A VA disability percentage isn’t arbitrary. It’s a number pulled directly from 38 CFR Part 4 — the VA’s Schedule for Rating Disabilities — where every ratable condition is assigned a Diagnostic Code (DC) with discrete tiers (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%). Each tier has criteria a VA rater applies to your medical records.
The chart below maps the most commonly claimed conditions to their diagnostic codes, available tiers, and the criterion that most often decides which tier a veteran lands on. Below that, the combined-rating math (the “VA Math” under § 4.25), the bilateral factor (§ 4.26), and the percentage-to-dollar conversion in 2026 rates.
The chart — conditions, codes, and tier ranges
The conditions below cover most of the top-volume claims the VA processes. The full schedule covers hundreds more — every DC in 38 CFR Part 4 is mirrored in the conditions catalog on this site. Click any row to open the full guide with rating criteria, evidence checklist, and the language to use with the rater.
| Condition | DC | CFR | Available tiers (%) | The thing most veterans miss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTSD | 9411 | § 4.130 | 0 / 10 / 30 / 50 / 70 / 100 | General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. 70% if "occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas." |
| Depression | 9434 | § 4.130 | 0 / 10 / 30 / 50 / 70 / 100 | Same General Rating Formula as PTSD. Routinely claimed secondary to chronic pain or other SC conditions. |
| Anxiety | 9400 | § 4.130 | 0 / 10 / 30 / 50 / 70 / 100 | Generalized anxiety disorder. Same mental-health schedule applies. |
| Sleep apnea | 6847 | § 4.97 | 0 / 30 / 50 / 100 | CPAP prescription = 50% automatic. Cor pulmonale or tracheostomy = 100%. |
| Migraines | 8100 | § 4.124a | 0 / 10 / 30 / 50 | 50% requires "very frequent completely prostrating prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability." |
| Tinnitus | 6260 | § 4.87 | 10 (flat) | Capped at 10% whether one ear or both. Granted on lay evidence alone. |
| Hearing loss | 6100 | § 4.85 | 0 → 100 (by audiogram) | Calculated from puretone thresholds + Maryland CNC speech discrimination scores via Tables VI / VIa / VII. |
| Lumbar / cervical spine | 5237 / 5242 | § 4.71a | 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 100 | Rated on range of motion measured with a goniometer. Forward flexion thresholds drive each tier. |
| Radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) | 8520 | § 4.124a | 10 / 20 / 40 / 60 / 80 | Each leg rated separately. Stacks bilaterally under § 4.26. |
| Knee — instability | 5257 | § 4.71a | 10 / 20 / 30 | Rated separately from limitation of motion (5260/5261). Each knee gets its own line. |
| Knee — limitation of flexion | 5260 | § 4.71a | 0 / 10 / 20 / 30 | Flexion limited to 60° = 0%, 45° = 10%, 30° = 20%, 15° = 30%. Goniometer measurement required. |
| Hypertension | 7101 | § 4.104 | 10 / 20 / 40 / 60 | 10% if diastolic 100+ or systolic 160+ or on medication for control with history of 100+ diastolic. |
| Coronary artery disease | 7005 | § 4.104 | 10 / 30 / 60 / 100 | Driven by METs on exercise test, LVEF on echo, and presence of CHF. Agent Orange / PACT presumptive. |
| Diabetes mellitus type II | 7913 | § 4.119 | 10 / 20 / 40 / 60 / 100 | Driven by insulin/restricted-diet requirement and episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemia. AO/PACT presumptive. |
| GERD | 7206 | § 4.114 | 10 / 30 / 50 / 80 | Rated under hiatal hernia analog. 30% requires "two or more symptoms" including dysphagia, pyrosis, regurgitation. |
| IBS | 7319 | § 4.114 | 0 / 10 / 30 | 30% requires "severe diarrhea or alternating diarrhea and constipation with more or less constant abdominal distress." |
| Asthma | 6602 | § 4.97 | 10 / 30 / 60 / 100 | Daily inhalational anti-inflammatory medication = 30%. FEV-1 thresholds drive higher tiers. |
| Sinusitis | 6510–6514 | § 4.97 | 0 / 10 / 30 / 50 | Capped at 50%. Driven by frequency of incapacitating episodes per year. |
| Eczema | 7806 | § 4.118 | 0 / 10 / 30 / 60 | Capped at 60%. Driven by percent of body surface affected and need for systemic therapy. |
| TBI | 8045 | § 4.124a | 0 / 10 / 40 / 70 / 100 | Rated across 10 facets (memory, judgment, social, motor, etc.) — highest facet level becomes the rating. |
| Erectile dysfunction | 7522 | § 4.115b | 0 (+ SMC-K) | Almost always 0% schedular, but qualifies for SMC-K ($139.87/mo in 2026) for loss of use of a creative organ. |
Source: 38 CFR Part 4 (the Schedule for Rating Disabilities). Dollar values reflect 2026 VA compensation rates (effective Dec 1, 2025).
