Off The Record – Veteran’s Disability – Combined Ratings Table

I’m here to talk about how the VA combines disability ratings.

It seems to be a major source of confusion for many veterans. Unfortunately, VA math is not calculated the same way as regular math.

For example, a veteran may have a 30% rating for one condition, a 10% rating for another condition, and another 10% rating for a third condition.

Using standard math, you would think that equals 50%.

Unfortunately, that is not how VA disability ratings work.

The VA uses what is called a Combined Ratings Table to determine a veteran’s overall disability rating.

To calculate your combined evaluation, you need to use this table and follow the VA’s calculation method.

Understanding how the table works can also help you determine how close you are to reaching the next higher disability rating.

For example, let’s take a veteran with a 30% disability rating.

You always start with the highest evaluation first.

Starting with 30%, you then add another 10% rating. Using the Combined Ratings Table, that brings the veteran to 37%.

Next, you take that 37% and combine it with the additional 10% rating.

That brings the veteran to 43%.

As you can see, 30% + 10% + 10% does not equal 50% under VA math.

The VA does round ratings. If a veteran reaches 45%, the VA would round that up to a 50% combined rating.

It’s also important to understand that the way your conditions are combined matters.

Not every veteran will be able to reach a 100% disability rating. The final evaluation depends on how your individual ratings are combined and where they fall on the Combined Ratings Table.

For example, if a veteran has a 30% rating and instead of two separate 10% ratings they had a second condition rated at 20%, the combined rating would be 44%.

That veteran is still below 50%, but they are closer to reaching the next evaluation.

This is why every percentage point can make a difference when calculating VA disability ratings. Understanding how the VA combines ratings can help veterans better understand their overall evaluation and potential benefits.