Veterans Benefits › VA rating calculator

Why 50 + 30 is not 80

VA math works on what it calls efficiency. A 50% rating leaves you 50% efficient. A second 30% rating then takes 30% of what is left — not 30% of the whole. That lands at 65, and VA rounds to the nearest 10. So a 50 and a 30 combine to 70%, not 80%. The rule is public law, at 38 CFR 4.25, and this tool follows it exactly — including the final rounding step, where values ending in 5 round up.

What this tool can and cannot do

This does the math on ratings VA already gave you. It cannot tell you what rating you would get for a condition — only a VA rater decides that. That is why there is no place here to type a condition, a symptom, or a diagnosis. Any site that promises "your PTSD rating" or "your back pay" from a symptom list is guessing about a decision only VA can make.

What a combined rating is worth

VA publishes the exact monthly amount for each combined rating and family situation, updated with each cost-of-living raise. We do not copy those figures here — read them straight from the source: VA's current compensation rate table. Ratings of 30% and up add more for a spouse, children, or dependent parents.

Common results

A few worked examples, straight from the rule: 50 + 30 combines to 65 and rounds to 70%. A 60, 40, and 20 combine to 81 and round to 80%. Three 30s combine to 66 and round to 70%. Notice the pattern — each added rating moves the total less than the one before it.