Our editorial standards and calculator method

Sources, authorship, and review status

David Dion is the founder and publisher. Guides are prepared with AI assistance using linked VA.gov pages and applicable federal regulations. Worked examples are illustrations, not real claim outcomes or testimonials. Source checks and arithmetic checks do not establish that a human or an accredited professional has reviewed the explanation.

Current status: human editorial review is pending; no VA-accredited professional review has been completed. We will name a reviewer and record the review date only after that person actually checks the material. Founder approval to publish is not presented as an article-by-article factual review.

Updates and corrections

Source-check dates identify when the cited material was consulted, not a promise of continuous monitoring or a human review date. Before updating rates or substantive rules, we check the relevant official source and distinguish published requirements from proposals or forecasts.

To report a possible error, email a correction request with the page address, the statement involved, and a supporting source if available. For a calculator issue, use non-identifying sample inputs. Claim-specific questions belong with VA or an accredited representative.

Our correction procedure is to check the report, reproduce calculation problems where possible, compare the authoritative source, and revise the affected material if needed. Material corrections will identify what changed and when on the affected page. A report is not treated as verified merely because it was submitted.

What a human review should cover

1. Read the whole guide for clarity and misleading implications, not only spelling.
2. Open the official sources and compare the eligibility rules, amounts, dates, and exceptions.
3. Reproduce each numerical example and check that the assumptions are visible.
4. Check links and next steps, including where individual advice is needed.
5. Record the reviewer’s name, review date, and any corrections before marking the page reviewed.

An accredited review, if obtained, will be identified separately with the reviewer’s permission. We do not invent credentials or imply VA endorsement.

Calculator method

Individual ratings are sorted from highest to lowest and combined using whole-number values corresponding to the VA combined ratings table. The final combined value is rounded to the nearest 10, with 5 rounded upward. The tool supports up to 12 individual ratings.

For separately rated paired arms or legs, eligible ratings are grouped, 10% of the group’s combined value is added, and the group is rounded to a whole number before being combined with other ratings. Eligible paired subsets and the no-factor result are compared to avoid a lower final evaluation under the favorable-result exception.

Payment uses published 2026 standard rates, effective December 1, 2025. Dependent additions are included at 30% or above. Annual compensation is the displayed monthly amount multiplied by 12; it is not a prediction of future rate changes.

What is outside the calculation

The tool does not establish service connection, diagnostic-code eligibility, pyramiding restrictions, amputation limits, paired skeletal-muscle awards, or whether two supplied ratings may be separately awarded. It does not calculate TDIU, SMC, retroactive payments, military retirement coordination, recoupment, or adult-child incapacity cases.

Use existing individual awards for a current estimate. A what-if comparison illustrates numbers only and is not a predicted approval.

Advertising and partnerships

Google AdSense is integrated to help support this free resource. Ad availability depends on Google approval and advertising settings. Paid placements do not represent a recommendation or endorsement by this site or VA. Sponsored lender referrals are not active. Calculator use will not require consenting to lender contact, and disability inputs will not be used as a mortgage lead form. A future referral program will require its own disclosures and explicit contact consent.

Edition history

September 20, 2026: Expanded six core guides with examples and reading aids; added a calculator walkthrough and contact route; clarified pending human review. This is an expansion record, not a professional-review certification.