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70% + 50% VA Disability Rating: Combined = 90%

A 70% and a 50% VA disability rating combine to 90% — not 120%. The exact table value is 85, which the VA rounds to the nearest 10.

The step-by-step VA math

Step 1. Order the ratings largest first: 70%, then 50%.
Step 2. Apply the 70% rating. That leaves you 30% "non-disabled" in the VA's eyes (100 − 70 = 30).
Step 3. The 50% rating applies to that remaining 30%, not to the full 100%: 50% of 30 = 15.
Step 4. Add it to the first rating: 70 + 15 = 85 — that is the exact value in the 38 CFR §4.25 combined ratings table.
Step 5. 85 rounds up to the nearest 10 → final rating 90%.

Why doesn't 70 + 50 = 120?

The VA doesn't add ratings — it combines them under 38 CFR §4.25 ("VA math"). Each additional rating only applies to the part of you the VA still considers non-disabled. That's why combined ratings climb slower and slower as they stack, and why the order (largest first) matters for the calculation but never changes the result.

What if you add a third rating?

Starting from 70% + 50% (table value 85), here is what one more rating would do:

New third ratingTable valueNew combined ratingChange
10%8790%no change
20%8890%no change
30%9090%no change
40%9190%no change
50%9390%no change

From 70% + 50% (combined value 85), the smallest additional rating that moves you past 90% is a 70% rating — it would take you to 100%. If you think a service-connected condition of yours is unrated or underrated, that is the kind of gap worth documenting properly.

Bilateral factor: paired arms or legs

If your ratings are on paired extremities — both arms, both legs, or an arm/leg pair on opposite sides — the VA adds a 10% bilateral factor to the combined value of those conditions before combining the rest. That can change the final result, so run your full picture through our free calculator, which handles the bilateral factor for you.

Open the free VA disability calculator See all free veteran tools

Have a decision letter you don't agree with, or conditions you never claimed? ASTRID — our AI claims battle buddy — can walk you through next steps in plain language, free to try.

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