VA disability compensation is based on the average impairment in earning capacity caused by service-connected disabilities. The schedule in 38 CFR Part 4 assigns each condition a diagnostic code and percentage. A rating is not a medical severity score, a pain score, or a prediction of employability. The evidence must match the words and thresholds in the code that applies to the disability. Review the decision letter and the diagnostic code, not just the headline combined percentage.
Individual ratings and VA math
The VA rates each service-connected condition separately in 10-percent increments, including a possible 0-percent rating. It then combines the ratings under 38 CFR § 4.25. The combined value represents the remaining efficiency of the whole person; ratings are not added like ordinary arithmetic. Start with the highest rating, subtract it from 100, and apply the next rating to what remains. A 50% disability leaves 50% efficiency. A 30% disability uses 30% of that remaining 50%, or 15 points, producing 65 before rounding. The combined-ratings table supplies a whole-number intermediate value after each step. Only after all disabilities are combined is the final value converted to the nearest degree divisible by 10; do not round an intermediate value to the nearest 10.
Use the official Combined Ratings Table or Claim Raven's VA disability calculator. A calculator is an arithmetic check, not a decision about whether a condition is service connected or which diagnostic code fits. A 0% rating still establishes service connection and may matter for future increases or other eligibility, but it does not produce monthly compensation by itself.
The bilateral factor
The bilateral factor in 38 CFR § 4.26 is a special calculation for compensable disabilities affecting both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles. First combine the right-side and left-side disabilities as one group under § 4.25. Then add 10% of that bilateral group to the group itself. The resulting bilateral value is combined with other disabilities under the normal table. It is not a flat 10 percentage points and it does not apply merely because two unrelated conditions happen to be on opposite sides of the body. Under the current rule, VA does not apply the bilateral factor when including it would produce a lower combined evaluation than calculating the same disabilities without it. The regulation's paired-extremity and paired-muscle language controls; confirm that the diagnostic codes and anatomical findings qualify. Ask VA to explain the calculation if the code sheet omits or misapplies the factor.
What common percentages mean
- 0%: Service connection is recognized, but the schedule does not provide monthly compensation at that level.
- 10% and 20%: Compensable ratings, generally without the dependent allowance that begins at 30%.
- 30% or more: VA can add eligible amounts for a spouse, child, or dependent parent after a dependency claim. See Chapter 27: Dependents and Family Benefits.
- 50% or more: Higher compensation and, for many veterans, priority access to VA health-care enrollment; verify the current health-care rules with VA because payment and health-care programs use different eligibility tests.
- 70%: A common threshold in the schedular criteria for a possible TDIU path, but TDIU also requires unemployability evidence and the applicable § 4.16 requirements.
- 100% schedular: The schedule finds total impairment for the rated conditions. It is different from TDIU and from a finding that the total disability is permanent.
The 50% veteran-alone compensation rate effective December 1, 2025 is $1,132.90 under the VA rate table. Rates, dependency amounts, and special monthly compensation change; do not rely on an undated chart.
TDIU and Permanent and Total
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) can pay at the 100% rate when service-connected disabilities prevent substantially gainful employment even though the schedular combination is below 100%. The schedular thresholds in 38 CFR § 4.16(a) are one disability at 60% or more, or one disability at 40% or more with a combined rating of 70% or more (with rules for treating certain disabilities as one). VA can also refer exceptional cases under § 4.16(b). TDIU is about service-connected employability, not a promise that a veteran can never work. See Chapter 23: TDIU.
Permanent and Total (P&T) generally means VA has found total disability reasonably certain to continue for life and no routine future examination is scheduled. P&T is not the same as a 100% schedular code or TDIU. A P&T finding can affect dependent programs such as CHAMPVA and Chapter 35, but each program has its own eligibility rules. A later claim, evidence of material improvement, or an administrative error can still require review; do not treat P&T as an absolute promise that no future action is possible.
Building a rating record
Tie each claimed symptom to the diagnostic code's criteria and to functional limits. Treatment records, range-of-motion measurements, pulmonary testing, work records, medication side effects, and credible lay statements can fill different parts of the record. At a C&P exam, describe ordinary functioning over time without coaching yourself toward your “worst day”; accuracy and consistency matter. A new diagnosis does not automatically equal a higher percentage. If the rating is too low, compare the evidence to the code, identify the earliest factually ascertainable severity, and use the increased-rating chapter or an appropriate appeal lane.