Question 1

How does the VA calculate a combined disability rating?

Accepted Answer

The VA uses the whole-person method, not simple addition. Starting with your highest-rated condition, the VA subtracts it from 100% to find your remaining efficiency. Each additional condition is then applied only to that remaining percentage — not your full capacity. The result is totaled and rounded to the nearest 10% to produce your official combined rating.

Question 2

Why do two 50% ratings not add up to 100%?

Accepted Answer

Because the VA applies each condition only to your remaining functional capacity, not your total capacity. A 50% rating leaves 50% remaining. The second 50% condition is then applied to that 50% remainder — adding only 25% — producing a raw combined of 75%, which rounds to 80%. This is why VA math always produces a number lower than simple addition.

Question 3

What is the bilateral factor and when does it apply?

Accepted Answer

The bilateral factor is a 10% bonus the VA applies when a veteran has rated disabilities affecting both sides of paired body parts — both arms, both legs, both hands, both feet, both ears, or both eyes. The VA first combines the bilateral conditions separately, adds 10% of that subtotal as a bonus, then combines everything with the remaining non-bilateral conditions. The bonus often pushes veterans into the next rating bracket.

Question 4

Is VA disability compensation taxable income?

Accepted Answer

No. VA disability compensation is completely tax-free under federal law, regardless of the amount. It is not reported on your federal or state income tax return and does not count as earned income for Social Security, Medicaid, or most means-tested benefit programs. This tax-free status applies to all disability ratings from 10% through 100%.

Question 5

What does TDIU mean and how does it affect my monthly payment?

Accepted Answer

TDIU stands for Total Disability Individual Unemployability. It allows a veteran whose service-connected disabilities prevent substantially gainful employment to receive the 100% disability pay rate — currently $3,938.58 per month — even if their combined rating is less than 100%. A veteran at 70% without TDIU receives $1,808.45 per month; with TDIU that increases to $3,938.58 — a difference of more than $25,000 per year.

Question 6

How often does the VA reassess or reduce a disability rating?

Accepted Answer

The VA may schedule a future examination — typically within 2 to 5 years of an initial rating decision — to determine whether a condition has improved. However, ratings protected by the 5-year, 10-year, and 20-year rules receive increasing stability. A rating continuously in place for 20 years cannot be reduced below the lowest rating it has held during that period, making long-established ratings essentially permanent.

Question 7

Can I add a new condition to an existing VA disability claim?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Veterans can file a supplemental claim to add new service-connected conditions at any time, even years after the original rating decision. A new claim requires evidence of a current diagnosis, an in-service event or injury, and a medical nexus connecting the two. Adding conditions through supplemental claims often increases the combined rating and monthly compensation.

Rating	Veteran alone	With spouse
30%	$552.47	$617.47
50%	$1,132.90	$1,241.90
70%	$1,808.45	$1,961.45
100%	$3,938.58	$4,158.17

Condition	DC	Tiers	Notes
PTSD	9411	0% / 10% / 30% / 50% / 70% / 100%	Rated under General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. 70% is the most common rating for combat-related PTSD.
Major Depressive Disorder	9434	0% / 10% / 30% / 50% / 70% / 100%	Same mental-disorder formula as PTSD. Only one mental-health rating is assigned even with multiple diagnoses.
Anxiety Disorder	9400	0% / 10% / 30% / 50% / 70% / 100%	Includes generalized anxiety and panic disorder. Combined with other mental conditions into a single rating.
Tinnitus	6260	10%	Capped at 10% — same rating whether unilateral or bilateral. The most-claimed VA disability.
Hearing Loss	6100	0% / 10% / 20% / 30% / 40% / 50% / 60% / 70% / 80% / 90% / 100%	Rated using Maryland CNC speech and puretone thresholds. Most veterans rate 0–10% even with significant loss.
Sleep Apnea	6847	0% / 30% / 50% / 100%	50% rating with prescribed CPAP. Requires polysomnography (sleep study) for diagnosis.
Asthma	6602	10% / 30% / 60% / 100%	Rated by FEV-1 / FEV-1/FVC ratios and need for inhalational/oral medication.
Sinusitis	6513	0% / 10% / 30% / 50%	Rated by frequency of incapacitating episodes per year requiring antibiotics.

Free VA Disability Calculator

Add Your Service-Connected Conditions

Your Dependents (for pay calculation)

How VA Combined Ratings Work

2026 VA Disability Compensation Rates

Common VA Disability Conditions

VA Disability Calculator FAQ

Is your VA rating accurate?