How does the VA calculate combined disability ratings?

The VA uses the 'whole person' method, not simple addition. Each rating is applied to the remaining percentage of your healthy body. Ratings are taken from highest to lowest, each reducing the remaining efficiency of the whole person, and the final figure is rounded to the nearest 10 percent.

What is the VA disability compensation rate for 2026?

2026 VA disability rates range from $175.51/mo at 10% to $3,737.85/mo at 100% for a single veteran with no dependents. Veterans rated 30% or higher receive additional monthly compensation for a spouse, children, and dependent parents.

What is TDIU and who qualifies?

Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) allows veterans rated at 70%+ combined (with one condition at 40%+) to receive compensation at the 100% rate even if their combined schedular rating is below 100%, provided their service-connected conditions prevent them from maintaining substantially gainful employment.

Does the VA add disability percentages together?

No. The VA uses the combined ratings table (whole person method). A 50% and 30% rating does not equal 80%. It equals 65%, which rounds to 70%.

VA Disability Rating Calculator 2026

Enter Your Disabilities

Add each service-connected condition and its VA rating. You can add up to 10.

Your Dependents

Married / Spouse

Children (0 to 10)

Dependent Parents (0 to 2)

Dependent add-ons only apply at 30% combined rating and above.

Your Combined VA Rating

Monthly Tax-Free Pay

Annual Total

10-Year Total Value

Step-by-Step Calculation Breakdown

Step	Condition	Rating	Applied To (Whole Person)	Reduction	Remaining Efficiency

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How the VA Calculates Your Rating

One of the most misunderstood parts of the VA disability system is how multiple ratings are combined. Many veterans assume the VA simply adds the percentages together, that a 50% condition plus a 30% condition equals 80%. It does not. The VA uses what is called the "whole person" method, and understanding it can save you a great deal of confusion when your decision letter arrives.

The logic begins with the idea that every veteran starts as a whole, healthy person, represented as 100% efficiency. Each service-connected disability reduces that efficiency, but each one only acts on the portion of you that remains healthy, not on the full 100%. Because of this, every additional rating has slightly less mathematical impact than the one before it.

Step by step

The VA first sorts your disabilities from highest to lowest. It then applies each rating in order against your remaining efficiency. The first and largest rating is applied to the full 100%. Whatever efficiency is left over becomes the base for the next rating, and so on down the list. Once every disability has been applied, the VA subtracts your remaining efficiency from 100 to find your raw combined rating, then rounds that number to the nearest 10%. If the result ends in exactly 5, the VA rounds up.

Worked example, 50% + 30%:
Sorted highest to lowest: [50, 30]. Start with 100% efficiency.
Apply 50% → reduces efficiency by 100 × 0.50 = 50 → 50% remaining.
Apply 30% → reduces efficiency by 50 × 0.30 = 15 → 35% remaining.
Raw combined = 100 − 35 = 65% → rounded to the nearest 10 = 70%.

This is why two veterans with the same list of conditions always receive the same combined number, and why stacking many small ratings rarely pushes someone to 100%. It also explains a common source of frustration: a veteran with several mid-range ratings may feel they "should" be at 100% by addition, yet the whole person formula lands them at 80% or 90%. The calculator above runs this exact math for you and shows every step, so you can see precisely how each condition contributed to your final rating.

2026 VA Disability Compensation Rate Chart

Monthly, annual, and 10-year compensation values for a single veteran with no dependents, based on the 2026 rate schedule. Veterans rated 30% and higher receive additional amounts for a spouse, children, and dependent parents.

Rating	Monthly Pay	Annual Pay	10-Year Value

VA Disability Rating Calculator