How Does the VA Combine Disability Ratings?

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You may have several service-connected disabilities, but that does not mean the VA simply adds your ratings together. In fact, a veteran with disabilities rated at 50% and 30% does not receive an 80% combined rating. Under the VA’s combined-rating formula, those disabilities produce a 65% combined value, which rounds to 70%.

That can be frustrating when a newly approved condition does not increase your overall rating by the percentage you expected. The reason is that the VA uses what is commonly called the “whole person” method. The basic idea is that a veteran cannot be more than 100% disabled. After the VA accounts for the highest-rated disability, it applies the next disability to what remains of the veteran’s overall efficiency rather than starting over with another 100%.

Understanding how this process works can help you make sense of your VA decision and determine whether the final combined rating appears correct. It can also help you recognize when a different issue, such as an individual disability rating, the bilateral factor, or an omitted condition, may deserve closer review.

Why VA Disability Ratings Are Not Simply Added Together

VA disability ratings do not work like ordinary addition. A 50% rating and a 30% rating do not automatically equal 80%.

Instead, the VA starts with the highest-rated condition and then applies each additional rating to the portion of the veteran that remains efficient. This is part of the VA’s “whole person” method.

For example, a 50% disability leaves 50% remaining efficiency. A second disability rated at 30% is then applied to that remaining 50%, not to the veteran’s original 100%.

This system is designed to keep a veteran’s combined disability value within the 0% to 100% range. It is also why simply adding the percentages shown on a rating decision will often produce the wrong combined rating.

What Is the VA’s Whole Person Method?

The VA’s whole person method starts with the veteran’s highest individual disability rating. From there, each additional rating is applied to the portion of the veteran that remains efficient.

The VA does not start over at 100% for every condition. Instead, the available percentage becomes smaller as each disability is added. The process continues until all service-connected disabilities have been included.

The VA uses its Combined Ratings Table to complete the calculation, but the basic idea is easier to understand with a simple example.

How Remaining Efficiency Works

Suppose a veteran has one disability rated at 50%.

For VA rating purposes, that leaves 50% remaining efficiency. If the veteran also has a second disability rated at 30%, the VA applies that 30% to the remaining 50%, not to the original 100%.

Thirty percent of 50 is 15. The VA combines that 15 with the original 50% rating, producing a combined value of 65%.

The VA then rounds the final combined value to the nearest 10%, so 65% becomes a 70% combined disability rating.

Why Each New Rating Has a Smaller Effect

As more disabilities are added, the remaining efficiency becomes smaller. That means each later rating is applied to a smaller portion of the veteran.

For example, a new 20% rating does not usually add a full 20 percentage points to the combined total. It affects only the portion that remains after the higher ratings have already been considered.

The new disability rating still matters. It establishes service connection and may increase the veteran’s underlying combined value, even when it does not change the final rounded percentage.

That is why a decision granting a new 10% or 20% disability can be correct even when the combined percentage shown on a veteran’s benefits record stays exactly the same.

How Does the VA Round a Combined Disability Rating?

The VA does not round the combined value after every disability is added.

When a veteran has two disabilities, the combined value is rounded to the nearest 10%. When a veteran has three or more disabilities, the VA carries the unrounded combined value forward while adding the remaining ratings. The final combined value is rounded only after all applicable ratings have been combined.

A combined value ending in 1 through 4 is rounded down. A value ending in 5 through 9 is rounded up. For example, 64% rounds to 60%, while 65% rounds to 70%.

This final rounding step is one reason a newly approved disability may increase a veteran’s underlying combined value without changing the percentage shown on the VA decision.

Practical Examples of Combined VA Ratings

The following examples show how the whole person method and rounding rules work in practice. They are intended to make the process easier to understand, not replace the VA’s Combined Ratings Table or a review of an individual claim.

Example 1: A 50% Rating and a 30% Rating

A veteran has post-traumatic stress disorder rated at 50% and a knee condition rated at 30%.

The VA starts with the 50% rating, leaving 50% remaining efficiency. It then applies the 30% rating to that remaining 50%, which adds 15 percentage points.

The combined value is 65%. Because the VA rounds to the nearest 10%, the veteran receives a 70% combined disability rating.

The ratings do not equal 80% because the second rating is applied only to the portion that remained after the first condition was considered.

Example 2: Adding a Third Disability

Now suppose the same veteran is later awarded a 20% disability rating for migraines.

The VA continues from the unrounded combined value of 65%, not the rounded 70% rating. When the 20% rating is applied, it affects only the 35% efficiency that is still remaining (20% of 35% equals 7 percentage points). Adding 7 to 65% gives a new combined value of 72%.

