VA Combined Rating Explained: How the VA Calculates Your Disability Percentage

Understanding your VA combined rating can be confusing, especially if you have more than one service-connected disability. Many veterans assume that if they have ratings of 50% and 30%, they should receive an 80% combined rating. However, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) does not simply add individual disability percentages together.

Instead, the VA uses a specific Combined Ratings Table to determine how multiple disabilities affect a veteran's overall level of disability. The process considers the impact of each additional disability on the portion of the body that is considered remaining efficient.

For veterans trying to understand their benefits, knowing how this calculation works can make a VA decision letter much easier to interpret. Betton Benefits provides educational resources to help veterans better understand VA disability ratings, claims, and benefits.

Quick Answer

The VA combined rating is calculated using the VA's Combined Ratings Table rather than by simply adding your individual percentages.

For example, a veteran with a 50% disability and a 30% disability does not receive an 80% combined rating. The VA combines the two ratings to reach a 65% value and then rounds that figure to the nearest 10%, resulting in a 70% combined rating.

If you have three or more disabilities, the VA continues the calculation using the unrounded combined value before applying the final rounding.

What Is a VA Combined Rating?

A VA combined rating represents the overall disability evaluation assigned when a veteran has multiple service-connected disabilities.

Each individual condition is evaluated according to the VA's rating criteria. Those individual percentages are then combined according to VA rules. The final combined value is rounded to the nearest 10% to determine the veteran's official combined disability rating.

For example, a veteran might have:

• 50% for one service-connected condition
• 30% for another condition
• 10% for a third condition

It may seem logical to add these ratings and arrive at 90%. However, the VA's calculation produces a different result because each additional disability is applied to the remaining efficiency after the previous disability has been considered.

This is why understanding VA disability ratings is important when reviewing your benefits.

For additional information about individual conditions and percentage evaluations, veterans can also review the VA Disability Ratings by Condition guide from Betton Benefits.

How Does the VA Calculate Your Combined Disability Percentage?

Step 1: Start With the Highest Disability Rating

The VA first arranges your service-connected disabilities from the highest percentage to the lowest.

For example, if your ratings are:

• 50%
• 30%
• 20%

The VA starts with the 50% rating.

The remaining efficiency after a 50% disability is 50%. The next 30% rating is applied to that remaining 50%, producing an additional 15 percentage points.

The combined value therefore becomes 65%.

Step 2: Add the Next Disability

If the veteran also has a 20% disability, the VA does not simply add 20 points to 65.

Instead, the 20% rating is applied to the remaining efficiency after the first two disabilities have been considered.

The VA Combined Ratings Table shows that 65% combined with 20% produces an 82% combined value. That 82% figure is then considered for final rounding.

Step 3: Round the Final Combined Value

The VA rounds the final combined value to the nearest 10%.

Generally:

• Values ending in 1–4 are rounded down.
• Values ending in 5–9 are rounded up.

So an 82% combined value becomes an 80% VA disability rating.

This process explains why your individual ratings can appear significantly higher than your final combined percentage.

Benefits, Considerations, and Common Mistakes

Understanding the VA combined rating system can help veterans make sense of their disability compensation and VA decision documents.

One common mistake is assuming that percentages are additive. For example:

60% + 20% ≠ 80%

Under the VA's methodology, 60% combined with 20% produces a 68% combined value, which rounds to 70%.

Another important consideration is that the order of the ratings matters during the calculation. The VA starts with the highest disability percentage and then combines the remaining disabilities sequentially.

Veterans with several service-connected conditions may therefore find the calculation difficult to perform manually.

If you are still learning the basics of the claims process, the VA Disability Claims Explained resource from Betton Benefits provides additional educational information.

It is also important to distinguish between understanding the calculation and determining whether a particular disability should be service connected or assigned a particular percentage. Those questions involve evidence, applicable VA criteria, and the facts of an individual claim.