How the VA actually assigns a percentage
The percentage doesn’t describe how much pain you’re in. It describes the average loss of earning capacity the regulation assigns to a given level of impairment for that body system. That distinction matters: two veterans with identical knee MRIs can be rated very differently if one has documented range-of-motion measurements and the other doesn’t.
The process in three steps:
- Diagnostic Code selection. The rater identifies which DC in Part 4 best matches your condition. For analogous conditions (no exact DC), they rate by closest analog under 38 CFR § 4.20.
- Criterion match. The rater compares the documented symptoms in your C&P exam, medical records, and lay statements against the DC’s rating tiers. The match has to come from the record — they cannot guess.
- Higher of two when in doubt. Under 38 CFR § 4.7, when a disability picture more nearly approximates the higher tier, the higher tier is assigned. This rule is consistently underused by raters and frequently won on appeal.
The first place an appeal usually wins is § 4.7. The second is missing or misapplied criteria — for example, the rater treated a 60% claim under § 4.97 sinusitis as 30% because they applied the wrong incapacitating-episode threshold.
Combined ratings — why VA math is not addition
This is the single most-confused topic in the entire system. If you have a 30% rating and a 20% rating, your combined rating is not 50%. It’s 40% after § 4.25 math and rounding.
The combined-rating formula treats each new rating as a percentage of your remaining efficiency:
- Start with 100% efficiency. A 30% rating leaves 70% efficient.
- A 20% rating on top of that takes 20% of the remaining 70 — that’s 14 — leaving 56% efficient, which is 44% disabled.
- Per 38 CFR § 4.25, the result is then rounded to the nearest 10%: 40%.
Apply that pattern across all ratings. The order doesn’t matter — combination is commutative — but the final number always favors higher ratings because they shrink the remaining efficiency faster.
Worked example: 50 + 30 + 20
- 100% → minus 50% = 50% remaining efficiency
- 50% → minus 30% of 50 (15) = 35% remaining efficiency
- 35% → minus 20% of 35 (7) = 28% remaining efficiency = 72% disabled
- Rounded to nearest 10% = 70%
The interactive version of that math, including up to 12 ratings and the bilateral factor, is the VA Math Calculator on this site.
The bilateral factor — most veterans don’t know it exists
Hidden in 38 CFR § 4.26 is the bilateral factor — a 10% bonus applied when two ratings affect paired body parts (left and right arms, left and right legs). The bonus is added to the combined value of those two ratings before the result combines with the rest of your body systems.
Worked example: bilateral knees
- Right knee, 10% (DC 5260) — left knee, 10% (DC 5260)
- Combine: 10% + 10% under § 4.25 → 19%
- Bilateral factor adds 10% of 19 = 1.9 → 20.9%
- Combined with other body systems, then rounded to nearest 10%
The bilateral factor applies to any paired extremity rating — knees, hips, ankles, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, feet — and to certain paired nerves like sciatic (DC 8520) and ulnar (DC 8516). It also applies to certain bilateral musculoskeletal residuals. It does not apply to a paired eye/ear loss (those have their own dedicated schedules under §§ 4.84a / 4.85).
Percentage → dollar value (2026 rates)
Once you know your combined rating, the percentage maps to a fixed monthly tax-free payment under 38 CFR § 3.4. The 2026 rates (effective Dec 1, 2025) are:
| Rating | 2026 monthly (single vet) | Annual, tax-free |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | $2,165 |
| 20% | $356.66 | $4,280 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $6,630 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $9,550 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $13,595 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $17,220 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $21,701 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $25,226 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $28,348 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $47,263 |
2026 rates for a single veteran with no dependents. Source: va.gov FY2026, per 38 CFR § 3.4.