The additional disability still increased the veteran’s combined value before rounding. It simply did not raise the total enough to reach the next 10% rating level.

Example 3: Why a 10% Rating May Not Change the Final Percentage

A veteran with ratings of 50% and 30% has a combined value of 65%. If the VA later grants another condition at 10%, the Combined Ratings Table produces a combined value of 69%.

Both 65% and 69% ultimately round to a 70% combined disability rating.

In other words, the new 10% rating moved the veteran’s underlying combined value higher, but it was not enough to reach the next rounded rating level.

The new condition still matters because it establishes service connection and increases the veteran’s combined value before rounding. However, it does not change the final rounded percentage unless the total reaches the next rating threshold.

What Does the Bilateral Factor Mean?

The bilateral factor is a special rule that can affect veterans who have compensable service-connected disabilities involving both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles.

The regulation recognizes paired extremities as upper or lower extremities as a whole. The particular joint or location does not have to match. For example, qualifying disabilities involving a right thigh and left foot can potentially receive the bilateral factor because they affect paired lower extremities.

How the Bilateral Factor Is Applied

If the bilateral factor applies, the VA first combines the qualifying disabilities affecting the paired extremities. It then adds an amount equal to 10% of that combined bilateral value before combining the result with the veteran’s remaining service-connected disabilities.

This does not mean the VA automatically adds 10 percentage points to the veteran’s overall disability rating. Instead, the additional amount becomes part of the combined-rating calculation.

The bilateral factor is applied before the remaining disabilities are combined, which can increase the veteran’s overall combined rating in some situations.

It is also important to remember that the bilateral factor does not apply simply because a veteran has two service-connected disabilities. The conditions generally must affect qualifying paired extremities or paired skeletal muscles.

Example of How the Bilateral Factor Can Affect a Rating

Suppose a veteran has a 30% service-connected disability affecting the right leg and a 20% service-connected disability affecting the left leg. Because both disabilities affect paired lower extremities, the bilateral factor may apply.

The VA first combines the 30% and 20% ratings. Under the Combined Ratings Table, they produce a value of 44%. The VA then adds 10% of that bilateral value, rather than simply adding 10 percentage points to the veteran’s overall rating.

This raises the bilateral subtotal before it is combined with any other service-connected disabilities. Depending on the veteran’s other ratings, that additional amount may or may not change the final rounded combined rating.

The important point is that the bilateral factor affects the calculation before final rounding. It is not a separate 10% disability rating and does not automatically increase the veteran’s final rating by 10 percentage points.

Why Another Disability May Not Produce the Rating You Expect

Many veterans expect every newly approved disability to increase their overall combined rating. In reality, that is not always what happens.

Because the VA combines ratings using the whole person method and then rounds the final result, an additional disability may increase the combined value without changing the veteran’s final disability percentage.

The New Rating Applies to Remaining Efficiency

The additional rating is applied to the efficiency that remains after the higher ratings have already been considered. As the combined value gets higher, less remaining efficiency is available for later disabilities.

Rounding May Keep the Final Rating the Same

A new disability can increase the veteran’s unrounded combined value without changing the final rounded rating.

For example, a veteran with a 65% combined value who receives another 10% rating reaches 69%. Both values ultimately result in a 70% combined rating.

This is why a veteran may receive a favorable decision granting another disability but see no immediate increase in the combined percentage or monthly compensation.

The Individual Rating May Still Matter

Receiving service connection for an additional disability can still provide important benefits, even if it does not immediately increase monthly compensation.

If the condition worsens over time, it may support a future claim for an increased disability rating. It may also establish the basis for secondary service connection if it causes or aggravates another medical condition.

In some cases, additional service-connected disabilities may also affect eligibility for other VA benefits, including Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

Common Misunderstandings About Combined VA Ratings

Some veterans believe the VA should have added all of their individual percentages together directly. However, the VA is legally required to use its combined-ratings formula rather than simple addition. A final percentage that is lower than the sum of your individual ratings is not automatically a mistake.

Another frequent misunderstanding is expecting a new 20% rating to increase an overall rating by 20%. Because any new rating applies only to the efficiency that remains after higher ratings are evaluated, it rarely adds its full numerical percentage to your final combined total.

Veterans also sometimes assume that if a new disability does not increase their monthly benefits, the rating was useless. In reality, securing service connection protects your rights if the condition worsens in the future, contributes to another service-connected issue, or impacts your eligibility for specialized benefits.

Finally, the bilateral factor does not apply simply because a veteran has two service-connected conditions. It is specifically designed for compensable disabilities that affect qualifying paired upper extremities, lower extremities, or paired skeletal muscles.

