Rating Ledger

Combined ratings / 40% and 30%

38 CFR 4.25 Table I · checked 2026-10-20

40% and 30% VA rating combined

A 40% and a 30% rating combine to 58, which VA rounds up to 60%. The 30% is not added to the 40%: it takes 30% of the 60% efficiency the first rating leaves, which is 18 points. At 60% a veteran alone receives $1,435.02 a month and a veteran with a spouse $1,566.02.

Table I value58%Rounded once60%40 + 30 → 581234
  1. 1First rating 40 squares
  2. 230% of what is left 18 squares
  3. 3Efficiency left 42%
  4. 4Combined rating 60%
Table I value
58%
VA rating
60%
Monthly, alone
$1,435.02
Efficiency left
42%

The arithmetic, step by step

  1. Order by severity: 40% first, then 30%.
  2. After the 40% rating, 60% efficiency is left. The 30% rating takes 30% of that: 30 × 60 ÷ 100 = 18.
  3. 40 + 18 = 58. That is the figure printed in Table I at row 40, column 30.
  4. Round once to the nearest 10, values ending in 5 going up: 58 becomes 60%.

Because 58 ends in 8, it rounds up, so this pair is rated 2 points above its Table I value. The extra points exist only in the rounded rating: if a third disability is added later, VA combines it with 58, not with 60, because intermediate values are never rounded.

Added together, the two ratings would make 70. VA's method gives 60, 10 points less. The gap grows with the size of the ratings, because each later rating works on a smaller remainder.

What 60% pays

40% alone$795.8440% + 30% (60%)$1,435.02With another 20% (70%)$1,808.45
Monthly compensation, veteran with no dependents, VA rates effective December 1, 2025. Bars to scale from zero.

At 60%, VA's table effective December 1, 2025 pays $1,435.02 a month to a veteran alone, $1,566.02 with a spouse, and $1,663.02 with a spouse and one child under 18. Compared with 40% alone ($795.84), the pair adds $639.18 a month for a veteran with no dependents. The 60% pay page lists every dependent row.

If a third rating is added

A third 10% rating would combine with 58, not with 60: 58 and 10 give 62, rated 60%, no change in the rating. The smallest single rating that moves this pair up a step is 20%, reaching 66 and 70% ($1,808.45 a month alone).

The 40% rating meets the 40% part of the 38 CFR 4.16(a) threshold for unemployability, but the combined 60% is below the 70% it also requires.

If the two ratings are on paired limbs

When the 40% and the 30% are on the left and right leg (or both arms), 38 CFR 4.26 adds a bilateral factor: 40 and 30 combine to 58, plus 10% of that gives 64, rated 60%. Here the factor raises the exact value but not the rounded rating, which stays at 60%; it can still matter once more ratings are combined. The bilateral factor guide has the full rule.

Conditions that are rated at 40% and 30%

Diagnostic codes on this site with a 40% level include Shoulder (arm) limitation of motion (DC 5201), Elbow (forearm) limitation of flexion (DC 5206), Back strain (lumbosacral or cervical strain) (DC 5237), Intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) (DC 5243), Knee limitation of extension (DC 5261), Hip (thigh) limitation of flexion (DC 5252), Sciatic nerve (radiculopathy) (DC 8520), Common peroneal nerve (foot drop) (DC 8521), Upper radicular group (C5-C6 nerves) (DC 8510), Epilepsy (seizures) (DC 8910), Hypertension (high blood pressure) (DC 7101), Varicose veins (DC 7120), Deep scars (not head, face or neck) (DC 7801), Diabetes mellitus (type 2) (DC 7913), Prostate conditions (voiding dysfunction) (DC 7527), TMJ (temporomandibular disorder) (DC 9905). A 30% level appears in Vertigo (peripheral vestibular disorder), Meniere's disease, PTSD, Shoulder replacement, Hip replacement, Knee replacement, Shoulder (arm) limitation of motion, Elbow (forearm) limitation of flexion, Back strain (lumbosacral or cervical strain), Knee instability, Knee limitation of flexion, Knee limitation of extension, Flat feet (pes planus), Plantar fasciitis, Foot injury (other), Hip (thigh) limitation of flexion, Migraines, Carpal tunnel (median nerve), Common peroneal nerve (foot drop), Sleep apnea, Asthma, COPD, Allergic rhinitis, Chronic sinusitis, Supraventricular arrhythmia (incl. AFib), GERD (acid reflux), Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Hernia (inguinal, ventral, umbilical), Scars of the head, face or neck, Deep scars (not head, face or neck), Painful or unstable scars, Eczema (dermatitis), Prostate conditions (voiding dysfunction), TMJ (temporomandibular disorder).

38 CFR 4.124a, diagnostic code 8521, Common peroneal nerve (foot drop), 40%: “Complete paralysis: foot drop and slight droop of first phalanges of all toes, cannot dorsiflex the foot, loss of extension of proximal phalanges of toes, anesthesia covering the entire dorsum of foot and toes.”

38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5054, Hip replacement, 30%: “Minimum evaluation for total hip replacement only.”

38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5201, Shoulder (arm) limitation of motion, 30%: “Midway between side and shoulder level (flexion and/or abduction limited to 45 degrees).”

38 CFR 4.104, diagnostic code 7101, Hypertension (high blood pressure), 40%: “Diastolic pressure predominantly 120 or more.”

Criteria summarized from the rating schedule; each condition page links to the regulation.

Other pairs

4 other pairs also round to 60%: 60+10, 50+20, 50+10, 40+40.

For three or more ratings, or to add dependents, use the calculator. Background: why 50 and 50 is not 100.

Rating Ledger is not part of VA and does not file or decide claims. Amounts are VA's published monthly rates effective December 1, 2025 for a veteran, before any deduction or special monthly compensation; ratings follow 38 CFR 4.25 and 38 CFR 4.26. Last checked 2026-10-20. Only a VA rating decision sets a rating or a payment. See the methodology.