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2026 VA Disability Calculator

Combine your service-connected ratings the way the VA actually does it — with the bilateral factor for paired limbs, dependents, education, Special Monthly Compensation, and your full annual economic impact.

Veteran reviewing a VA disability rating decision and benefit letters at a desk
Combined ratings method (38 CFR §4.25) + bilateral factor (38 CFR §4.26)·2026 rates (effective Dec 1, 2025)

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How VA disability math actually works

Before you use the calculator, it helps to understand why VA ratings don’t simply add up — and why every point matters as you climb toward 100%. Knowing this is how you catch a rating decision that shorted you.

A veteran reviewing VA benefits paperwork with a calculator at home

How Does the VA Calculate Combined Ratings?

Instead of adding your disability percentages together, the VA uses a “percentage of the healthy part” method. If you have a 10% disability, the VA considers you 90% healthy. A second 10% disability is applied to the remaining 90% — so 10% of 90 is 9%. Add that to your first 10% and your combined rating is 19%, which the VA rounds to the nearest 10% — so you’d be rated at 20%.

This makes it harder to reach higher ratings. For example, 50% for PTSD, 50% for sleep apnea, 20% for diabetes, and 20% for a back problem combine to 80% — even though the numbers add up to 140%. Each new rating is only applied to what is left of your “healthy” percentage.

A veteran with a lower-limb prosthetic standing confidently at home

Why Does This Matter?

The difference in compensation can be significant. A veteran at 80% with no dependents receives far less than one at 100% — the jump to 100% can nearly double the monthly payment for what looks like a small increase in rating. That is why every point matters as you approach the top of the scale.

Your family situation counts too. From 30% and up, adding a spouse, children, or dependent parents raises your monthly payment — so a small rating change can mean hundreds of dollars a month, and tens of thousands over a lifetime.

Higher ratings also unlock benefits beyond the monthly check. At 100% — or through TDIU — many veterans gain no-cost VA health care, CHAMPVA coverage for their family, state property-tax relief, and Chapter 35 education benefits for dependents.

A veteran and their family together at home, reflecting financial peace of mind

Other Factors That Affect Your Rating

The VA also considers other factors. If you have disabilities in both arms or both legs, these paired (“bilateral”) extremities are combined in a special way that can boost your overall percentage. And if you cannot work because of your service-connected disabilities, you may qualify for a 100% rating through Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

Two more factors carry real weight. Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) can pay above the 100% rate for the loss or loss of use of a limb, blindness, or the need for daily aid and attendance. And secondary conditions — new problems caused by a service-connected disability, such as depression stemming from chronic pain — can be rated and combined as well, raising your overall percentage.

Step 1

Enter your disabilities using the buttons below

Add each service-connected condition and the percentage the VA assigned. The calculator combines them the way the VA actually does it — not a simple sum.

  • • If a disability affects an arm or leg, first tap the matching extremity box, then pick the percentage — the bilateral factor is applied automatically when both sides of a pair are present.
  • • For any other condition, just tap a percentage in the non-extremity row.
  • • To change an extremity, tap its box again and re-select. To remove any entry, click it in the disabilities list below.

Upper Extremities

Lower Extremities

Select a rating (non-extremity condition)

Disabilities list (click to remove)

No ratings selected.

Step 2

Number of dependents

Your family can raise your monthly payment. Tell us who you support and we add the dependent amounts to your compensation — they apply at a 30% rating or higher.

How many dependent children are under the age of 18?

How many dependent children are between the ages of 18 and 24 (in school)?

How many dependent parents do you have?

Step 3

Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)

SMC is extra compensation above the regular rating tables for serious losses — like loss or loss of use of a limb, being housebound, or needing the daily aid and attendance of another person. SMC-K is an add-on paid on top of your pay for a qualifying loss (available at any rating). The base levels — housebound, aid & attendance — replace your pay and are typically granted at a 100% combined rating (or on a permanently-housebound or anatomical-loss basis). Select whichever levels the VA has actually granted you — you can select more than one. Open any card to learn how you qualify.

Current disability rating

0%

Your combined rating is 0%.

Your monthly payment amount is

$0.00

Tax-free. Based on 2026 VA rates effective December 1, 2025.

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Additional rating needed 100% to reach 100%.

Education

Education benefits (VR&E) calculator

Chapter 31 (VR&E) is available at a 10% disability rating or higher. Your estimated monthly subsistence allowance is based on your program type, attendance level, and number of dependents.

Chapter 31 (VR&E) is available at a 10% disability rating or higher. Add a rated condition above to estimate your subsistence allowance.

Monthly benefits breakdown

A clear, line-by-line pocket sheet. Your disability compensation, dependent amounts, any SMC, and the VR&E subsistence you may receive while in a program.

