When it comes to VA disability compensation, service connection is the foundation. Before any percentages are calculated or monthly payments are determined, VA must first recognize your disability is connected to your military service. Without that recognition, no rating—no matter how deserved it might feel—can exist. Think of it like building a house: service connection is the foundation; the rating is the number of floors you get to build on top of it. No foundation, no house.
Once service connection is established, VA assigns a percentage rating to each condition based on its severity. This rating represents how much that disability affects your overall health and ability to function. But here’s where some Veterans get tripped up—what’s known as “VA Math.”
Many assume VA simply adds each rating together, but that’s not how it works. VA’s system is based on the principle that a person can never be more than 100% able-bodied (“whole person theory”). Ratings are applied in order from highest to lowest, each one reducing the remaining “healthy” portion of the Veteran’s body.
For example, let’s say a Veteran has the following ratings: 50%, 50%, 20%, 10%, 10%, and 10%.
- Start at 100% healthy.
- Apply the first 50% rating: 50% of the body is disabled, leaving 50% healthy.
- Apply the next 50% to the remaining healthy half: 50% of 50% = 25%. Add that to the disabled portion (50% + 25% = 75% disabled).
- Apply 20% to the remaining 25% healthy: 20% of 25% = 5%. Add that (75% + 5% = 80% disabled).
- Apply the first 10% to the remaining 20%: 10% of 20% = 2%. Add it (80% + 2% = 82% disabled).
- Apply the next 10% to the remaining 18%: 10% of 18% = 1.8%. Add it (82% + 1.8% = 83.8% disabled).
- Apply the final 10% to the remaining 16.2%: 10% of 16.2% = 1.62%. Add it (83.8% + 1.62% = 85.42% disabled).
VA rounds this final number to the nearest 10 (1-4 down, 5-9 up), so 85.42% becomes 90%. Even with an additional 50% rating, the math works out to 92.71%, which is still a 90% combined rating.
If that still feels confusing, think of it like this: the first rating is the biggest slice of the pie, and each additional rating takes a slice out of whatever’s left—not out of the whole pie again.
For those who want to see the math done for them, the VA offers a combined disability rating calculator and a detailed explanation of the process at: www.va.gov/disability/about-disability-ratings/.
Brad Anderson and Melissa Crandall are the Lake County Veterans Service Officers and can be reached at 218.834.8326 or cvso@co.lake.mn.us
Karen Christianson is the Cook County Veterans Service Officer and can be reached at 218.387.3639, or karen.christianson@co.cook.mn.us
