VA Disability Ratings Explained: From Claim to Combined Rating
A walk-through of how the VA assigns disability ratings, what the combined-ratings table actually does, and why 30% + 30% does not equal 60%.
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Precision Tools & Original Explaners
Calculators that respect how much the answer matters.
GE3 builds premium, hand-crafted calculators for the financial and legal decisions that change a life — veterans benefits, federal retirement, estate settlement, immigration, and personal finance. Every tool is grounded in the official rulebooks, then explained in plain English.
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Sample Output · VA Disability
Combined rating estimate
PTSD70%
Lumbar spine20%
Tinnitus10%
Right knee10%
Bilateral factorApplied
Combined rating
90%
Computed with the VA combined-ratings table and rounded to the nearest 10% per 38 U.S.C. § 1114.
Grounded in law
Every formula traces back to the statute, regulation, or agency handbook that defines it.
Original writing
Articles are written from scratch by our editorial team — never scraped, never spun.
Always current
2025 and 2026 rates, contribution limits, and absence thresholds — reviewed monthly.
Private by design
All calculations run in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to a server.
The Toolkit
Calculators for every major decision
Twelve hand-built tools across seven categories. Each one ships with a deep-dive article that explains the underlying rule.
Veterans Benefits
VA Combined Disability Rating Calculator
Calculate your combined VA disability rating using the official VA combined-ratings table (38 U.S.C. § 1114). Supports bilateral factor, multiple conditions, and final percentage rounding.
Open calculator Federal Employee RetirementFERS Pension Calculator
Estimate your FERS basic annuity using the High-3 average, years of credible service, and the 1.0% / 1.1% multiplier. Includes FERS-RAE and FERS-FRAE options.
Open calculator Estate & ProbateProbate Fee Calculator by State
Estimate probate fees and timeline for any U.S. state using state-specific statutory fee schedules (CA, FL, TX, NY, and 46 more).
Open calculator UK ImmigrationUK Indefinite Leave to Remain Calculator
Track your continuous residence for UK ILR under the 5-year, 3-year (spouse), and 10-year routes. Flags 180-day absences and total absence limits.
Open calculator US ImmigrationUS Citizenship Physical Presence Calculator
Count your days physically present in the United States for naturalization (N-400). Supports the 5-year (30 months) and 3-year (18 months) rules.
Open calculator Retirement & Social SecuritySocial Security Retirement Benefit Calculator
Estimate your Social Security retirement benefit at ages 62, FRA, and 70 using your PIA, AIME, and bend-point formulas.
Open calculator Retirement & Social SecuritySSDI Benefit Calculator
Project your Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) monthly payment based on your earnings record and SGA limits.
Open calculator Veterans BenefitsVA Pension & Aid and Attendance Calculator
Estimate your VA pension and Aid & Attendance benefit under the MAPR limits, including IVAP and dependents adjustments.
Open calculator Tax & FamilyMortgage Payoff Calculator
See how extra payments shorten your mortgage and cut total interest. Compare biweekly, lump-sum, and monthly overpayment strategies.
Open calculator Tax & FamilyChild Tax Credit Calculator
Calculate your 2025 Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) refundable portion, including phase-out thresholds.
Open calculator Retirement & Social SecurityRequired Minimum Distribution (RMD) Calculator
Compute your required minimum distribution from traditional IRAs and 401(k)s using the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table and SECURE 2.0 age rules.
Open calculator Retirement & Social Security401(k) Contribution Calculator
Model your 401(k) growth with employer match, catch-up contributions, and tax savings using 2025 IRS contribution limits.
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Browse by Topic
Seven categories. One source of truth.
Each category groups calculators and explainers around the same body of law, so you can move between a quick estimate and a deep read without changing context.
Veterans Benefits
Veterans Benefits
VA disability ratings, pensions, and Aid & Attendance benefits calculators built around the VA's official combined-ratings table.
Federal Employee Retirement
Federal Employee Retirement
FERS pension projections, TSP growth scenarios, and CSRS comparisons for federal employees planning retirement.
Estate & Probate
Estate & Probate
State-by-state probate fee and timeline estimators, plus inheritance tax and estate tax calculators.
UK Immigration
UK Immigration
Continuous-residence trackers for UK Indefinite Leave to Remain under the 5-year and 3-year routes.
US Immigration
US Immigration
Naturalization physical-presence calculators, visa bulletin tracking helpers, and citizenship timelines.
Retirement & Social Security
Retirement & Social Security
Social Security benefit estimators, Medicare IRMAA calculators, RMD calculators, and 401(k) contribution planners.
Tax & Family
Tax & Family
Child Tax Credit calculators, federal tax bracket estimators, and mortgage payoff planners.
From the Editorial Desk
All articles
Latest explainers
Long-form articles that complement every calculator — written for humans, not search engines.
V
$
VA Disability Compensation Rates: 2025 Monthly Pay by Rating
Current VA compensation tables broken down by rating percentage, dependents, and special monthly compensation (SMC) tiers.
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A
How to Appeal a VA Claim Decision: AMA Pathways Compared
The Appeals Modernization Act gave veterans three lanes: higher-level review, supplemental claim, and Board appeal. Here is how to choose.
