Combined ratings / 70% and 20%
38 CFR 4.25 Table I · checked 2026-10-20
70% and 20% VA rating combined
A 70% and a 20% rating combine to 76, which VA rounds up to 80%. The 20% is not added to the 70%: it takes 20% of the 30% efficiency the first rating leaves, which is 6 points. At 80% a veteran alone receives $2,102.15 a month and a veteran with a spouse $2,277.15.
- 1First rating 70 squares
- 220% of what is left 6 squares
- 3Efficiency left 24%
- 4Combined rating 80%
The arithmetic, step by step
- Order by severity: 70% first, then 20%.
- After the 70% rating, 30% efficiency is left. The 20% rating takes 20% of that: 20 × 30 ÷ 100 = 6.
- 70 + 6 = 76. That is the figure printed in Table I at row 70, column 20.
- Round once to the nearest 10, values ending in 5 going up: 76 becomes 80%.
Because 76 ends in 6, it rounds up, so this pair is rated 4 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 76, not with 80, because intermediate values are never rounded.
Added together, the two ratings would make 90. VA's method gives 80, 10 points less. The gap grows with the size of the ratings, because each later rating works on a smaller remainder.
What 80% pays
At 80%, VA's table effective December 1, 2025 pays $2,102.15 a month to a veteran alone, $2,277.15 with a spouse, and $2,406.15 with a spouse and one child under 18. Compared with 70% alone ($1,808.45), the pair adds $293.70 a month for a veteran with no dependents. The 80% pay page lists every dependent row.
If a third rating is added
A third 10% rating would combine with 76, not with 80: 76 and 10 give 78, rated 80%, no change in the rating. The smallest single rating that moves this pair up a step is 40%, reaching 86 and 90% ($2,362.30 a month alone).
On the numbers alone this pair meets the schedular threshold for a total rating based on unemployability in 38 CFR 4.16(a): one disability rated at least 60%. Meeting the percentages is only the start; VA must also find that service-connected disabilities prevent substantially gainful work. See the TDIU guide.
If the two ratings are on paired limbs
When the 70% and the 20% are on the left and right leg (or both arms), 38 CFR 4.26 adds a bilateral factor: 70 and 20 combine to 76, plus 10% of that gives 84, rated 80%. Here the factor raises the exact value but not the rounded rating, which stays at 80%; it can still matter once more ratings are combined. The bilateral factor guide has the full rule.
Conditions that are rated at 70% and 20%
Diagnostic codes on this site with a 70% level include PTSD (DC 9411), Hip replacement (DC 5054), Carpal tunnel (median nerve) (DC 8515), Upper radicular group (C5-C6 nerves) (DC 8510). A 20% level appears in Degenerative arthritis, Shoulder (arm) limitation of motion, 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, Plantar fasciitis, Foot injury (other), Hip (thigh) limitation of flexion, Sciatic nerve (radiculopathy), Common peroneal nerve (foot drop), Upper radicular group (C5-C6 nerves), Epilepsy (seizures), Hypertension (high blood pressure), Varicose veins, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Hemorrhoids, Hernia (inguinal, ventral, umbilical), Deep scars (not head, face or neck), Painful or unstable scars, Diabetes mellitus (type 2), Prostate conditions (voiding dysfunction), TMJ (temporomandibular disorder).
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5054, Hip replacement, 70%: “Markedly severe residual weakness, pain or limitation of motion following implantation.”
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5261, Knee limitation of extension, 20%: “Extension limited to 15 degrees.”
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5269, Plantar fasciitis, 20%: “Unilateral, with no relief from both non-surgical and surgical treatment.”
38 CFR 4.130, diagnostic code 9411, PTSD, 70%: “Occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking or mood, due to symptoms such as suicidal ideation, obsessional rituals, near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, impaired impulse control, spatial disorientation, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene, difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances, and inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.”
Criteria summarized from the rating schedule; each condition page links to the regulation.
Other pairs
- 70% and 30%: 79, rated 80%
- 70% and 10%: 73, rated 70%
- 80% and 20%: 84, rated 80%
- 60% and 20%: 68, rated 70%
8 other pairs also round to 80%: 80+20, 80+10, 70+40, 70+30, 60+60, 60+50, 60+40, 50+50.
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.