents each add to it. These rates rose by 2.8% on December 1, 2025, matching Social Security. The 2027 adjustment is not announced yet.
What does VA math leave out?
The bilateral factor (38 CFR 4.26), an extra step VA takes for some disabilities that affect both sides of the body, is not covered here or in our calculator. Neither is special monthly compensation or any other benefit paid on top of these rates. And none of this is claims advice: only VA rates a disability, and the calculator only does the arithmetic on ratings you already have.