How to Review a VA Combined Rating

Start with the VA decision letter and look at each service-connected disability listed in the decision. Make sure the conditions that were granted are included and that the assigned percentages match the ratings described in the decision.

A veteran can also sign in to VA.gov to view individual disability ratings and the current combined disability rating.

Next, consider whether the bilateral factor may apply. This is particularly important when there are compensable disabilities affecting both arms, both legs, or other qualifying paired extremities.

It is also important to separate a combined-rating issue from an individual-rating issue.

Sometimes the VA’s combined math is correct, but one of the underlying disabilities may have been rated too low. In other cases, a service-connected condition may have been overlooked, or the bilateral factor may not have been properly considered.

Looking at the entire decision, rather than only the final percentage, can help identify where a potential problem may exist.

Can a Veteran Challenge a VA Combined Rating?

A veteran may have review or appeal options when a VA decision appears to contain an error or does not accurately reflect the service-connected disabilities.

The issue may involve an individual disability rating, a missing condition, the application of the bilateral factor, or the combined calculation itself. The appropriate option depends on the decision, the evidence, and the reason for the disagreement.

VA states that veterans who disagree with a disability rating can appeal the decision, and the VA generally requires an appeal to be filed within one year of the decision notice.

How Unruh Law May Help With a VA Rating Decision

Combined ratings can be difficult to understand when a veteran has several service-connected conditions, especially when the final percentage does not match what the veteran expected.

Unruh Law, P.C. helps veterans review VA rating decisions and understand how the individual evaluations affect the final combined rating. This may include checking whether all service-connected conditions were included, whether the bilateral factor should have been applied, and whether one or more individual disabilities may have received a rating that does not reflect the available evidence.

The firm may also help veterans evaluate possible secondary conditions, claims for increased ratings, and appeal options when the VA decision appears incomplete or inaccurate.

Understanding Your Options After a Combined Rating Decision

VA disability ratings are not simply added together. The VA starts with the highest rating, applies each additional disability to the efficiency that remains, considers any applicable bilateral factor, and rounds the final combined value to the nearest 10%.

Because of that process, a veteran’s final rating may be lower than expected even when the VA combined the individual percentages correctly. However, a surprising result can also signal a separate issue, such as a missing condition, an underrated disability, or a missed bilateral factor calculation.

If you believe your VA decision does not fully reflect your service-connected conditions, contact Unruh Law, P.C. to discuss your rating decision and evaluate your possible next steps.

Source note: VA combined-rating information is based on current VA guidance and 38 C.F.R. §§ 4.25 and 4.26. VA rules and rating decisions are fact-specific, so veterans should have an attorney review a particular case when legal analysis is needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I tell whether a problem is with my combined rating or with an individual disability rating?

Start by reviewing each condition listed in the VA decision and comparing the assigned percentage with the evidence and rating criteria discussed in the decision. If the individual ratings appear correct but the final combined percentage still seems wrong, the issue may involve the combined-rating calculation or the bilateral factor. If one condition appears underrated or missing, the problem may be with an underlying disability evaluation rather than the combined math.

2. Do disabilities affecting different joints qualify for the bilateral factor?

They may. Qualifying disabilities do not necessarily have to affect the same joint on each side of the body. For example, a service-connected right-thigh disability and left-foot disability can potentially qualify because both involve paired lower extremities. The bilateral factor depends on whether the disabilities meet the requirements for paired extremities or paired skeletal muscles under the applicable VA rules.

3. Why did my 10% rating not change my overall combined rating?

Because the VA uses the whole person method, a 10% rating applies only to the remaining portion after higher ratings have already been considered. After all applicable ratings are combined, the VA rounds the final value to the nearest 10%. If the additional rating does not move the combined value high enough to reach the next rounded rating level, the veteran’s overall percentage may stay the same.

4. Does a lower-than-expected combined rating mean the VA made a mistake?

Not necessarily. Because VA math applies ratings to remaining efficiency rather than adding them straight together, a lower combined total is often mathematically correct under federal regulations. However, mistakes can still happen if the VA forgot to include a condition or missed applying the bilateral factor.

5. When does the VA apply the bilateral factor in combined calculations?

The VA applies the bilateral factor when a veteran has qualifying service-connected conditions affecting both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles. The VA combines those specific bilateral ratings first, adds 10% of that value as a bonus, and then combines that total with any remaining non-bilateral conditions.

6. Can a new service-connected disability help my claim even if my overall percentage stays the same?

Yes. Establishing service connection protects your right to seek an increased rating if the condition worsens in the future. It can also serve as the foundation for secondary conditions or help establish eligibility for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

How Does the VA Combine Disability Ratings for Multiple Conditions?

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