The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) assigns a disability rating to veterans who have service-connected conditions. This rating, expressed as a percentage, reflects the severity of your condition(s) and plays a crucial role in determining the benefits you may be eligible for, including financial compensation, healthcare, and benefits for your dependents. Understanding how these ratings are determined is vital for every veteran when reviewing clinical documentation. At Woobie, we provide medical evaluations and nexus letters based solely on clinical judgment. Our services include documenting symptoms, diagnoses, and functional limitations. We comply fully with SB 694; our fees are for medical services only and are not contingent on claim outcomes.
How the VA Assigns Disability Ratings
The VA assigns disability ratings ranging from 0% to 100%, in increments of 10%, based on medical examinations and evaluations. These assessments consider the impact of your service-connected disability on your ability to work and perform daily activities. It’s important to remember that a 100% rating doesn’t necessarily mean you are 100% disabled in the traditional sense, but rather that your service-connected condition(s) are considered completely disabling for the purposes of VA benefits, particularly your ability to maintain substantially gainful employment.
The VA uses a unique system called “VA Math” to calculate a combined disability rating when a veteran has multiple service-connected disabilities. This system does not simply add up the individual ratings. Instead, it starts with the highest rating and then considers the impact of each subsequent disability on the remaining unaffected portion of your health. This combined rating is then rounded to the nearest 10%, which determines your level of monthly compensation.
For example: If a veteran has a 70% disability rating for PTSD and a 50% rating for sleep apnea, the combined rating is NOT 120%. Instead, the VA might calculate it as follows:
- Start with the highest rating: 70% for PTSD, leaving 30% of your overall health considered unaffected.
- Calculate the impact of the 50% sleep apnea rating on the remaining 30%: 50% of 30% = 15%.
- Add this 15% to the initial 70%: 70% + 15% = 85%.
- Round up to the nearest 10%: 85% rounds up to a 90% combined disability rating.
Understanding this “VA Math” is important for veterans with multiple disabilities to accurately anticipate how their clinical diagnoses are weighted together.
How Your Disability Percentage Unlocks Benefits
Different disability percentages unlock various benefits. Here’s a general overview: