If your disability keeps you from going to work, holding down a job, or engaging in everyday activities, you should file with the VA.
Calculating combined disability is a confusing thing, especially when trying to use VA math. Many veterans with one service-connected disability will have to engage in VA calculations. Still, those with multiple ratings and considerations will most likely fare better if they use dedicated calculators.
Most VA rating calculators cover the following:
- Dependents who qualify
- Rating Considerations – the bilateral factor
- Additional benefits
- Aid and Attendance
- The number of dependents (children or parents).
About the VA Disability Rating Calculator
One must begin by selecting appropriate ratings and including extremities. Consider adding, if you need, a caregiver to help you. Add qualifying dependents, and remember that veterans must include their marital status. Adding benefits to your calculation can increase the monthly benefits the VA will pay.
How the VA Combined Disability Ratings Work
You can use the CCK Law VA disability calculator on the CCK website. It is a simple instrument that allows you to choose and add many factors that influence your combined rating and benefits.
Let’s see some points to consider when you calculate combined disability ratings. First, as per the VA, they assign you a disability rating based on the severity of your service-connected condition. Moreover, veterans with multiple disability ratings should know that your combined rating may differ from the sum of your individual ratings, as the VA does not simply add up your ratings.
As examples go, you know that the VA works with an efficiency scale. In VA vision and math, this efficiency represents how much one or more disabilities affect your work capabilities and daily activities. So if you have a ten disability rating, it means you are 90% efficient. On the other hand, if you have a 30 disability rating (for a back injury), you are only 70% efficient.
The math is overly complicated, as you will always start with a rating of 100% and then work your way down, each new disability giving you a different baseline. In these calculations, you should also watch the contributing factors and the VA’s list of presumed disabilities if you want to reach a correct rating and, of course, the correct benefits.
How to Use a VA Disability Rating Calculator
Almost all disability rating calculators start from the five most common disabilities the VA has paid for: tinnitus, scars, bilateral hearing loss, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, limitation of flexion of the knee, and other disabilities.
You should pay attention to the bilateral factor: left arm, right leg, left arm, and right arm. You should select the option that best describes your physical disability. If none of the disability choices applies, you can select the disability percentage rating based on the weight of your disability. For example, if you have PTSD, you can go for the 30 percent rating.
Another matter of interest when you calculate combined disability ratings is the additional payment factors. You will most likely need to select from 1 to 10 dependents or 0 up to 10 children aged 18 to 23 who are still going to school. You will also have to enter the number of dependent parents from 0 to 2. Marital status is equally important, so make sure you answer yes or no on questions like “Are you married?”
A Little about Disability Payments
Veterans with a disability of 0 will receive no payment. However, veterans with disability ratings will get paid monthly from as little as 10 percent disabled at $152.64 to 100 percent disabled at $3,332.06.
Why Should You Apply for Disability?
If your disability keeps you from going to work, holding down a job, or engaging in everyday activities, you should file with the VA. It should take the VA about 155 days to get back to you with the results.
Filing a Disability Claim
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, you need to supply documents that include:
- VA medical records
- hospital records
- supporting statements from family members
- records indicating you suffer from a service-related mental health problem
You can file disability claims online, in person, or by mail. Sometimes the VA schedules physical and even psychological examinations to ensure you are eligible. There is no secret that many veterans who served long ago in Vietnam had come home with many diseases, including Agent Orange’s major issues, only to be met with skepticism when they needed help. Today much more is being done for all our veterans, so file a claim and get an attorney to walk you through the process. A lawyer can also fight for you if your claim is denied or the VA does not correctly calculate your ratings and benefits.
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