50% + 30% = 65%, not 80%. The VA uses a "whole person" efficiency formula that surprises almost every veteran. Calculate your VA combined disability rating here — then use the result to estimate your VA back pay.
Add each rated disability. Check "Bilateral" if it affects a paired extremity (both arms, both legs). Results update instantly.
The VA treats you as a whole person with 100% "efficiency." Each disability takes a percentage of whatever efficiency remains — not of the original 100%.
Think of it like stacking discounts: a 50% rating removes half your efficiency, leaving 50%. A 30% rating then removes 30% of that remaining 50% — which is only 15 points — leaving 35% efficiency. Combined rating = 100% − 35% = 65%, not 80%.
This is why combined ratings grow smaller the more conditions you add, and why reaching 100% through the schedule is essentially impossible regardless of how many conditions you have.
The legal source: This formula is codified at 38 CFR § 4.25. VA raters and BVA judges must follow it. Any combined rating that deviates from this formula is an error of law.
If you have service-connected disabilities affecting paired extremities — both arms, both legs, or a combination of one arm and one leg — you're entitled to a bilateral factor under 38 CFR § 4.26.
How it works:
Worked example: Left knee 30%, right knee 20%. Combined = 44%. Bilateral adjustment: 44% × 1.10 = 48.4% (rounds to 48%). That 48% now enters the rest of your combined-ratings calculation. Without the bilateral factor you'd use 44% — a 4-point swing that can flip your final rating by 10%.
The calculator above handles bilateral factor automatically. Check the "Bilateral" box on any extremity disability to include it.
Source: 38 CFR § 4.26 — Bilateral factor
These are the 2026 VA disability compensation rates (COLA-adjusted). Columns show a single veteran, veteran with spouse, and veteran with spouse plus one child. Additional dependents and Aid & Attendance adjustments are available at VA.gov.
| Rating | Monthly (single) | With spouse | With spouse + 1 child | Annual (single) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $171.23 | $171.23 | $171.23 | $2,054.76 |
| 20% | $338.49 | $338.49 | $338.49 | $4,061.88 |
| 30% | $524.31 | $586.91 | $630.55 | $6,291.72 |
| 40% | $755.28 | $840.53 | $897.03 | $9,063.36 |
| 50% | $1,075.16 | $1,183.62 | $1,253.24 | $12,901.92 |
| 60% | $1,361.88 | $1,493.59 | $1,576.36 | $16,342.56 |
| 70% | $1,716.28 | $1,871.75 | $1,967.76 | $20,595.36 |
| 80% | $1,995.01 | $2,174.16 | $2,283.42 | $23,940.12 |
| 90% | $2,241.91 | $2,444.51 | $2,566.87 | $26,902.92 |
| 100% | $3,737.85 | $3,946.25 | $4,087.86 | $44,854.20 |
Source: VA.gov 2026 Veterans Compensation Rates. At 10% and 20%, the spouse/child amounts are the same as the single-veteran rate (VA pays no additional for dependents at those tiers). Full tables including additional children and dependent parents are at VA.gov.
Once VA makes a rating decision, you're paid back to your effective date — the date VA received your claim (or the date you filed an Intent to File). Use this tool to estimate what you're owed.
Effective date basics: Your effective date is the later of: (1) the date VA received your formal claim, or (2) the date you filed an Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966). Filing an Intent to File locks your effective date and stops the clock while you gather supporting evidence. Learn more about Intent to File →
VA pays monthly on the 1st. Retroactive pay covers all full months from your effective date through the decision date.
How the backpay formula works: VA computes backpay as (monthly rate ÷ 30) × number of days owed from your effective date through the day before the rating decision. Full calendar months are paid at the full monthly rate; partial months use the daily-rate calculation. Payment is released on the 1st of the month following the decision. See the VA payment schedule →
These three examples show cases where adding ratings would give a completely wrong answer. The VA math consistently produces a lower combined figure than simple addition.
| Ratings | Wrong (simple addition) | Correct VA math | Rounded final |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50% + 30% | 80% | 65% | 70% |
| 60% + 40% + 20% | 120% (capped at 100%) | 80.8% → rounds to | 80% |
| 70% + 50% + 30% + 20% | 170% (impossible) | 87.3% → rounds to | 90% |
Notice that 60% + 40% + 20% doesn't reach 100% even though their sum exceeds it. This is deliberate VA policy: the whole-person model means no veteran can reach 100% through ratings accumulation alone regardless of how many conditions they add.
Your combined rating determines your compensation tier — but it also opens or closes other options.
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