Check your VA math
Why doesn't 50 + 30 + 20 add up to 100%?
Because the VA doesn't add your ratings — it combines them. Each new disability only applies to the part of you that's still “whole.” A 50% rating leaves 50% of the person; a 30% rating then applies to that remaining 50%, and so on. Add the official rounding and the bilateral factor, and the result is almost never what simple math would suggest.
Worked example: 50%, 30%, and 20%
- Start with the highest — 50%.That leaves 50% of the person “whole.”
- Add 30%. 30% of the remaining 50 is 15, so 50 + 15 = 65%.
- Add 20%. 20% of the remaining 35 is 7, so 65 + 7 = 72%.
- Round to the nearest 10% → 70%. Not 100%.
Upload your rating decision — free math check
Drop a PDF or photo of your VA rating decision letter. Valor extracts the individual percentages, recomputes your combined rating using 38 CFR §4.25/§4.26, and flags when the VA's stated number doesn't match. Nothing is saved unless you create an account.
Estimate your combined rating
Estimated VA combined rating
40%
Whole-person value 44% before rounding to the nearest 10%.
Estimate only. The VA combines ratings with its official §4.25 table (not simple addition) and rounds to the nearest 10%. Your VA rating decision is what controls — this tool is for understanding, not a guarantee.
Have a rating decision letter? Upload it for a free VA math audit — we'll check whether the VA's combined rating matches the individual percentages.
What is the bilateral factor?
When you have disabilities affecting botharms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles, the VA combines those paired ratings first and then adds an extra 10% of that value (38 CFR §4.26) before combining with everything else. Check “affects a paired limb” on each qualifying condition and the calculator accounts for it.
Educational tool only. ValorAI does not set or decide VA disability ratings — the VA does. This calculator estimates the combined rating from the individual ratings you enter using the published §4.25 combined-ratings method; your official VA rating decision controls.