Combined ratings / 70% and 30%
38 CFR 4.25 Table I · checked 2026-10-20
70% and 30% VA rating combined
A 70% and a 30% rating combine to 79, which VA rounds up to 80%. The 30% is not added to the 70%: it takes 30% of the 30% efficiency the first rating leaves, which is 9 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
- 230% of what is left 9 squares
- 3Efficiency left 21%
- 4Combined rating 80%
The arithmetic, step by step
- Order by severity: 70% first, then 30%.
- After the 70% rating, 30% efficiency is left. The 30% rating takes 30% of that: 30 × 30 ÷ 100 = 9.
- 70 + 9 = 79. That is the figure printed in Table I at row 70, column 30.
- Round once to the nearest 10, values ending in 5 going up: 79 becomes 80%.
Because 79 ends in 9, it rounds up, so this pair is rated 1 point 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 79, not with 80, because intermediate values are never rounded.
Added together, the two ratings would make 100. VA's method gives 80, 20 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 79, not with 80: 79 and 10 give 81, rated 80%, no change in the rating. The smallest single rating that moves this pair up a step is 30%, reaching 85 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 30% are on the left and right leg (or both arms), 38 CFR 4.26 adds a bilateral factor: 70 and 30 combine to 79, plus 10% of that gives 87, rated 90%. Here the factor moves the rating from 80% to 90%, worth $2,362.30 a month alone instead of $2,102.15. The bilateral factor guide has the full rule.
Conditions that are rated at 70% and 30%
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 30% level appears in Vertigo (peripheral vestibular disorder), Meniere's disease, PTSD, Shoulder replacement, Hip replacement, Knee replacement, Shoulder (arm) limitation of motion, Elbow (forearm) limitation of flexion, Back strain (lumbosacral or cervical strain), Knee instability, Knee limitation of flexion, Knee limitation of extension, Flat feet (pes planus), Plantar fasciitis, Foot injury (other), Hip (thigh) limitation of flexion, Migraines, Carpal tunnel (median nerve), Common peroneal nerve (foot drop), Sleep apnea, Asthma, COPD, Allergic rhinitis, Chronic sinusitis, Supraventricular arrhythmia (incl. AFib), GERD (acid reflux), Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Hernia (inguinal, ventral, umbilical), Scars of the head, face or neck, Deep scars (not head, face or neck), Painful or unstable scars, Eczema (dermatitis), Prostate conditions (voiding dysfunction), TMJ (temporomandibular disorder).
38 CFR 4.124a, diagnostic code 8515, Carpal tunnel (median nerve), 70%: “Complete paralysis: the hand inclined to the ulnar side, the index and middle fingers more extended than normally, considerable atrophy of the thenar eminence (the ape hand), inability to make a fist, and other listed signs.”
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5206, Elbow (forearm) limitation of flexion, 30%: “Flexion limited to 70 degrees.”
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5257, Knee instability, 30%: “Unrepaired or failed repair of a complete ligament tear causing persistent instability, and a medical provider prescribed both an assistive device (such as a cane, crutches or walker) and bracing for ambulation. For patellar instability: recurrent instability after surgical repair requiring both a brace and a cane or walker.”
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5054, Hip replacement, 70%: “Markedly severe residual weakness, pain or limitation of motion following implantation.”
Criteria summarized from the rating schedule; each condition page links to the regulation.
Other pairs
- 70% and 40%: 82, rated 80%
- 70% and 20%: 76, rated 80%
- 80% and 30%: 86, rated 90%
- 60% and 30%: 72, rated 70%
8 other pairs also round to 80%: 80+20, 80+10, 70+40, 70+20, 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.