VA Combined Disability Rating Calculator
Use this calculator to estimate your combined VA disability rating based on multiple individual ratings. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) uses a specific "whole person" approach, not simple addition, to combine multiple disability percentages.
Enter your individual VA disability ratings below. You can enter up to 5 ratings. Leave unused fields blank.
Understanding VA Combined Disability Ratings
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides disability compensation to veterans with service-connected conditions. When a veteran has multiple service-connected disabilities, the VA doesn't simply add the individual percentages together. Instead, they use a specific method called the "whole person" or "combined rating" system.
How the "Whole Person" System Works
The VA's system is designed to reflect the overall impact of multiple disabilities on a veteran's earning capacity, rather than just summing up individual impairments. It assumes that a person can only be 100% able-bodied. Each subsequent disability rating is applied to the remaining "efficiency" or "whole person" capacity.
Here's a simplified breakdown of the process:
- Order Ratings: All individual disability ratings are first sorted from highest to lowest.
- Combine Highest Two: The highest rating is taken first. The second highest rating is then applied to the remaining "efficiency" of the veteran. For example, if you have a 50% rating, you are considered 50% disabled, leaving 50% "efficient." If your next rating is 30%, the VA calculates 30% of that remaining 50% (which is 15%). This 15% is then added to the initial 50%, resulting in a combined 65%.
- Iterative Process: This combined percentage then becomes the new "highest" rating, and the next individual rating is applied to the remaining efficiency, and so on, until all ratings are combined.
- Rounding: The final calculated combined rating is then rounded to the nearest 10%. If the number ends in 5 or higher (e.g., 65%, 68%), it rounds up to the next 10% (e.g., 70%). If it ends in 4 or lower (e.g., 64%, 61%), it rounds down (e.g., 60%).
Example Calculation
Let's say a veteran has three service-connected disabilities with ratings of 50%, 30%, and 10%.
- Sort Ratings: 50%, 30%, 10%
- Combine 50% and 30%:
- Start with 50% disabled. Remaining efficiency: 100% – 50% = 50%.
- Apply 30% to the remaining efficiency: 30% of 50% = 15%.
- New combined rating: 50% + 15% = 65%.
- Combine 65% and 10%:
- Start with 65% disabled. Remaining efficiency: 100% – 65% = 35%.
- Apply 10% to the remaining efficiency: 10% of 35% = 3.5%.
- New combined rating: 65% + 3.5% = 68.5%.
- Rounding: 68.5% rounds up to 70%.
So, a veteran with 50%, 30%, and 10% individual ratings would have a combined VA disability rating of 70%.
Important Considerations
- Special Monthly Compensation (SMC): This calculator only determines the combined percentage. It does not account for Special Monthly Compensation (SMC), which can be awarded for certain severe disabilities or combinations of disabilities, leading to higher compensation rates.
- Dependents: Your compensation amount also depends on whether you have dependents (spouse, children, parents).
- Effective Date: The effective date of your disability rating can impact the amount of back pay you receive.
- Official VA Decision: This calculator provides an estimate based on the VA's published rules. The official rating will always come from the VA after a thorough review of your claim.
If you have questions about your VA disability rating or compensation, it's always best to consult directly with the VA or a qualified veterans' advocate.