#Ratings
29 articles tagged Ratings.
How Much Does 100% VA Disability Pay in 2026?
What does a 100% VA disability rating actually pay in 2026? Here's the base rate, how dependents change it, and the additional benefits that come with a full rating.
Can You Work While Receiving VA Disability Benefits?
Worried that getting a job will cost you your VA disability compensation? Here's how employment actually interacts with a standard disability rating versus TDIU.
10 Proven Ways to Increase Your VA Disability Rating
Stuck at a lower VA disability rating than your symptoms warrant? Here are 10 legitimate ways to increase your rating — from re-evaluations to secondary conditions to TDIU.
VA Flat Feet (Pes Planus) Rating Guide
Flat feet are rated 0% to 50% under DC 5276, with bilateral involvement rating higher than a single affected foot at the same severity level. Here's exactly what each level requires and the evidence that documents it clearly.
VA Rhinitis Rating Guide: Allergic and Bacterial
How the VA rates allergic and bacterial rhinitis based on nasal passage obstruction and the presence of polyps, and the specific documentation that separates a 10% rating from a 30%.
VA Sinusitis Rating Guide: Chronic Sinusitis Explained
Chronic sinusitis is rated 0% to 50% based on the frequency of incapacitating and non-incapacitating episodes per year. Here's exactly what counts as each type of episode and the documentation that separates one rating level from the next.
VA IBS Rating Guide: Mild, Moderate, Severe
IBS is rated under DC 7319 from 0% to 30% based on symptom frequency and severity. Here's exactly how each level is judged and the specific documentation that separates one rating from the next.
VA Back Pain Rating Guide: General Spine Formula
VA back ratings use the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine, built almost entirely around forward flexion measurements. Here's exactly how the formula works, why flare-ups matter under DeLuca, and the secondary claim most veterans forget to file.
VA Knee Pain Rating Guide: ROM, Instability, and Separate Ratings
VA knee ratings combine range-of-motion findings with a separately evaluated instability rating, and most veterans never realize both can apply to the exact same knee at once. Here's how to make sure your claim captures the full picture.
VA Mental Health Rating System: The General Formula Explained
Every VA mental health condition — PTSD, anxiety, depression, and more — is rated under the exact same General Rating Formula. Here's exactly how that single formula works, and why the specific diagnosis matters less than you'd expect.
VA Hearing Loss Rating: How the Math Actually Works
VA hearing loss ratings are notoriously stingy, and most claims land at 0% even when hearing has genuinely changed. Here's exactly why the formula produces that outcome so often, and when the 'exceptional pattern' exception actually helps.
VA Tinnitus Rating: Why It's Capped at 10%
Tinnitus is one of the most-claimed VA conditions of all, yet it's capped at a single 10% rating regardless of severity. Here's exactly why that cap exists, and how to maximize the related conditions that actually can add more.
VA Sleep Apnea Rating Criteria: 0%, 30%, 50%, 100%
How the VA rates obstructive sleep apnea under diagnostic code 6847 — the role of CPAP, hypersomnolence, and exactly what the 100% threshold requires.
VA Migraine Rating Criteria: 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%
How the VA rates migraines under DC 8100 — exactly what counts as a 'prostrating attack,' how frequency documentation works, and what the top 50% rating actually requires beyond just frequent attacks.
VA PTSD Rating Criteria: 0%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 100%
A complete breakdown of VA PTSD rating criteria under the General Mental Disorders formula, with the specific symptoms and functional impairment level that drive each rating from 0% through 100%.
VA Rhinitis Claim Guide
How VA rhinitis claims work, PACT Act presumptive coverage, and the rating ladder under DC 6522 (allergic) and DC 6523 (bacterial).
VA Sinusitis Claim Guide
How VA chronic sinusitis claims work, the PACT Act presumptive pathway, ratings under DC 6510–6514, and the evidence that separates a 10% rating from a 50%.
VA Flat Feet (Pes Planus) Claim Guide
How the VA rates flat feet (pes planus), the entrance-exam evidence that decides most claims, and the secondary conditions that often come with it.
VA Knee Pain Claim Guide
How the VA rates knee conditions — limitation of motion, instability, and arthritis can all apply at once, and stacking them correctly is where most of the missed rating value is.
VA Radiculopathy Claim Guide
How to claim radiculopathy as secondary to a service-connected back condition, how the VA rates nerve involvement by severity, and the evidence that documents it clearly.
VA Back Pain Claim Guide
How the VA rates back conditions under the General Rating Formula for the Spine, exactly how range of motion measurement affects your rating, and why radiculopathy is the most commonly missed secondary claim.
VA Hearing Loss Claim Guide
How VA hearing loss claims work, what the audiogram thresholds actually require for service connection, and why so many approved claims still come in at 0%.
VA GERD Claim Guide
How the VA rates GERD, the common secondary claim linking GERD to PTSD medications, and the evidence that separates a 10% rating from a much higher one.
VA Sleep Apnea Claim Guide
How to file a VA sleep apnea claim, the full rating ladder from 0% to 100%, why a CPAP prescription alone generally secures 50%, and the secondary conditions worth claiming alongside it.
VA Migraine Claim Guide
How the VA rates migraines based on prostrating attack frequency, the specific evidence that separates a 10% from a 50% rating, and the common links to PTSD and tinnitus as secondaries.
VA Tinnitus Claim Guide
Step-by-step guide to filing a VA tinnitus claim — the evidence that works, what happens at the C&P exam, why the rating caps at 10%, and the secondary conditions worth pursuing alongside it.
VA Anxiety Claims: How to Get Service-Connected and Rated
Step-by-step guide to filing a VA anxiety claim — service connection, evidence, rating levels, and tips to avoid common denials.
PTSD VA Rating Explained: 0%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100%
How the VA assigns PTSD ratings under the General Rating Formula — what 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100% really mean in plain English, with examples and tips.
Using the VA Disability Calculator Correctly
How VA combined ratings actually work, why 50% + 30% doesn't equal 80%, the bilateral factor most veterans miss, and how to use the disability calculator to estimate your real rating before you file.