Veterans getting VA disability benefits have to know their disability rating. The rating of this formula determines the compensation based on the severity of one’s condition. The VA calculator disability rating assists the person in estimating one’s benefit. Here’s a guide to help you.
Step 1: Get Your Medical Records & Diagnosis Information
Before using the calculator, it’s vital to have every necessary medical documentation ready before you begin filling out. Having this information ready will make it easier to input accurate data into the calculator.
This includes:
- Service-connected conditions
- Diagnosis and severity of each condition
- Disability percentages assigned by the VA for each condition, if available
Step 2: Check the VA Disability Calculator
There are a lot of VA disability calculators on the Internet but it’s recommended to use the most reliable platform. Use the calculator readily available on the Department of Veterans Affairs website. They are used to calculate a veteran’s overall disability for multiple disabilities.
Step 3: Fill in Your Disability Ratings for Each Condition
In the VA disability calculator: Enter the percentage for each service connected disability you have.
That means, when adding percentages, subtract each condition from a veteran’s remaining ability. For example: Let’s say you have a back injury at 30%, and a hearing loss at 10% – you will put those percentages separately.
The VA has a complicated formula of compounding percentages in a certain order. So check to see that you have listed your conditions properly.
Step 4: Know VA’s “Whole Person” Concept
The “whole person” approach is being used when calculating disability ratings. It means that rather than adding percentages straight away, the veteran’s remaining ability is subtracted from each condition. For example:
- If you’re rated 30% for a back injury, the remaining ability is considered 70%.
- A second condition, such as hearing loss rated at 10%, would be applied to the remaining 70%, not the original 100%.
The calculator handles this computation automatically, providing an accurate combined rating.
Step 5: Review the Combined Disability Rating
Once you’ve entered all your conditions and their respective ratings, the VA disability calculator will provide a combined disability rating.
This is critical because it’s how you’ll get paid monthly. You should see your rating multiplying then being rounded up to the nearest 10%. So if your combined rating is 47% then it’s round up to 50%.
Step 6: Learn How Much You Make Each Month
Once you’ve calculated your combined disability rating, the calculator will generate a monthly compensation estimate depending on the most recent VA compensation rates.
Still, the amount vary based on other variables including:
- Dependents (spouse, children, or parents)
- Special circumstances, like the need for aid
Step 7: Check for Potential Errors
All the information you enter into the calculator should be double checked for accuracy. If you misstate the severity of your conditions or if you forget about disabilities, your results can be wrong. If you have any discrepancies, review your medical records and make the adjustments to the inputs accordingly.
Get Help with a VA Disability Attorney
An excellent tool to estimate your rating is the VA disability calculator, but they also have a complex and daunting claims process. If your claim was denied or doubted your rating, a VA disability attorney can help you get your best possible rating. They can assist you to make appeal decisions and to collect the benefits you are due.