VA Disability Ratings Explained

When a veteran files a disability claim, the VA assigns a percentage rating to each service-connected condition, based on how much that condition affects the veteran's ability to function. Ratings generally run in 10% increments, from 0% to 100%. Understanding how those individual ratings combine into one overall number is one of the most commonly misunderstood parts of the system.

This guide is educational only. It is not legal advice, not a prediction of your rating, and not affiliated with the VA. Always verify current compensation rates and rating criteria on VA.gov.

What it is

A VA disability rating is the VA’s way of expressing the severity of a service-connected condition for compensation purposes. Each rated condition gets its own percentage. Those individual percentages are then combined into a single “combined” rating that drives many compensation calculations.

A 0% rating can still matter: it can establish service connection even when no monthly compensation attaches at that level, which may become relevant if the condition worsens later. A 100% schedular rating means the combined (or single-condition) evaluation is total under the rating schedule — which is different from other pathways such as TDIU (covered in our TDIU basics guide).

How it’s usually organized

Individual ratings vs. combined rating

A common assumption is that a 30% rating plus a 20% rating equals 50%. That’s not how the VA’s combined ratings method works. Instead, the VA treats each condition as reducing a veteran’s remaining “efficiency,” starting from a whole person at 100%.

In practice, each additional rating is applied to whatever percentage of overall function is left after prior ratings — not to the original 100%. Combining several individual ratings almost always produces a lower total than simple addition would suggest. The VA publishes a combined ratings table to standardize the math.

A simplified illustration

Picture 100% as a whole. A 30% rating leaves 70% of remaining function. A second condition rated at 20% is then applied to that remaining 70%, not to the original 100% — meaning it accounts for less than a straight 20 points off the top. The official combined ratings table handles this calculation and then rounds to the nearest 10%.

Bilateral factors and other adjustments

Some combinations (for example, certain paired limb conditions) may involve additional bilateral-factor concepts in the official tables. Treat those as “look it up on VA.gov / ask an accredited rep,” not as something to reconstruct from memory or from a social media chart.

What to verify on VA.gov

• The current combined ratings table and how rounding works.
• The rating schedule language for your specific condition categories (criteria change over time).
• Current compensation rate tables (including dependents) — rates adjust periodically.
• How your decision letter describes each condition’s evaluation and effective date.

Because rates and criteria change, always check the current published numbers on VA.gov rather than relying on a figure you saw elsewhere — including here.

Common gotchas

• Adding ratings on a napkin. Simple addition almost always overstates the combined result.
• Ignoring 0% conditions. Service connection still matters for future increases and secondary conditions discussions.
• Mixing “schedular 100%” with TDIU. They are related conversations but different pathways — see TDIU basics.
• Assuming internet calculators are official. Use them only as study aids; the VA decision and official tables control.
• Forgetting dependents. Compensation amounts can change with dependent status — verify current rules on VA.gov.

Next free steps

• Organize records with the free VA claim document checklist.
• If employment is the issue more than the percentage math, read TDIU basics.
• If you disagree with a decision, skim claims & appeals so you recognize the review lanes.
• When DIY reading isn’t enough, read when to talk to an accredited rep.

Where to verify

Combined ratings tables, rating schedules, and compensation rates are published on the official VA website (va.gov). Confirm anything that affects money or deadlines there — or with an accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO), claims agent, or attorney.