Our editorial standards and calculator method

Sources and authorship

Our educational summaries are prepared with AI assistance and checked against the official sources linked on each page. We prioritize VA.gov and applicable federal regulations. The founder’s military background informs the mission; it is not presented as professional claims accreditation.

No VA-accredited representative has reviewed this initial edition. We do not use invented reviewer names, professional endorsements, testimonials, or approval badges.

Updates and corrections

Dates identify when the listed sources were checked. They are not a promise of continuous monitoring. Rate changes and significant rule changes require a fresh source check before we update the affected material. We distinguish published rules from proposals and official rates from forecasts.

If you encounter a conflict, use the linked official source and your own VA decision documents. For questions about your claim, use the accredited-help directory.

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.