Match the combined result to one supported 2026 dependent profile
VA's 2026 compensation tables are effective December 1, 2025. Rates for 10% and 20% do not increase for dependents, while higher combined ratings use detailed spouse, child, and parent configurations with added amounts. Select only the family facts the workbench supports and compare them with VA's table headings; a missing household configuration should be taken to the official table rather than approximated.
Dependency status is an eligibility and records question, not merely who lives in the household. Child age and schooling, dependent parents, spouse Aid and Attendance, additional children, and status changes can affect the official amount. The calculator can identify one row, but VA controls recognition, evidence, effective dates, and payment. Preserve the award letter and dependent record beside the estimate.
To place the separately verified VA amount beside documented household income and bills, use the living expenses calculator; keep disability compensation distinct from wages, allowances, and deductions.
Keep VA disability calculation outside medical and claims judgment
The page accepts ratings already determined by VA. It cannot diagnose a condition, estimate what percentage VA should assign, determine unemployability, infer permanence, or assess service connection. Whole-person arithmetic is only one component of a complex benefits system, and the absence of a modeled bilateral factor is a material limitation for some rating sets.
Verify the current 2026 United States table directly on VA.gov and use official records for every rating and dependent. Do not submit the screen result as evidence of entitlement. It is an educational reconciliation aid, not medical advice, a claim, an appeal, financial planning advice, tax advice, or legal representation.
Combine VA percentages against remaining efficiency
VA ratings are not ordinarily added like independent percentages. Starting with the highest rating, each later percentage applies to the whole-person efficiency remaining after earlier disabilities. The calculator rounds the intermediate combination to a whole percent at each step, orders the ratings, and then rounds the completed combined value to the nearest ten percent. Keep every entered rating tied to the current VA decision record.
For example, two 50% ratings do not automatically produce 100%, because the second applies to the half of efficiency that remains. The arithmetic helps audit the ordinary combination sequence, but it does not calculate the bilateral factor or decide whether disabilities affect paired extremities. It also does not alter individual schedular percentages, effective dates, or service-connection findings.
If military retired pay also appears in the household record, estimate its separate longevity formula with the military retirement calculator and leave CRDP, CRSC, and VA offsets for official review.
Distinguish combined-rating math from the actual VA award
A correct combined percentage can still differ from cash received because special monthly compensation, offsets, apportionment, incarceration, severance, concurrent retired pay, recoupment, or partial effective months may apply. Conversely, the table may contain added amounts the simplified profile cannot represent. The educational output should be labeled as a gross table estimate, never as an official award or payment guarantee.
When reconciling a deposit, compare the exact 2026 rate year, combined rating, dependent configuration, effective date, and any award adjustments. Do not infer that a lower deposit means the rating math is wrong. A VA-accredited representative, claims agent, or attorney can assist with claim-specific questions; this calculator cannot review evidence or appeal deadlines.
A separately verified benefit can reduce the portfolio draw tested in the retirement drawdown calculator, but it must remain a user-declared cash-flow assumption rather than a forecast award.