VA Combined Disability Rating Calculator
Calculate how secondary conditions impact your total VA rating using "VA Math".
Select the disability rating percentage for each of your conditions (Primary and Secondary). Order does not matter.
How Are VA Secondary Conditions Calculated?
When a veteran has multiple disabilities—such as a primary service-connected disability and one or more secondary conditions—the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) does not simply add the percentages together (e.g., 50% + 50% does not equal 100%). Instead, they use the Combined Ratings Table, often referred to as "VA Math."
The Concept of "Whole Person" Efficiency
The logic behind the calculation is based on the concept that a person starts with 100% efficiency. If a veteran is rated 50% disabled, they are considered to have 50% efficiency remaining.
When a secondary condition is added, the rating for that condition is applied only to the remaining efficiency, not the whole person.
Step-by-Step Calculation Example
Let's say you have a Primary condition of 50% and a Secondary condition of 30%.
- Step 1: Start with 100% efficiency.
- Step 2: Subtract the highest rating (50%). The veteran is 50% disabled, leaving 50% healthy.
- Step 3: Apply the secondary rating (30%) to the remaining 50% healthy portion.
Calculation: 50 * 0.30 = 15%. - Step 4: Add this new 15% to the original 50%.
Total: 50% + 15% = 65%. - Step 5: Round to the nearest 10%. 65% rounds up to 70%.
What Counts as a Secondary Condition?
A secondary condition is a disability that was caused or aggravated by an existing service-connected disability. For calculation purposes, once a secondary condition is service-connected and assigned a rating percentage, it is treated exactly the same mathematically as a primary condition. The calculator above sorts all your ratings from highest to lowest automatically to ensure the correct combined score.
Rounding Rules
The VA rounds the final combined score to the nearest 10%.
- If the calculated number ends in 1, 2, 3, or 4, it is rounded down (e.g., 84% becomes 80%).
- If the calculated number ends in 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, it is rounded up (e.g., 85% becomes 90%).