🧠How VA Disability Ratings Work

What it is

A plain-language tour of the VA rating system: where condition percentages come from, how they combine, and which rules (the rating schedule, 38 CFR 4.25, the bilateral factor) control each step.

How it works

VA raters apply the Schedule for Rating Disabilities to the medical evidence for each service-connected condition. The resulting percentages combine under the descending-order remaining-capacity method, with the bilateral factor for paired limbs, then round to the nearest 10 for payment.

Getting the most from it

1. Read how a single condition gets its percentage from the rating schedule criteria.
2. Follow the combination walkthrough to see why percentages never simply add.
3. Try your own numbers in the combined-rating calculator, which animates the same rules.

Reading your result

Treat the page as a map of the rules, each linked to its official text. Where your situation and the general rule diverge, the rule as VA applies it to your evidence controls.

What it can't tell you

This is education about public regulations — it is not claims assistance, cannot evaluate evidence, and does not predict outcomes. Accredited representatives (searchable on VA's OGC directory) are the only people authorized to assist with claims for a fee.