VA BENEFITS REFERENCE
How VA Rounds Combined Ratings
VA uses two different rounding steps. Each table combination produces a whole percentage. The final combined value then rounds to the nearest multiple of 10, with a value ending in 5 rounding upward.
Separate The Two Rounding Steps
The whole combined value and the final rating are not interchangeable. The whole value carries the calculation forward when there are more evaluations. The final rating determines the ordinary rating level after the combining process is complete.
For example, 60% and 30% combine to 72. If those are the only evaluations, 72 becomes a 70% combined rating. If a third evaluation must be included, continue with 72. Starting the next step at 70 loses information that the official table requires you to keep.
Sources: [1].
Work Through A Half-Point Example
Consider separate evaluations of 50%, 30%, and 10%. The first two produce 65. The remaining percentage is then 35; ten percent of 35 is 3.5. Adding 3.5 to 65 produces 68.5. The official table records the whole-number result as 69.
After that final combination, 69 rounds to 70%. This example shows why a calculator that carries every decimal without applying the table's whole-number results can disagree with VA. It also shows why ordinary rounding methods that treat an exact half differently are unsuitable for this calculation.
Sources: [1].
Read The Final Threshold Correctly
Whole combined values from 65 through 74 finish at 70%. Values from 75 through 84 finish at 80%. A whole combined value of 95 reaches the 100% rating level. These are results of the final rounding rule, not instructions for choosing conditions or seeking a particular award.
Do not round every individual step to the nearest ten. Combining 40% and 20% gives 52; another 20% produces 62, which finishes at 60%. Replacing 52 with 50 before continuing changes the calculation even when a particular example happens to end in the same rating band.
Sources: [1].
Keep Bilateral Arithmetic Visible
A qualifying bilateral group has an additional calculation before it is combined with the other evaluations. The group receives an added ten percent of its own combined value. That result is treated as one value for the remaining combination, subject to the favorable-result exception.
For paired 50% and 30% extremity evaluations, the group is 65 and the added factor is 6.5. The adjusted value is 71.5, rounded to 72 before further combination. The calculator should show this group separately so a reader can distinguish its whole-number rounding from the final ten-point conversion.
Continue Reading
- VA Combined Rating Calculator
- The Bilateral Factor Explained
- How VA Combines Multiple Disability Ratings
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 94 round to 100%?
No. A whole combined value of 94 rounds to 90%. A whole combined value of 95 rounds to 100%.
Can I keep all the decimals until the end?
That does not reproduce the whole-number entries in the official combined table. Follow each table step, then apply final rounding.
Official Sources
Last verified 2026-10-25. Source publication or legal effective dates are shown separately where available.
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