VA Disability Rating Guides
Plain-English guides to how the VA rates common conditions, with the exact criteria from the VA rating schedule and 2026 pay at each level. Written for South Dakota veterans, useful for everyone.
Rating Guides by Condition
How VA Disability Ratings Work
The VA assigns each service-connected condition a percentage from 0% to 100% using the rating schedule in 38 CFR Part 4. Each condition has a diagnostic code with criteria describing what each percentage requires.
When you have more than one rated condition, the VA combines them using a “whole person” method rather than adding them, then rounds to the nearest 10%. That’s why two 50% ratings combine to 75%, rounded to 80%, not 100%.
See exactly how your ratings combine, and what they pay, in our VA disability calculator.
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South Dakota Veterans: Get the Rating You Earned
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