So in reality, this veteran is considered 70% disabled. However, the VA only pays in increments of 10% – and they round down sums of 5 and under. That 3% combined that with the 70% disability from before is 73%. If that soldier were to file another claim for a back condition, and the VA rated that back condition at 10% – they will calculate that 10% rating based on that percentage of the 30% ability. If, when you left the military you received a disability rating, that rating percentage is going to come out of your 100% ability.įor example, if a soldier had a rating for PTSD of 70% – the VA will look at this soldier as 70% disabled, which means he’s now has 30% ability. Basically, you are as fit as you can be when the military enlisted you, what is known as 100% ability. When you first enlisted into the military – you were considered 100% able-bodied. Another thing to keep in mind, is the VA will always start with your highest rating, and will calculate from there. It’s really more of a combination of percentages and rules that can get quite confusing if you try to do the math in your head.

The first thing you need to remember is that the math used by the VA is not based on simple addition.

If so, you will find this video extremely informative. It all seems so confusing and it makes no sense mathematically…sound familiar? If you’re a veteran and have more than one disability rating from the VA you may be wondering how the VA actually calculated your overall disability rating.

Va disability math calculator