Base disability (veteran alone)

$0.00

Dependent benefits

Spouse, children, and dependent parents

$0.00

Education benefits (VR&E)

Monthly subsistence while enrolled

$0.00

Total monthly benefits

$0.00

What this means for living: about $0.00 a year in tax-free income before any earnings from work, retirement, or Social Security. If you cannot work because of your service-connected disabilities, ask about Individual Unemployability (TDIU), which pays at the 100% rate.

Annual economic impact 2026

The full picture over a year — the compensation you receive plus the estimated value of the health care and tax advantages your rating unlocks. Dollar values marked as estimates are illustrative, not VA-published amounts.

Annual disability compensation

Veteran compensation

$0.00

Dependent compensation

$0.00

Healthcare & wellness annual value

Veteran healthcare (est.)

$500.00

Dependent healthcare / CHAMPVA (est.)

$0.00

Additional economic benefits (annual)

Education benefits (VR&E)

$0.00

Tax-free savings (est. 22% bracket)

$0.00

Healthcare value notes

  • • 0–40%: Veterans may pay copays for non-service-connected care, which reduces the net healthcare value.
  • • 50%+: No copays required for covered care — the full healthcare value is realized.
  • • 100% P&T: Maximum healthcare benefits plus dependent (CHAMPVA) coverage.
  • • These dollar figures reflect a rough net benefit after typical copay costs — they are estimates, not VA-published amounts.

Total annual economic impact

$500.00

Eligible VA benefits

These are the doors that open at your 0% combined rating. Click any benefit to see what it is and how to get started. Benefits may vary by state and individual circumstances.

Medical benefits

Other benefits

State benefits & local resources

Many benefits — like property-tax exemptions and tuition waivers — are run by your state, not the federal VA. Enter your ZIP code to open your state veterans department and the VA facility locator for the nearest Vet Center.

  • • State and local benefits are administered outside the federal VA and vary widely by location.
  • • Vet Centers provide free, confidential counseling and readjustment services — no VA rating required.
  • • Always confirm current eligibility with your state veterans department and va.gov.

Lifetime economic impact

Your economic impact does not stop next year — it continues for the rest of your life. Enter your age and we project the same yearly value out to an average life expectancy of about 80.

Enter your age above to project your lifetime economic impact.

Don’t leave money on the table — let a specialist handle your claim

These numbers are estimates. A VA-accredited claims agent can review your rating, find benefits you may have missed, and file or appeal your claim for you. Your first case evaluation is free, with no obligation.

Get a free case evaluation

Think your combined rating came out too low?

If the VA denied or under-rated a condition tied to your service, tell an accredited agent what happened. We review your situation first and tell you honestly whether we can help.

An accredited agent personally reviews every request — we’ll reach out within 48 hours.

About this calculator

When you have more than one service-connected disability, the VA combines the ratings instead of adding them. Each rating is applied to the part of your body considered “whole” after the previous ratings, then the total is rounded to the nearest 10%. This snapshot also applies the bilateral factor when both arms or both legs are affected, and shows the benefits, education subsistence, and real-world dollar value your rating unlocks for your whole family.

Read the VA Disability Compensation guide

How to use it

  1. 1In Step 1, tap a percentage button to add a disability. For an arm or leg, first select the matching extremity box, then tap the percentage.
  2. 2Tap the same percentage again (or use the disabilities list) to remove it. The bilateral factor is applied automatically when both sides of a pair are present.
  3. 3In Step 2, set your marital status, children, and dependent parents.
  4. 4Review your combined rating, monthly payment, the benefits you qualify for, and your total annual economic impact.

What it covers

  • Official VA “whole person” combined ratings method with nearest-10% rounding
  • The bilateral factor for paired limbs (38 CFR §4.26)
  • Dependent compensation for a spouse, children, and parents
  • Chapter 31 (VR&E) monthly subsistence allowance estimates
  • The benefits each rating tier opens up, plus your annual economic impact

This snapshot provides an estimate only. The bilateral factor, VR&E eligibility, and Individual Unemployability involve detailed rules and a VA determination. This tool is not affiliated with the VA — the VA makes all final decisions about eligibility and payment amounts. Always confirm details at va.gov.

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Talk to a VA-accredited claims agent

We focus on veterans the VA has already denied or under-rated. We do not take brand-new (initial) claims, and we do not take every case. We’ll review your situation first and tell you honestly whether we can help.

Fees, straight up: 20% of past-due benefits recovered. Recovery only — never hourly. Nothing on first-time claims.

An accredited agent personally reviews every request — we’ll reach out within 48 hours.

702-992-4883

VA-Accredited Agent #45147 · No fee unless you win

VA-Accredited Claims Agent #45147

Think a denial or low rating was wrong?

Tell an accredited agent what happened. We review your situation first and tell you honestly whether we can help — before anyone signs anything.

An accredited agent personally reviews every request — we’ll reach out within 48 hours.

Call 702-992-4883