What to Expect When Reviewing Your VA Rating

Step 1: Review Each Individual Rating

Start by looking at your VA decision letter and identify each service-connected condition and its assigned percentage.

Make a simple list of your ratings from highest to lowest.

For example:

Remember that these numbers are not simply added together.

Step 2: Apply the Combined Ratings Method

Use the VA Combined Ratings Table to combine the highest rating with the next highest rating.

For example, a 50% disability combined with a 30% disability produces 65%. The VA then combines that unrounded value with any additional disability before performing the final rounding.

Step 3: Check the Final Rounded Rating

After all applicable disabilities have been combined, the final number is rounded to the nearest 10%.

This final figure is your combined VA disability rating.

If you believe your assigned rating does not accurately reflect the evidence or applicable criteria, review your decision carefully and consider discussing your circumstances with an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO), attorney, or claims agent.

You can also learn more about the general process through Understanding the VA Disability Claims Process.

VA Combined Rating in Real-World Examples

Consider a veteran with three service-connected disabilities rated at:

• 60%
• 40%
• 20%

According to the VA's published example, the 60% and 40% ratings combine to 76%. The VA then combines 76% with the 20% disability, producing an 81% combined value. The final 81% is rounded to 80%.

This example demonstrates why a veteran's final percentage may be different from the sum of the individual ratings.

The same principle applies whether you have two disabilities or several. The VA continues combining the disabilities using the applicable methodology before making the final rounding calculation.

For additional information about VA benefits and related programs, see the VA Benefits Knowledge Base available from Betton Benefits.

Why Choose Betton Benefits?

Understanding VA disability benefits can involve complicated terminology, multiple forms of evidence, and detailed rating rules. Betton Benefits focuses on providing educational resources and guidance to help veterans better understand their benefits journey.

The company publishes resources covering topics such as:

• VA disability ratings
• VA disability claims
• Medical evidence
• C&P examinations
• Secondary conditions
• Disability benefits
• Other veteran benefit resources

For example, veterans who want to understand potential claim issues can explore How to Maximize Your VA Disability Rating Without Common Claim Mistakes.

It is important to remember that no company can guarantee a particular VA rating or claim outcome. Your final rating is determined by the VA based on the applicable rules and evidence in your individual case.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the VA Combined Ratings Table?

The VA Combined Ratings Table is the method the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to combine multiple disability ratings. It prevents individual ratings from simply being added together.

Does VA add disability percentages together?

No. VA disability percentages are not simply additive. The VA starts with the highest rating and combines additional disabilities according to the Combined Ratings Table.

What does 50% combined with 30% equal?

A 50% disability combined with a 30% disability produces a 65% combined value. The VA then rounds 65% to the nearest 10%, resulting in a 70% combined VA disability rating.

What happens if I have three or more disabilities?

The VA combines the first two disabilities and then uses the resulting unrounded value with the next disability. This process continues until all applicable disabilities have been combined. The final value is then rounded to the nearest 10%.

Can my VA disability rating change?

Yes. A VA disability rating can change in certain circumstances, including when evidence supports an increased level of disability or when other applicable rules affect an existing rating. Veterans should carefully review their decision and applicable VA procedures when considering a rating change.

Conclusion + CTA

Understanding your VA combined rating is an important part of understanding your VA disability benefits. The biggest point to remember is simple: the VA does not add individual disability percentages together.

Instead, VA uses the Combined Ratings Table, starting with the highest disability and progressively combining additional ratings. The resulting value is then rounded to the nearest 10% to determine the final combined rating.

Whether you're reviewing an existing decision, preparing a claim, or simply trying to understand how your percentages work together, having accurate information can make the process easier to follow.

For more educational resources and guidance, visit Betton Benefits and explore the company's veteran benefits resources.

Contact Betton Benefits

Phone: 855-637-0884
Email: jbetton@bettonbenefits.com
Website: bettonbenefits.com