VA Ratings
Combined ratings, schedular ratings, and pay tables.
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.
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 Back Pay Calculator: How to Estimate Yours Correctly
Use this step-by-step guide to calculate your VA back pay correctly — including your effective date, annual rate changes, dependent status, and how Special Monthly Compensation factors in.
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.
VA Compensation Rates Explained
How VA compensation rates actually work, how dependents change your monthly pay, and the difference between standard schedular rates and Special Monthly Compensation.