Combined ratings / 90% and 10%
38 CFR 4.25 Table I · checked 2026-10-20
90% and 10% VA rating combined
A 90% and a 10% rating combine to 91, which VA rounds down to 90%. The 10% is not added to the 90%: it takes 10% of the 10% efficiency the first rating leaves, which is 1 points. At 90% a veteran alone receives $2,362.30 a month and a veteran with a spouse $2,559.30.
- 1First rating 90 squares
- 210% of what is left 1 squares
- 3Efficiency left 9%
- 4Combined rating 90%
The arithmetic, step by step
- Order by severity: 90% first, then 10%.
- After the 90% rating, 10% efficiency is left. The 10% rating takes 10% of that: 10 × 10 ÷ 100 = 1.
- 90 + 1 = 91. That is the figure printed in Table I at row 90, column 10.
- Round once to the nearest 10, values ending in 5 going up: 91 becomes 90%.
Because 91 ends in 1, it rounds down. The result is the same 90% the first rating gave alone, so on its own the 10% rating changes neither the rating nor the $2,362.30 monthly payment. It still counts: it stays in the ledger, and the next rating combines with 91, not with 90. One more 40% rating would lift it to 95, rated 100%.
Added together, the two ratings would make 100. VA's method gives 90, 10 points less. The gap grows with the size of the ratings, because each later rating works on a smaller remainder.
What 90% pays
At 90%, VA's table effective December 1, 2025 pays $2,362.30 a month to a veteran alone, $2,559.30 with a spouse, and $2,704.30 with a spouse and one child under 18. That is the same payment as 90% alone. The 90% pay page lists every dependent row.
If a third rating is added
A third 10% rating would combine with 91, not with 90: 91 and 10 give 92, rated 90%, no change in the rating. The smallest single rating that moves this pair up a step is 40%, reaching 95 and 100% ($3,938.58 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 90% and the 10% are on the left and right leg (or both arms), 38 CFR 4.26 adds a bilateral factor: 90 and 10 combine to 91, plus 10% of that gives 100, rated 100%. Here the factor moves the rating from 90% to 100%, worth $3,938.58 a month alone instead of $2,362.30. The bilateral factor guide has the full rule.
Conditions that are rated at 90% and 10%
Diagnostic codes on this site with a 90% level include Hip replacement (DC 5054). 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 5054, Hip replacement, 90%: “Following implantation of the prosthesis, with painful motion or weakness such as to require the use of crutches.”
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5261, Knee limitation of extension, 10%: “Extension limited to 10 degrees.”
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5276, Flat feet (pes planus), 10%: “Moderate, bilateral or unilateral: weight-bearing line over or medial to the great toe, inward bowing of the tendo Achillis, pain on manipulation and use of the feet.”
Criteria summarized from the rating schedule; each condition page links to the regulation.
Other pairs
- 90% and 20%: 92, rated 90%
- 80% and 10%: 82, rated 80%
11 other pairs also round to 90%: 90+40, 90+30, 90+20, 80+70, 80+60, 80+50, 80+40, 80+30 and more in the table.
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.