{
  "id": "va-disability",
  "version": "f5e6934d5fa6",
  "status": "published",
  "name": "VA Disability Calculator",
  "question": "How much VA disability will I get?",
  "summary": "Combines your VA disability ratings with the 38 CFR 4.25 table and the bilateral factor, then finds your monthly VA disability compensation for 2026 from your dependents.",
  "category": "finance",
  "subcategory": "retirement",
  "url": "https://www.acalculator.org/finance/va-disability-calculator",
  "markdown": "https://www.acalculator.org/finance/va-disability-calculator.md",
  "kind": "function",
  "method": "Combine the ratings largest first with Table I of 38 CFR 4.25 (a + b × (100 − a) ÷ 100, rounded to a whole number), adding the 4.26 bilateral factor first; round the result to the nearest 10 (5 up); then read the monthly rate for that rating and your dependents from VA’s 2026 table.",
  "assumptions": [
    "Rates effective December 1, 2025 (VA’s 2026 table).",
    "Special monthly compensation (SMC), individual unemployability and temporary ratings are not included.",
    "Dependents count only at a combined rating of 30% or more.",
    "Each child 18 to 23 in school is paid the school-child amount in place of a child amount (38 U.S.C. 1115(1)(F))."
  ],
  "inputs": {
    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "r": {
        "title": "Your disability ratings",
        "description": "One row per service-connected disability: its percent rating, and whether it is part of a pair (both arms, both legs, or paired skeletal muscles).",
        "type": "array",
        "items": {
          "type": "object",
          "properties": {
            "pct": {
              "title": "Rating",
              "description": "The percent rating VA gave this disability.",
              "type": "string",
              "enum": [
                "0",
                "10",
                "20",
                "30",
                "40",
                "50",
                "60",
                "70",
                "80",
                "90",
                "100"
              ]
            },
            "bi": {
              "title": "Bilateral",
              "description": "On when this disability affects one side of a pair (an arm, a leg) and the other side is also rated.",
              "type": "boolean"
            }
          }
        }
      },
      "spouse": {
        "title": "Married",
        "description": "On when you have a spouse VA counts as your dependent.",
        "type": "boolean"
      },
      "aa": {
        "title": "Spouse gets Aid and Attendance",
        "description": "On when your spouse needs the regular aid and attendance of another person or lives in a nursing home.",
        "type": "boolean"
      },
      "parents": {
        "title": "Dependent parents",
        "description": "How many of your parents depend on you for support.",
        "type": "string",
        "enum": [
          "0",
          "1",
          "2"
        ]
      },
      "kids": {
        "title": "Children under 18",
        "description": "Dependent children under age 18 (or any age if they became permanently unable to support themselves before 18).",
        "type": "integer",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 20
      },
      "school": {
        "title": "Children 18 to 23 in school",
        "description": "Dependent children age 18 to 23 in an approved school program.",
        "type": "integer",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 20
      }
    }
  },
  "outputs": {
    "monthly": {
      "label": "Monthly VA disability pay",
      "description": "The 2026 monthly compensation for your combined rating and dependents.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "combined": {
      "label": "Combined rating",
      "description": "The combined value rounded to the nearest 10%, with a value ending in 5 rounded up.",
      "format": "percent"
    },
    "exact": {
      "label": "Combined value before rounding",
      "description": "The combined value from the 38 CFR 4.25 table, before the final rounding to 10.",
      "format": "percent"
    },
    "yearly": {
      "label": "A year",
      "description": "The monthly pay times 12.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "order": {
      "label": "Ratings in order of severity",
      "description": "The ratings combined, largest first, with a bilateral pair counted as one rating.",
      "format": "text"
    }
  },
  "defaultAnswer": {
    "inputs": {
      "r": [
        {
          "rating": "50"
        },
        {
          "rating": "30"
        }
      ],
      "spouse": false,
      "aa": false,
      "parents": "0",
      "kids": 0,
      "school": 0
    },
    "outputs": {
      "monthly": 1808.45,
      "combined": 70,
      "exact": 65,
      "yearly": 21701.4,
      "order": "50%, 30%"
    },
    "text": "With a combined rating of 70%, your VA disability pay is $1,808.45 a month."
  },
  "examples": [
    {
      "given": {
        "r": [
          {
            "rating": "50"
          },
          {
            "rating": "30"
          }
        ],
        "spouse": true,
        "parents": "0",
        "kids": 0,
        "school": 0
      },
      "expect": {
        "exact": 65,
        "combined": 70,
        "monthly": 1961.45
      },
      "source": "38 CFR 4.25(a): 50% and 30% combine to 65%, converted to 70%; VA 2026 rates (https://www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/): 70% with spouse $1,961.45"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "r": [
          {
            "rating": "60"
          },
          {
            "rating": "40"
          },
          {
            "rating": "20"
          }
        ],
        "spouse": false,
        "parents": "0",
        "kids": 0,
        "school": 0
      },
      "expect": {
        "exact": 81,
        "combined": 80,
        "monthly": 2102.15
      },
      "source": "38 CFR 4.25(a): 60%, 40% and 20% combine to 81%, converted to 80%; VA 2026 rates: 80% alone $2,102.15"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "r": [
          {
            "rating": "60"
          },
          {
            "rating": "20"
          },
          {
            "rating": "10",
            "bilateral": true
          },
          {
            "rating": "10",
            "bilateral": true
          }
        ],
        "spouse": false,
        "parents": "0",
        "kids": 0,
        "school": 0
      },
      "expect": {
        "exact": 74,
        "combined": 70,
        "order": "60%, 21%, 20%"
      },
      "source": "38 CFR 4.26 example: 60, 20 and two bilateral 10s; order of severity 60, 21, 20; 68 and 20 combine to 74, converted to 70"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "r": [
          {
            "rating": "70"
          }
        ],
        "spouse": true,
        "aa": true,
        "parents": "0",
        "kids": 3,
        "school": 0
      },
      "expect": {
        "combined": 70,
        "monthly": 2367.45
      },
      "source": "VA 2026 rates page example: 70% with a spouse and 3 children under 18, spouse on Aid and Attendance: $2,074.45 + $76 + $76 + $141 = $2,367.45"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "r": [
          {
            "rating": "30"
          }
        ],
        "spouse": true,
        "parents": "0",
        "kids": 0,
        "school": 0
      },
      "expect": {
        "monthly": 617.47
      },
      "source": "VA 2026 rates page example: 30% with a dependent spouse, $617.47 a month"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "r": [
          {
            "rating": "100"
          }
        ],
        "spouse": false,
        "parents": "0",
        "kids": 0,
        "school": 2
      },
      "expect": {
        "monthly": 4643.48,
        "yearly": 55721.76
      },
      "source": "38 U.S.C. 1115(1)(F) (each school child at the school rate); VA 2026 rates: $3,938.58 + 2 × $352.45 = $4,643.48 (hand calculation in content.mdx)"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    "U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Current Veterans disability compensation rates (effective December 1, 2025): https://www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/",
    "Code of Federal Regulations, 38 CFR 4.25 (Combined ratings table): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.25",
    "Code of Federal Regulations, 38 CFR 4.26 (Bilateral factor): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.26",
    "United States Code, 38 U.S.C. 1115 (Additional compensation for dependents): https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/38/1115?type=usc&year=mostrecent&link-type=html"
  ],
  "related": [
    "va-back-pay",
    "va-loan",
    "ssdi"
  ],
  "changelog": []
}