WingmanOpen the free toolsWingmanOpen the free toolsThe VA does not add your ratings together. Under 38 CFR 4.25 it uses a 'whole person' method: you start 100% healthy, and each disability takes a bite out of whatever healthy percentage is LEFT — not out of the original 100%. So your highest rating comes off the full 100%, but the next only applies to what remains. That's why 50% + 30% isn't 80%, and why it's nearly impossible to reach 100% by stacking smaller ratings.
Say you have 50%, 30%, and 20%. Always start with the highest. A 50% rating leaves you 50% efficient. Add the 30% — it applies to the 50% that's left: 30% of 50 = 15, so 50 + 15 = 65 (35% left). Add the 20% — it applies to the 35% left: 20% of 35 = 7, so 65 + 7 = 72. Round to the nearest 10 → 70%. Not the 100% simple addition would suggest.
The bilateral factor (38 CFR 4.26) is a bonus when you have disabilities affecting BOTH arms, BOTH legs, or paired sets — e.g. radiculopathy in both legs, or a knee condition on each side. VA combines the paired left/right ratings the usual way, then adds an extra 10% OF THAT COMBINED VALUE (not a flat 10 points). Example: a 20% and 10% leg condition combine to 28%; 10% of 28 ≈ 2.8, giving ~31% for the pair before combining with everything else.