Looking for a VA disability calculator? Ever wonder how the VA rates multiple disabilities? Well, this post is for you!
It is much easier for a veteran to get several rated disabilities to add up to a cumulative score of 95% or higher than it is to get one single disability rated at 100%… but that doesn’t mean that the VA makes it easy to score that high cumulative rating.
Even math is complicated at the VA. Since most disabled veterans have more than one service-connected disability, many people wonder how the VA rates multiple disabilities. The answer can be found in the Combined Ratings Table.
How does the VA combine ratings with the VA combined ratings table?
Of course, nothing is simple with the Department of Veterans Affairs. You can’t simply get two 50% ratings and receive 100% compensation. Their combined ratings table makes it nearly impossible for veterans to reach that 95% rating.
As you can see from the chart below, it becomes harder and harder to get an increase as you approach 100%. Sure, two 10% ratings add up to 19%… but a 70% and a 40% only add up to an 82% rating.
To use the combined ratings table, you must do the following:
- List the disabilities by severity, with the highest-rated disability first.
- Find the percentage of the largest disability in the left column and the degree of the second-largest disability on the top row.
- Find the box where the column and the row intersect. This is the combined rating for those two disabilities.
- IF you have another disability, find the combined disability rating (not rounded) on the left column of the VA combined rating table. Find the degree of the next-highest disability on the top row. Find the box where the column and row intersect. This is the new combined rating for your service-connected disabilities. Repeat this step until you’ve combined all the disabilities.
- Round your final combined rating to the nearest 10% to find your total combined disability rating.
For example, a veteran with a 70%, 40%, 30% and 10% disability would first combine 70% and 40%… and then combine the new number, 82%, with the 30% disability to get 87%. The final 10% increase would leave you with just an 88% combined rating.
As you can see, the table is quite literally stacked against you.
Keep it easy – use this disability calculator from MicroHealth!
It can be difficult to get higher than 80% using the VA combined ratings table.
The ratings schedule does not even offer a 100% evaluation for many disabilities. Migraines, for example, do not exceed a 50% level in the schedule. To get 50%, the veteran must suffer “very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.”
Basically, even if the migraines are so severe that they seriously impact your ability to work, you’ll still only be considered 50% disabled.
You can get a 100% VA disability with Total Disability due to Individual Unemployability.
Over 90% of veterans who are compensated at the 100% VA disability benefit level receive extra compensation through the Total Disability due to Individual Unemployability (TDIU or IU) program. Find out if you qualify (and how to claim it) by clicking here!
Nicole Thelin
Nicole is the founder and lead researcher of Low Income Relief. After a personal experience with poverty and homelessness following her husband's sudden medical discharge from the U.S. Army, Nicole discovered the life-changing impact of community resources. This experience ignited her passion for empowering others to navigate similar crises. Nicole launched her writing career at age 16, working for various newspapers and publications. Her commitment to in-depth research and accessible content has been recognized by Google for Publishers and other industry leaders. For over 20 years, she has applied her investigative skills to uncover the most helpful, up-to-date information on benefits programs and community resources, ensuring Low Income Relief maintains the most extensive resource databases available.