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Enter your disability ratings
Add each rated condition. If a condition affects an arm or leg, pick which one. That's how the bilateral factor (38 CFR § 4.26) is applied.
Dependents (change pay at 30% and up)
Your results
Add at least one rating above 0%.
Regulations used in this calculator
| Rule | What it does here |
|---|---|
| 38 CFR § 4.25 Combined ratings table |
Combines your ratings from most to least severe, using "efficiency" instead of addition. Each step matches the regulation's Table I. The total is rounded to the nearest 10 once, at the end, and values ending in 5 round up. |
| 38 CFR § 4.26 Bilateral factor |
When both arms or both legs have a compensable rating, those ratings are combined first and 10% of that value is added. The result is then treated as one rating. If leaving a rating out of that group gives a higher result, that's used instead (§ 4.26(d)). |
| VA.gov compensation rates Effective Dec 1, 2025 |
Monthly pay by rating and dependents. Uses VA.gov's method: basic rate, plus each additional child, plus Aid and Attendance. |
Not modeled: paired skeletal muscles under § 4.26, Special Monthly Compensation (SMC), Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU), and helpless-child rates.
Learn more
How VA math works
VA doesn't add ratings together. Under 38 CFR § 4.25, each rating applies to the part of you that's still "efficient" after the more severe ratings are counted. The regulation's own example: a 60% rating leaves you 40% efficient. A further 30% rating takes 30% of that remaining 40%, leaving 28% efficiency. That makes you 72% disabled.
The combined value is rounded to the nearest 10 only once, after all your ratings are combined. 72 becomes a 70% VA rating, and 65 becomes 70% because values ending in 5 round up.
Understanding the bilateral factor
Under 38 CFR § 4.26, if you have compensable ratings on both arms or both legs, those ratings are combined with each other first. Then 10% of that combined value is added, not combined. The result counts as one rating for everything after that.
The regulation's example: ratings of 60%, 20%, 10% and 10%, where the two 10% ratings are bilateral. The 10s combine to 19, and adding 10% gives 21. The order of severity becomes 60, 21, 20. 60 and 21 combine to 68, and 68 and 20 combine to 74, which rounds to a 70% VA rating.
2026 VA disability pay: veteran alone
VA.gov rates effective December 1, 2025, with no dependents. Annual is monthly × 12.
| VA rating | Monthly | Annual |
|---|
Common rating combinations
Calculated with the same § 4.25 rules as the calculator above.
| Ratings | Combined value | VA rating |
|---|
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't VA just add my ratings together?
Because 38 CFR § 4.25 measures how much each condition reduces the "efficiency" that's left after your more severe conditions. Two 50% ratings don't make 100%: the second 50% applies to the half that's left, so they combine to 75, which rounds to an 80% VA rating.
How do dependents affect my pay?
At 10% and 20%, VA.gov says you don't get a higher rate for a spouse, child, or parent. At 30% and above, the basic rate goes up for a spouse, children, and dependent parents. Each child after the first adds a set amount, and a spouse receiving Aid and Attendance adds another.
When do VA disability rates change?
VA.gov says VA is required by law to match the cost-of-living adjustment made to Social Security benefits. The current rates took effect December 1, 2025. This page is updated when VA publishes new rates.
What does the "next tier" box mean?
It shows how far your combined value is from rounding up to the next 10%, and what one more rating would do under the § 4.25 math. It's for understanding the math only. Ratings are based on medical evidence, not on reaching a number.
Data sources
- 38 CFR § 4.25, Combined ratings table (eCFR.gov)
- 38 CFR § 4.26, Bilateral factor (eCFR.gov)
- Current Veterans disability compensation rates (VA.gov)
- About VA disability ratings (VA.gov)
The calculator's math is checked against every cell of § 4.25 Table I and the worked examples in § 4.25, § 4.26, and on VA.gov. The code is open source: github.com/makoslayer13/va-ratings-calculator.