Every day, veterans across this country receive the life-changing news that a Department of Veterans Affairs disability rating has been granted. These benefits aren’t just disability payments that veterans use to survive; they are recognition of the wounds, injuries or illnesses incurred during their military service and a signal of our sacred obligation to care for those who return forever changed.

Essential as these benefits may be, the perplexing VA ratings math can be challenging to decipher. VA math causes much confusion for veterans, so you are not alone if you need help understanding it. DAV is here to help.

Disability ratings are assigned percentages that represent the level of impairment resulting from service-connected conditions and injuries. Generally speaking, the higher the percentage, the more disability compensation a veteran receives. They exist to offset loss of working time when a disability affects their ability to earn a living. The ratings also reflect how each condition affects other aspects of a veteran’s life, including family and everyday activities. However, adding them together is anything but crystal clear.

Take, for example, a veteran with two conditions rated at 50% individually. Simple math tells us that this combined rating should be 100%. But that’s wrong! Perhaps surprisingly, it’s 80%. It may look like 5 + 5 = 8, but there is a method to the madness.

The VA combines disability ratings using a “whole person” concept. First, the highest-rated disability is subtracted from 100%—easy enough. However, each subsequent disability is applied to the remaining percentage of the whole person. Half of the remaining 50% is 25% in the example above. Since 50 + 25 = 75, and the VA rounds to the nearest degree divisible by 10, the veteran above will receive an 80% rating.

Clear as mud.

But don’t worry. You don’t have to bust out your pencils and erasers whenever you want to calculate your updated rating. DAV’s online VA disability calculator does the math for you. With the click of a few buttons, you can input your individual ratings, including any bilateral factors—situations where you receive a higher disability rating due to having a condition that affects both sides of your body—to uncover your total combined rating in a matter of seconds.

You can also include dependents and any special monthly compensation benefits, meaning the DAV calculator is a one-stop shop for veterans curious about their rating. VA calculations also consider many factors other than combined ratings.

If you need further assistance or would like to file a claim, contact DAV at benefitsquestions.org so one of our service officers can assist you. DAV services, including the VA rating calculator, are always free.