Combined ratings / 20% and 10%
38 CFR 4.25 Table I · checked 2026-10-20
20% and 10% VA rating combined
A 20% and a 10% rating combine to 28, which VA rounds up to 30%. The 10% is not added to the 20%: it takes 10% of the 80% efficiency the first rating leaves, which is 8 points. At 30% a veteran alone receives $552.47 a month and a veteran with a spouse $617.47.
- 1First rating 20 squares
- 210% of what is left 8 squares
- 3Efficiency left 72%
- 4Combined rating 30%
The arithmetic, step by step
- Order by severity: 20% first, then 10%.
- After the 20% rating, 80% efficiency is left. The 10% rating takes 10% of that: 10 × 80 ÷ 100 = 8.
- 20 + 8 = 28. That is the figure printed in Table I at row 20, column 10.
- Round once to the nearest 10, values ending in 5 going up: 28 becomes 30%.
Because 28 ends in 8, it rounds up, so this pair is rated 2 points above its Table I value. The extra points exist only in the rounded rating: if a third disability is added later, VA combines it with 28, not with 30, because intermediate values are never rounded.
Added together, the two ratings would make 30. VA's method gives 30, 0 points less. The gap grows with the size of the ratings, because each later rating works on a smaller remainder.
What 30% pays
At 30%, VA's table effective December 1, 2025 pays $552.47 a month to a veteran alone, $617.47 with a spouse, and $666.47 with a spouse and one child under 18. The 20% rating alone paid a flat $356.66; combining with 10% crosses the 30% line where dependents start to count. The 30% pay page lists every dependent row.
If a third rating is added
A third 10% rating would combine with 28, not with 30: 28 and 10 give 35, rated 40%, one step up. The smallest single rating that moves this pair up a step is 10%, reaching 35 and 40% ($795.84 a month alone).
If the two ratings are on paired limbs
When the 20% and the 10% are on the left and right leg (or both arms), 38 CFR 4.26 adds a bilateral factor: 20 and 10 combine to 28, plus 10% of that gives 31, rated 30%. Here the factor raises the exact value but not the rounded rating, which stays at 30%; it can still matter once more ratings are combined. The bilateral factor guide has the full rule.
Conditions that are rated at 20% and 10%
Diagnostic codes on this site with a 20% level include Degenerative arthritis (DC 5003), Shoulder (arm) limitation of motion (DC 5201), Elbow (forearm) limitation of flexion (DC 5206), Back strain (lumbosacral or cervical strain) (DC 5237), Intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) (DC 5243), Knee instability (DC 5257), Knee limitation of flexion (DC 5260), Knee limitation of extension (DC 5261), Ankle limited motion (DC 5271), Plantar fasciitis (DC 5269), Foot injury (other) (DC 5284), Hip (thigh) limitation of flexion (DC 5252), Sciatic nerve (radiculopathy) (DC 8520), Common peroneal nerve (foot drop) (DC 8521), Upper radicular group (C5-C6 nerves) (DC 8510), Epilepsy (seizures) (DC 8910), Hypertension (high blood pressure) (DC 7101), Varicose veins (DC 7120), Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (DC 7319), Hemorrhoids (DC 7336), Hernia (inguinal, ventral, umbilical) (DC 7338), Deep scars (not head, face or neck) (DC 7801), Painful or unstable scars (DC 7804), Diabetes mellitus (type 2) (DC 7913), Prostate conditions (voiding dysfunction) (DC 7527), TMJ (temporomandibular disorder) (DC 9905). A 10% level appears in Tinnitus, Vertigo (peripheral vestibular disorder), PTSD, Degenerative arthritis, Elbow (forearm) limitation of flexion, Back strain (lumbosacral or cervical strain), Intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), Knee instability, Knee limitation of flexion, Knee limitation of extension, Ankle limited motion, Flat feet (pes planus), Plantar fasciitis, Foot injury (other), Hip (thigh) limitation of flexion, Migraines, Sciatic nerve (radiculopathy), Carpal tunnel (median nerve), Common peroneal nerve (foot drop), Epilepsy (seizures), Asthma, COPD, Allergic rhinitis, Chronic sinusitis, Hypertension (high blood pressure), Supraventricular arrhythmia (incl. AFib), Varicose veins, GERD (acid reflux), Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Hemorrhoids, Hernia (inguinal, ventral, umbilical), Scars of the head, face or neck, Deep scars (not head, face or neck), Painful or unstable scars, Eczema (dermatitis), Diabetes mellitus (type 2), Prostate conditions (voiding dysfunction), TMJ (temporomandibular disorder).
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5237, Back strain (lumbosacral or cervical strain), 20%: “Forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine greater than 30 degrees but not greater than 60 degrees; or forward flexion of the cervical spine greater than 15 degrees but not greater than 30 degrees; or combined range of motion of the thoracolumbar spine not greater than 120 degrees; or combined range of motion of the cervical spine not greater than 170 degrees; or muscle spasm or guarding severe enough to result in an abnormal gait or abnormal spinal contour such as scoliosis, reversed lordosis or abnormal kyphosis.”
38 CFR 4.130, diagnostic code 9411, PTSD, 10%: “Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication.”
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5206, Elbow (forearm) limitation of flexion, 10%: “Flexion limited to 100 degrees.”
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5260, Knee limitation of flexion, 20%: “Flexion limited to 30 degrees.”
Criteria summarized from the rating schedule; each condition page links to the regulation.
Other pairs
- 20% and 20%: 36, rated 40%
- 30% and 10%: 37, rated 40%
- 10% and 10%: 19, rated 20%
- 30% and 20%: 44, rated 40%
For three or more ratings, or to add dependents, use the calculator. Background: why 50 and 50 is not 100.
Rating Ledger is not part of VA and does not file or decide claims. Amounts are VA's published monthly rates effective December 1, 2025 for a veteran, before any deduction or special monthly compensation; ratings follow 38 CFR 4.25 and 38 CFR 4.26. Last checked 2026-10-20. Only a VA rating decision sets a rating or a payment. See the methodology.