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P
VA Pension vs VA Disability: Which One Are You Eligible For?
These two programs sound alike but have opposite eligibility rules. We clarify wartime service, income limits, and disability requirements.
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A
VA Aid and Attendance: Eligibility, MAPR Limits, and Application Steps
How the Aid and Attendance benefit layers on top of VA pension, plus the 2025 MAPR figures and IVAP income test.
Read article
F
FERS Retirement: The Complete Federal Employee Guide
Everything a federal employee needs to plan FERS retirement: High-3, multipliers, FERS-RAE/FRAE, the annuity supplement, and TSP coordination.
Read article
Methodology
How every GE3 calculator is built
Transparency is the only thing that makes a calculator trustworthy. Here is exactly how we work — from primary source to published page.
1. Pull the primary source
Every calculator begins with the underlying statute, regulation, or agency handbook. We trace each input field back to a specific provision — 38 CFR § 4.25 for VA combined ratings, 5 U.S.C. § 8415 for FERS annuity, INA § 316 for naturalization, IRC § 401 for RMDs. No approximation, no marketing math.
2. Implement the formula verbatim
We code the formula exactly as the agency describes it — including edge cases, rounding rules, and exception triggers. The VA bilateral factor, the Social Security bend-point formula, the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, the Home Office 180-day rolling rule. If the rule has a footnote, we read it.
3. Publish the methodology
Scroll past any calculator form and you will find a methodology section explaining the formula step by step, with a worked example. You can verify the math by hand and check every citation against the official source. We hide nothing.
4. Review on a schedule
Annual rate tables are reviewed each November after the SSA announces its COLA. Immigration rules are reviewed quarterly, or immediately after a Statement of Changes. Procedural guides are reviewed annually. Each page displays a "Last reviewed" date.
Primary Sources
The rulebooks we build from
GE3 does not invent formulas. We translate official rules into calculators you can use. Every number, every percentage, and every procedural step traces back to one of these primary sources — and we cite the specific provision on every page.
When a rule changes — and benefits law changes often — we update the affected calculator and article together, usually within 30 days of the effective date. SECURE 2.0 moved the RMD age to 73 in 2023; the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act exemption is scheduled to sunset on January 1, 2026; the Home Office raises the spouse visa financial requirement in stages. We track all of it, so you do not have to.
If you spot an error or an outdated citation, email contact@ge3.shop. We update verified errors within 14 days and note the correction at the bottom of the affected page.
United States
- Title 38 U.S.C. — Veterans benefits
- 38 CFR Part 4 — VA rating schedule
- 5 U.S.C. § 8415 — FERS annuity formula
- 42 U.S.C. § 402 — Social Security
- INA § 316, § 319 — Naturalization
- IRC § 2001, § 401 — Estate tax, RMDs
- IRS Pub. 590-B — RMD life expectancy tables
- USCIS Policy Manual — Naturalization procedures
United Kingdom
- Immigration Rules — Part 7 (work), 8 (family), Appendix FM
- Paragraph 276B — Long residence ILR
- British Nationality Act 1981 — Citizenship
- Life in the UK Handbook — 3rd edition (2013)
- Statement of Changes — HC 233, HC 745, etc.
Common Questions
Frequently asked about GE3
Are these calculators official?
No. GE3 is an independent informational publisher. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any U.S. or U.K. government agency. Our calculators implement the official formulas published by the VA, OPM, SSA, USCIS, IRS, and the UK Home Office — but the calculations are estimates, not official determinations. For an official number, contact the relevant agency or consult a qualified professional.
Do you store the numbers I enter?
No. Every calculation runs entirely in your web browser using JavaScript. The numbers you enter — your salary, your disability ratings, your travel dates, your account balances — never leave your device. We have no server that receives them and no database that stores them. You can verify this by opening your browser's developer tools (Network tab) and observing that no data is transmitted when you click "Calculate."
How current are the rates and rules?
Most calculators and articles use 2025 rates and limits. VA compensation reflects the 2.5% COLA effective December 1, 2024. Social Security bend points are the 2025 figures ($1,226 and $7,391). The 401(k) contribution limit is $23,500 for 2025 with a $7,500 catch-up for ages 50+ and a new $11,250 super catch-up for ages 60–63 under SECURE 2.0. Each page displays a "Last reviewed" date so you know exactly when the content was last verified.
Can I rely on a calculator output for a real decision?
Use our calculators to understand the methodology and get a realistic estimate — but verify against the official source before filing a claim, submitting an application, or making a major financial decision. A calculator cannot account for every variable an agency adjudicator might consider, including facts you may not realize are relevant. For claim-specific guidance, consult a VA-accredited attorney or VSO, an immigration lawyer, a CFP, or an estate planning attorney licensed in your state.
How is GE3 funded?
GE3 is funded by display advertising. Advertising never influences our editorial content — advertisers cannot review, edit, or approve our calculators or articles before publication. We do not accept payment for favorable coverage, paid rankings, or sponsored formulas. If we ever publish sponsored content, it will be clearly labeled as such and separated from editorial content.
Built different
Numbers you can plan around.
Stop guessing at benefits, taxes, and timelines. Pick a calculator, enter your situation, and get an answer grounded in the actual rule — not a marketing approximation.