VA Disability Rating Calculator (Combined)

Veterans carrying several service-connected conditions need a way to translate individual ratings into the single combined figure the VA actually pays on, including the agency's 'bilateral factor' adjustment. That combined rating drives your monthly compensation, and the 2026 rates carry the newest cost-of-living adjustments. To put the stakes in perspective, a 100% rating in 2026 can exceed $3,800 per month for a single veteran.

Rather than summing percentages, the VA works from a 'Combined Rating Table' paired with a defined rounding step. This tool applies the bilateral factor where it fits: when disabilities affect both sides of the body, such as both knees or both ears, an extra 10% is added to the combined rating of those paired conditions before they are folded into the rest. The final combined rating is then rounded to the nearest 10%, with anything at 5% or above rounding upward.

The trap many people fall into is adding their percentages straight across; the VA's system is never additive and always builds outward from your single highest rating. Identifying which conditions genuinely qualify for the bilateral factor is worth the effort, since it can meaningfully lift the final number. Rounding decides the edge cases too: a 74% combined rating settles at 70%, while a 75% rating climbs to 80%.