VA BENEFITS REFERENCE
The Bilateral Factor Explained
The bilateral factor adds 10% of a qualifying paired-extremity group to that group before the remaining evaluations are combined. It does not automatically add ten percentage points to the final rating.
Identify A Qualifying Pair
Section 4.26 addresses compensable disabilities affecting both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles. The disabilities do not have to carry identical names. The relevant question is whether the rule's paired structures and compensable evaluations are present.
A left-arm evaluation and a right-leg evaluation alone do not form an arm or leg pair. A 0% evaluation does not supply the compensable opposite-side disability needed for the factor. Our calculator's extremity tags cover arms and legs; they do not determine paired-muscle eligibility or whether separate evaluations are legally permitted.
Sources: [1].
Add Ten Percent Of The Group
For an illustrative 20% right-leg evaluation and 10% left-leg evaluation, the combined table produces 28. The bilateral addition is 2.8, which is ten percent of 28. The adjusted value is 30.8, treated as 31 for further combination. It is not 28 plus ten rating points.
When no other evaluations apply, both the ordinary combined value of 28 and the adjusted value of 31 finish at 30%. A bilateral calculation can therefore apply without changing the final rounded rating. Its effect depends on the full set of evaluations.
Use One Group When All Four Limbs Qualify
When compensable disabilities affect both arms and both legs, the regulation combines those qualifying evaluations into one bilateral group before adding the factor. Calculating separate arm and leg bonuses can produce different arithmetic.
With four qualifying 10% evaluations, the table sequence is 19, then 27, then 34. Adding 3.4 produces 37.4, treated as 37. With no other evaluations, the final rating is 40%. An evaluation affecting only an unpaired limb stays outside the group until the ordinary remaining combinations are performed.
Compare A More Favorable Result
The current rule requires removing one or more disabilities from the bilateral calculation when that produces a higher final combined evaluation. The remaining eligible disabilities can still receive the factor. Comparing only every disability grouped against no factor can miss a better partial exclusion.
The 2023 rule explains how rounding can occasionally make the factor reduce the final rating. The calculator displays its standard, full bilateral, and selected results so you can inspect that comparison. These are current-rule arithmetic examples, not a determination that an older decision must be revised or that any particular condition warrants a separate evaluation.
Continue Reading
- VA Combined Rating Calculator
- How Additional Ratings Change An Existing Combined Rating
- How VA Combines Multiple Disability Ratings
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the bilateral factor always worth another 10% rating?
No. It adds ten percent of the qualifying group, and final rounding may leave the rating unchanged.
Should I mark every condition as left or right?
Only tag an appropriate, separately assigned extremity evaluation. An unclear diagnostic code or combined bilateral evaluation needs review rather than a guessed tag.
Official Sources
Last verified 2026-10-25. Source publication or legal effective dates are shown separately where available.
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