How VA Combined Ratings Really Work (Why 70% + 40% Isn’t 110%)
The VA does not add your ratings together. It combines them with “VA math,” and the result is almost always lower than you expect. Here is exactly how it works.
One of the most common surprises veterans run into is that the VA does not add your disability ratings together. If you have a 70% rating and a 40% rating, your combined rating is not 110% — and it is not even close.
The “whole person” idea
The VA treats you as starting at 100% healthy. Each disability takes a percentage out of what is left, not out of the original 100%. So your first (highest) rating comes off the full 100%, and every rating after that only applies to the health you have remaining.
A worked example
- Start at 100% healthy.
- A 70% disability leaves you with 30% “efficiency.”
- The next 40% disability applies to that remaining 30% — so it removes 12% more (40% of 30%).
- 30% minus 12% leaves 18% efficiency, which means an 82% disability — rounded to 80%.
That is why 70% and 40% combine to 80%, not 110%. The order matters too: the VA always starts with your highest rating.
Why rounding matters
The final number is rounded to the nearest 10%. That rounding step is what pushes many veterans just over — or just under — an important threshold. A single additional rating can be the difference between a 90% and a 100% combined rating, and the pay gap between those is significant.
Do the math automatically
Combined Rating Calculator
Enter each of your ratings and see your true combined rating, including the bilateral factor and rounding.
The bilateral factor
If you have disabilities affecting both arms, both legs, or paired muscle groups, the VA adds an extra bilateral factor before combining. It is a small boost, but it is easy to miss when you estimate by hand — and it can move your rounded total.
Want the full breakdown of how compensation is rated and paid? Read our Disability Compensation guide.
This article is general information and every figure is an estimate. Your actual rating depends on the VA’s decision. We are not the VA.
Every figure on this site is an estimate that depends on your specific situation and the VA’s decision. If you’d like a real person to look at your case, Albert Thombs is a VA-accredited claims agent (accreditation #45147). Reviews are free and no-obligation — there’s no pressure and no fee unless we win. This article is general information, not legal advice, and we are not the VA.
