How does the VA settle on your disability percentage?

2021-10-29T18:08:14-04:00

I was drawing 20% for my disability. I was then awarded 30% for another disability. Why is that not 50% instead of the 40% they, the VA settled on.

Response by SPC Nancy Greene made Oct 29 at 2021 6:47 PM

2021-10-29T18:47:31-04:00

SPC Ronnie Cannon ratings are not added. The first rating of 20% is taken from 100%, which leaves 80%. The next 30% is taken from the remaining 80% and so on. Usually the highest rating is taken first and the rest follow. It is an extremely difficult rating scale to understand. SGT Robert Pryor was a VSO and finally assisted me in understanding this. I am sure he would be willing to help you!
Nancy

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 29 at 2021 6:52 PM

2021-10-29T18:52:02-04:00

SPC Ronnie Cannon Below is the rating system used by the VA.

https://www.va.gov/disability/about-disability-ratings/

About VA disability ratings | Veterans Affairs

Learn about VA disability ratings, and use the VA disability rating calculator or our ratings table to find your VA combined disability rating if you have more than one service-connected condition.

Response by SGT Chris Padgett made Oct 29 at 2021 6:53 PM

2021-10-29T18:53:17-04:00

Yeah, you would think that's how it works, but......
Your rating is a combined rating and that's based on VA math and other factors.
Here is a calculator to figure up the combined %
https://www.va.gov/disability/about-disability-ratings/

This calculator will help with payment amounts.
https://militarybenefits.info/va-disability-calculator/

About VA disability ratings | Veterans Affairs

Learn about VA disability ratings, and use the VA disability rating calculator or our ratings table to find your VA combined disability rating if you have more than one service-connected condition.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Oct 29 at 2021 9:14 PM

2021-10-29T21:14:34-04:00

There's what's on paper and there's what is done to steer the results the civilian contracted providers do. The system is incentivized to be stingy with anything over 40%. That keeps things at a zero sum game where your retirement is offset by the benefit. At 50% and above, there is no offset, hence you see real money vs. a touch lower income tax. Reviews are targeted to push things down to 40%. Not worth going after a tax reduction after that.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Oct 29 at 2021 9:27 PM

2021-10-29T21:27:07-04:00

Short answer VA math. Long answer, the VA doesn’t add your percentages up flat together one after the other.

https://themilitarywallet.com/va-math-combined-disability-ratings/

Funny Math - VA Disability Ratings. When 30 + 20 Doesn't Always Equal 50 (Podcast 004)

The VA Combined Disability Rating Calculator & Combined Ratings Table shows how the VA combines multiple disability ratings.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Oct 29 at 2021 11:05 PM

2021-10-29T23:05:25-04:00

VA Math- the doctors review your case, then it goes to the local witch doctor, shaman, etc., Then it is reviewed and blindfolded they throw darts at the ratings area. Tp this day no one has been able to figure it out to include mathematicians

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2021 1:07 AM

2021-10-30T01:07:34-04:00

Magic. Bad magic at that. Monkrys throwing darts would produce a more accurate number.

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Oct 30 at 2021 7:00 PM

2021-10-30T19:00:13-04:00

As everyone has mentioned, it is VA Math. SPC Nancy Greene was spot on with her explanation. 30 percent leaves 70 percent. The next 20 percent is of the REMAINING 70 percent - or 14 percent. Add the 14 to the 30 for 44. And VA always rounds to the nearest 10.

Here is how it breaks down for me (dropping everything past first decimal for ease of writing)
50, 40, 30, 30, 20, 20, 20, 10,10, 10, 10, 0 (recently reduced from 10).
rating...........value........running total......."remaining body"
50.................50...............50 .....................50
40% of 50......20...............70......................30
30% of 30......9.................79......................21
30% of 21......6.3..............85.3...................14.7
20% of 14.7....2.9.............88.2....................11.8
20% of 11.8....2.4.............90.6....................9.4
20% of 9.4.....1.9..............92.5....................7.5
10% of 7.5......0.8.............93.3....................6.7
10% of 6.7......0.7..............94.......................6
10% of 6.........0.6.............94.6....................5.4
10% of 5.4......0.5.............95.1.....................4.9

I rate out at a total of 95.1%, (95.061929, to be exact) which rounds to 100. I am given the 100% disability rate. If you add everything together, I am 250% disabled, but obviously no one can be more than 100% disabled.

For you to reach the "magic" 50% you need one thing very wrong with you, two things moderately wrong with you, or many things minorly wrong with you (one 50, two 30s, three 20s, or six 10s). To get to the elusive 100, you need a whole lotta wrong - and you SHOULD need a whole lotta wrong.

Response by SFC Tracy Donahoo made Dec 11 at 2021 8:07 PM

2021-12-11T20:07:31-05:00

https://vaclaimsinsider.com/va-disability-rating-calculator/

Best VA Disability Calculator

How the VA Rating System Works: Yourcombined VA disability rating numberis incredibly important. It could be the difference between receiving thousands of dollars and millions of dollars. Every service-connected disability will receive a rating of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 100%. The

Response by SSG Doug Morrison made Feb 8 at 2022 6:42 PM

2022-02-08T18:42:44-05:00

SPC Cannon, several have explained the math pretty thorough and we could get even more complicated when it comes to a bilateral factor but if you need help with your disability claims reach out as I’m happy to help you or any fellow veteran

Response by PFC John Behrman made Mar 7 at 2023 4:23 PM

2023-03-07T16:23:00-05:00

I can answer that for you. I work for Trajector Medical, a veterans disability advocacy group.

So the VA math is not like normal math. They start out with your highest rated disability and convert that from a percent to it's decimal version multiplying by 100 . So if you look at it as a pie. Your highest is now 30% so when you subtract 30 from 100 your have 70% of the pie left. Then they multiply the 70 by the 20% to get the remainder. So a additional 14. So 30 + 14 is 44. Since the round to the nearest 10 that leaves you at 40%. There is also a really good website for calculating it as well. http://www.hillandponton.com

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