This surprises nearly everyone the first time. The VA calls the method the "whole person theory." The idea is that you start out 100% whole. Your highest rating takes its share of that. Each rating after that takes its share of what is left, not of the original 100%.
The math, step by step
- Put your ratings in order, highest first.
- Start with the highest. A 50% rating leaves you 50% "whole."
- Apply the next rating to what is left. A 30% rating takes 30% of the remaining 50%, which is 15%. Your combined value is now 65%.
- Keep going for each additional rating, always working on what is left.
- When you are done, round to the nearest 10%. Values ending in 1 to 4 round down, 5 to 9 round up. So 65% becomes 70%.
That is why 50 and 30 make 70, and why adding a new 10% rating to a veteran who is already at 90% may not move the final number at all.
Two things a calculator can't see
- The bilateral factor. When you have ratings on both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles, the VA combines those first and adds 10% of that combined value before folding in everything else. It is a small bump, but it can be the difference at a rounding line.
- Rounding only happens once, at the very end. If you round after each step you will get the wrong answer.
Try it yourself
Our combined rating calculator does this math for you. Enter each rating and it shows both the exact combined value and the rounded number the VA would use.
What this means for your claim
Because each new rating only takes a slice of what is left, the order and size of your ratings matter more than the count. A single higher rating on your worst condition usually moves the combined number more than three small ones. That is the kind of thing we look at with you when we read your records.
Have questions about your own situation?
Request a free consultation call. Someone from our team will call you within one business day, talk through where you are, and tell you plainly whether we can help. No cost, no obligation.