VA Disability Compensation Calculator

The VA uses "whole person" math, not simple addition. Start with 100% representing a fully healthy body. Your highest rating reduces that by its percentage - a 50% rating leaves 50% remaining. Each subsequent rating applies to the remaining percentage, not the original 100%. So a second 30% disability applies to that remaining 50%, adding only 15 percentage points, bringing the combined total to 65%. The formula is: combined% = 100 minus the product of (1 minus each rating expressed as a decimal). The VA rounds the final result to the nearest 10% for payment purposes.

The bilateral factor is an additional rating bonus that applies when a veteran has ratable disabilities in both arms, both legs, or paired extremities (such as both knees or both shoulders). After combining the paired limb ratings using standard VA math, the VA adds 10% of that combined rating as a bilateral factor before continuing to combine remaining disabilities. For example, if you have a 20% right knee and 20% left knee, combined they equal 36% - the bilateral factor adds 10% of 36% (3.6 points), bringing the bilateral subtotal to approximately 39-40% before combining with other disabilities. This bonus recognizes the extra functional impact of bilateral impairment.

2026 monthly tax-free compensation rates by combined rating (veteran alone, no dependents): 10% approximately $175, 20% approximately $346, 30% approximately $537, 40% approximately $773, 50% approximately $1,102, 60% approximately $1,395, 70% approximately $1,759, 80% approximately $2,044, 90% approximately $2,297, 100% approximately $3,831. Adding dependents - a spouse, children, or dependent parents - increases monthly payments by $50 to over $200 per dependent depending on rating level. Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) tiers provide additional amounts for loss of use, loss of limb, or aid-and-attendance needs beyond the standard rate table.

Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) allows eligible veterans to receive compensation at the 100% rate even when their combined disability rating is below 100%. To qualify, a veteran must be rated at 60% or higher for a single service-connected disability, or 70% or higher combined with at least one disability rated at 40% or more, AND be unable to maintain substantially gainful employment. Roughly 350,000 veterans currently receive TDIU. Sheltered employment, self-employment, or marginal work (income below the federal poverty threshold) may still be permitted. File VA Form 21-8940 to apply.

The 2022 Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson PACT Act added more than 23 new presumptive conditions for veterans with burn-pit exposure from service in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other post-9/11 combat zones, and expanded the Agent Orange presumptive list for Vietnam-era veterans. A "presumptive" condition means the VA legally assumes a service connection without requiring the veteran to prove causation, making claims faster to process and more frequently approved. Approximately 6 million veterans became newly eligible under the PACT Act. As of early 2025, the VA had approved over 1 million PACT Act-related claims.