Above 30%, additional money is paid for dependents (spouse, children under 18, dependent parents, school-age children 18–22). The complete 2026 dependent table is in the 2026 VA Disability Rates article. The interactive calculator that bakes in dependents and SMC is the Claim-Worth Estimator.
What actually moves the tier — three plays
Once you understand the chart, the moves that change a rating are almost always the same three:
- Use the CFR vocabulary in your records. If your migraines are “prostrating”, the word “prostrating” needs to be in your provider’s notes. If your sleep apnea requires “use of a breathing assistance device,” that phrase needs to be in your prescription. § 4.7 helps when records are ambiguous, but it can’t replace records that are silent.
- Claim every secondary condition. Conditions caused or aggravated by an already-service-connected condition stack new lines on your combined rating. The 5 most-missed secondary claims cover the highest-value ones.
- Pair extremity claims with the bilateral factor in mind. If your left knee is rated and your right knee hurts too, claiming the right knee adds the rating and triggers § 4.26. The same logic applies to radiculopathy down both legs (a back claim plus both legs is one of the biggest combined-rating multipliers in the entire system).
What to do next
Identify your current ratings. Run them through the VA Math Calculator to confirm the combined rating on your award letter is correct. Then add a hypothetical new rating (e.g., the secondary you’ve been thinking about claiming) and see what tier you land on. The marginal monthly dollar value of moving from one tier to the next is usually the thing that motivates a new claim.
For per-condition rating criteria and the language to use at a C&P exam, every diagnostic code in this article links to the full guide in the conditions catalog.
Quick answers
What does my VA disability percentage actually mean?
Your VA disability percentage is the average loss of earning capacity 38 CFR Part 4 assigns to your service-connected condition. Each diagnostic code has its own rating schedule — the percentage is not a measure of severity in plain English, it is the regulatory number that maps to a dollar amount and to entitlement for benefits like CHAMPVA, Chapter 35, and SMC.
Why does 30% + 20% + 20% not equal 70%?
Because VA combined ratings under 38 CFR § 4.25 use the "remaining efficiency" formula, not addition. Each new rating is applied to the body that's left after prior ratings, then rounded to the nearest 10%. Two 30% ratings combine to 51% (round to 50%), not 60%. The full math is in the VA Math Calculator on this site.
What is the bilateral factor?
Under 38 CFR § 4.26, when two ratings affect paired body parts (left and right arms, left and right legs), the VA adds an extra 10% of the combined value of those two ratings before combining with other body systems. It is a hidden multiplier that most veterans never know about — and it routinely pushes claims over the 10% rounding boundary.
What is the highest VA disability percentage?
The highest schedular rating is 100%. Above that, Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) tiers under 38 CFR § 3.350 replace the 100% base rate with a higher payment for specific anatomical losses, paired-limb loss, blindness, housebound status, or needing Aid and Attendance. SMC-R.2 pays $11,355.83/month in 2026 — the highest single tier.
How is my VA percentage actually rated?
Each service-connected condition is matched to a Diagnostic Code (DC) in 38 CFR Part 4. The DC has a rating schedule with criteria for each percentage tier (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100). The VA examiner documents your symptoms in the C&P exam and the rater applies the schedule criterion that matches. The match has to come from your records — the rater cannot guess.
Can I add up two ratings to get higher money?
No — ratings do not add. They combine under the § 4.25 efficiency table. But you can stack additional service-connected conditions to push your combined rating up a tier, and you can claim secondary conditions caused or aggravated by your existing ratings to add more lines. That stacking is how veterans actually move from 50% to 70%, 90%, or 100%.
Is there a chart that shows every condition and its rating?
The complete rating schedule lives in 38 CFR Part 4 (the entire VA rating manual). The table in this article shows the most commonly claimed conditions and their typical tier ranges. For every individual diagnostic code with the full rating criteria and 2026 dollar values, see the conditions catalog on this site, which mirrors the CFR for 109+ conditions.
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Educational content only. This is not legal, medical, or financial advice. Always consult an accredited VSO or VA-accredited attorney for claim-specific guidance. Rating criteria sourced from 38 CFR Part 4 (§§ 4.7, 4.25, 4.26, 4.71a, 4.85, 4.97, 4.104, 4.114, 4.115b, 4.118, 4.119, 4.124a, 4.130). Dollar figures reflect 2026 VA compensation rates effective Dec 1, 2025.