Highest percentages are considered first
Combined-rating math starts with the highest disability percentage and then applies additional percentages to the remaining portion.
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Combine existing percentages
Enter percentages you already have to see how they combine under VA's whole person math.
Combined-rating guidance tool
Add condition percentages
Enter individual rating percentages to see combined-rating guidance math. VA explains that combined ratings use the whole person method instead of simple addition. Guidance previews added here are saved in this browser only.
This is percentage-only VA math, not a condition-checked result.
1 row is not eligible for complete condition-specific checking. Percentage-only rows have no imported regulatory identity. RatingScope can still show bounded 38 CFR 4.25 percentage math, but typed labels are never used to infer missing identity and the value below must not be read as a fully checked combined rating.
Percentage-only row
Bounded §4.25 guidance
Condition-specific interaction checks are incomplete because this list includes percentage-only or incomplete imported rows.
§4.25 math value
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§4.25 rounded value
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Order used
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How the math works
Add at least one compensable percentage to see each step.
Guidance estimate only. Supported imported RatingScope bilateral results carry verified §4.26 components and are compared under §4.26(d). Manually entered ratings and other bilateral situations are not evaluated for bilateral-factor eligibility. This does not include dependents, special monthly compensation, severance or retirement offsets, effective dates, or VA adjudication decisions.
How It Works
Understanding VA Math
VA does not add your disability percentages together. Expand the sections below to see exactly how it works, read the premise, and see the official CFR table.
Start Here: Each condition is rated separately first
VA evaluates and rates each condition you claim on its own, using that condition's specific published criteria. A back condition, a knee condition, and a mental health condition, for example, are each reviewed and rated separately. Combining those individual percentages into one overall disability rating is a separate, later step, and it only becomes relevant once a veteran has more than one rated condition.
Once you have more than one rated condition
The result is rounded
After combining percentages, VA rounds the result to the nearest 10 percent for the combined disability rating.
50%, 30%, and 10%: a step by step example
Here is exactly how VA math works using three sample ratings. Simple addition would suggest 90%. VA math produces a different, lower number.
- 1
Start with the highest rating
The 50% rating is considered first. It applies to the whole person, so it adds a full 50 points: 0% plus 50% equals 50%.
- 2
Apply the next rating to what is left
50% of the person is already accounted for, leaving 50% remaining efficiency. The 30% rating applies only to that remaining 50%, adding 15 points: 50% plus 15% equals 65%.
- 3
Apply the last rating to what is left
That leaves 35% remaining efficiency. The 10% rating applies only to that remaining 35%, adding 4 points (rounded): 65% plus 4% equals 69%.
- 4
Round to the nearest 10 percent
The combined value of 69% is rounded to the nearest 10 percent for the final combined rating: 70%.
Combined rating for 50% + 30% + 10%
70%
Official Reference: 38 CFR 4.25 combined ratings table
Find the higher rating in the left column and the lower rating along the top row. Where they meet is the combined value before final rounding to the nearest 10 percent.
| Higher \ Lower | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | 19 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 20% | 28 | 36 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 30% | 37 | 44 | 51 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 40% | 46 | 52 | 58 | 64 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 50% | 55 | 60 | 65 | 70 | 75 | - | - | - | - |
| 60% | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | - | - | - |
| 70% | 73 | 76 | 79 | 82 | 85 | 88 | 91 | - | - |
| 80% | 82 | 84 | 86 | 88 | 90 | 92 | 94 | 96 | - |
| 90% | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 |
Source: 38 CFR 4.25, Table I, Combined Ratings Table. Read the full regulation
Common Questions
Do I get one VA rating, or a separate rating for each condition?
VA rates each condition you claim separately, using that condition's own published criteria. If you have more than one rated condition, VA then combines those individual percentages into one overall disability rating using the whole person method. That combining step is separate and only comes after each condition has its own rating.
What is VA's whole person theory?
Whole person theory is the method VA uses to combine multiple disability percentages. Because a veteran cannot be more than 100% of a whole person, VA does not add percentages together. Instead, each additional percentage is applied to the remaining, non-disabled portion, and the result is rounded to the nearest 10 percent.
Why don't VA disability percentages simply add together?
Adding percentages directly could push a combined rating above 100%, which VA's whole person theory does not allow. Applying each additional percentage to only the remaining efficiency reflects that a later-considered disability affects a body that is already partially impaired by the disabilities considered before it.
How is a combined VA rating calculated?
VA arranges disability percentages from highest to lowest and combines them through the Combined Ratings Table. If there are more than two ratings, the exact combined value is carried into the next table step. VA converts the result to the nearest multiple of 10 only once, after all disabilities are combined.
What does 70% + 50% equal in VA math?
A 70% rating leaves 30% of the whole person unaffected. The 50% rating applies to that remaining 30%, adding 15 points. The ratings therefore combine to 85% before final rounding, and 85% converts to a 90% combined evaluation. They do not total 120% because the second rating applies only to what remains.
When does VA round the combined rating?
VA combines the ratings in order from highest to lowest. For three or more ratings, the exact table result from one step is used in the next step. The final conversion to the nearest multiple of 10 happens only after all disabilities are combined, with a final value ending in 5 adjusted upward.
Does VA use a table or a formula?
VA uses the Combined Ratings Table in 38 CFR 4.25. RatingScope reproduces that required whole-person calculation transparently and shows the order and intermediate values, but it does not replace VA's official decision.
Is the RatingScope combined ratings calculator an official VA tool?
No. This calculator shows the same whole-person math used in VA's published combined ratings table, for informational purposes. It does not access VA systems, submit a claim, or produce an official rating decision.
Why don't my percentages add up?
Because VA does not add disability percentages together. Instead, VA applies each rating to whatever percentage of the whole person is left after the higher ratings already considered, a method commonly called VA math, published in 38 CFR 4.25's combined ratings table.
Does this calculator include the bilateral factor?
Only for supported RatingScope radiculopathy results that already carry verified bilateral-native data. Those imported results preserve their 38 CFR 4.26 components, and the calculator compares the factor-adjusted route with the separate-component route required by 38 CFR 4.26(d). The calculator does not determine bilateral-factor eligibility from condition labels, manually entered percentages, or other bilateral situations. Unsupported situations require review of the documented facts against current VA rules.