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VA Math — Complete Guide + 2026 Pay Rates

One page for everyone: Veterans, VSOs, and Attorneys. Choose your view, study the logic, and run the calculator with 2026 pay‑rate estimates (dependents + spouse A&A).

Plain‑English Explainer (Veteran)

  • Start at 100%. Think: full tank of ability.
  • Biggest number first. Apply ratings from highest to lowest.
  • Percent of what’s left. 30% takes 30% of what remains, not 30% of the original 100.
  • Round twice: each step to a whole number, then final to the nearest 10 (5 rounds up).
  • Bilateral factor: if both arms or both legs are rated, that pair gets +10% of the pair’s combined value before mixing with other ratings.
Example: 50% + 30% Start 100 → take 50% = 50 → left 50 → take 30% of 50 = 15 → total 65 → round to nearest 10 = 70%

Deepest Dive — What, Why, and How

theory + practice
1) Why “remaining efficiency” 2) Two levels of rounding 3) Bilateral factor theory 4) Exact steps you’ll follow 5) Walkthroughs 6) Sanity checks 7) Edge cases & gotchas 8) Glossary

1) Why “remaining efficiency”

Each rating removes a slice of your remaining capacity. This avoids totals greater than 100% and better reflects compounding loss. The smooth (no rounding) model is 100 × [1 − Π(1 − rᵢ/100)]. VA then applies step rounding during the process, which our calculator mirrors.

2) Two levels of rounding

3) Bilateral factor theory

When both sides of a pair (arms or legs) are impaired, function drops more than simple addition suggests. VA adds 10% of the pair’s combined value to that pair before combining with everything else.

B = combine(pair).combined BF = round(0.10 × B) B′ = min(100, B + BF) // treat as a single rating

4) Exact steps you’ll follow

1
Sort ratings high → low.
2
Initialize combined = 0.
3
Apply next rating r to what remains: add = round((100 − combined) × r / 100); update combined = min(100, combined + add).
4
Build bilateral blocks (arms/legs), add +10% of the block’s combined value, then treat as one rating.
5
Final rounding to nearest 10 (5→up).

5) Walkthroughs (every intermediate)

ScenarioEvery stepFinal
50% + 30% 50% of 100 = 50 → combined 50; 30% of 50 = 15 → combined 65; final round → 70%. 70%
70% + 40% + 20% 70% of 100 = 70 → combined 70; 40% of 30 = 12 → 82; 20% of 18 = 3.6 ≈ 4 → 86; final → 90%. 90%
Knees 30 & 20 (bilateral) + back 40 Knees: 30 of 100 = 30 → B=30; 20 of 70 = 14 → B=44; BF 10%×44=4.4≈4 → B′=48; combine B′ with 40: 48 of 100=48, 40 of 52=20.8≈21 → 69 → 70%. 70%

6) Sanity checks

7) Edge cases & gotchas

8) Glossary

VA Math Calculator (2026 pay rates)

Sorts automatically, applies per‑step rounding, handles bilateral factor, and shows estimated 2026 monthly pay with dependents & spouse A&A. Verify against VA.gov when final tables post.

At 10% and 20% the VA doesn’t pay dependent add-ons. Children/A&A add-ons apply at 30%+ only. Numbers here are 2026 estimates.
Combined (before final rounding)
—
Final VA Combined Rating
—
Estimated 2026 Monthly Pay
—
Basis
Veteran alone

Step‑by‑Step Log


      

    

  
    


    
    

      
Eight Worked Examples — 0% → 100% (multiple items claimed)

      
Each example shows the discrete VA method: apply each rating to what’s left, round each step to a whole number, then round the final to the nearest 10%. Bilateral cases build the pair first, add +10% of that pair, then combine with others.


      

        
          
#Scenario (multiple items)Step-by-step mathRaw combinedFinal VA rating

        
        
          
          

            1
            0% + 0% + 0%
            Start 100 → 0% adds 0 three times → combined stays 0
            0%
            0%
          


          
          

            2
            10% + 0% + 0%
            10% of 100 = 10 → combined 10 → remaining 90 → 0% adds 0 twice
            10%
            10%
          


          
          

            3
            10% + 10%
            10% of 100 = 10 → combined 10; 10% of 90 = 9 → combined 19
            19%
            20%
          


          
          

            4
            10% + 10% + 10%
            10% of 100 = 10 → 10; 10% of 90 = 9 → 19; 10% of 81 = 8.1 ≈ 8 → 27
            27%
            30%
          


          
          

            5
            30% + 10% + 10%
            30% of 100 = 30 → 30; 10% of 70 = 7 → 37; 10% of 63 = 6.3 ≈ 6 → 43
            43%
            40%
          


          
          

            6
            Legs (bilateral): 30% & 20% + Back 10%
            
              Build bilateral: 30% of 100 = 30 → B=30; 20% of 70 = 14 → B=44;

              Bilateral factor: 10% of 44 = 4.4 ≈ 4 → B′=48;

              Combine with back 10%: 48% of 100 = 48 → 48; 10% of 52 = 5.2 ≈ 5 → 53
            		
            53%
            50%
          


          
          

            7
            50% + 40% + 30%
            50% of 100 = 50 → 50; 40% of 50 = 20 → 70; 30% of 30 = 9 → 79
            79%
            80%
          


          
          

            8
            100% + 20% + 10%
            100% of 100 = 100 → combined hits 100; further ratings add 0 (ceiling)
            100%
            100%
          

        
      


      

        Notes: (1) The VA’s two rounds—per-step whole numbers and final nearest-10—often make results lower than simple addition. (2) 0% ratings don’t change the math but are shown here to illustrate multi-item claims. (3) In bilateral cases, don’t double-count items in the general list and the bilateral group.