How To Easily Read VA Disability Pay Chart?

How To Easily Read VA Disability Pay Chart?

If you feel like your disabilities have a service connection, you can file a claim for VA disability compensation with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). After the VA has decided whether your disability is a result of your service, you will be assigned a rating that would determine how much compensation you will receive.

The rating assigned to you depends upon several factors and the severity of your condition. Moreover, if you suffer from multiple conditions, the VA might also assign multiple ratings.

Having difficulty reading the disability chart? Here’s how the rating works and how to read the chart.

How Does The VA Assign Ratings?

The VA has a complex system of assigning ratings. According to the VA Schedule of Rating Disabilities, all conditions are divided into different categories. These categories include different medical issues, and the issues include different diagnostics. These diagnostics are assigned with different codes.

Furthermore, each diagnostic code includes a list of symptoms you must suffer from to qualify for that particular rating.

For instance, under the digestive system category, there are four groups- ulcers, weight loss, abdominal conditions and postgastrectomy syndromes. Moving forth, the ulcer category would include four different groups- severe (60%), moderately severe (40%), moderate (20%) and mild (10%). To qualify for a 60% rating, you must suffer from the list of symptoms defined for the severe group.

How Does The VA Assign You Your Rating?

To determine your rating, the VA will locate your category and diagnosis and then find the code that would best suit your disability. Moreover, even if you’re assigned more than one disability, you will only be paid according to one diagnostic code.

If you are assigned more than one code, the VA will choose the highest rating. If your disability is not listed by the VA’s schedule, the department will find a condition that is close to your disability.

How To Use The Chart With Multiple Ratings?

If, for instance, you have two ratings- 40% and 60%, the VA will not add it up to 100 and assign you a 100% rating. Instead, the department will combine your ratings using the combined rating chart.

To use the combined rating table, search the table for 40. After finding it, search across the table for 60 in the left column. The number you’ll reach is 76. You would have to round off the number to its nearest ten. Meaning 76 will be round off to 80. So, 80 will be your rating.

If you suffer from a service-connected disability and a non-service-connected condition, the VA will use the benefit of the doubt to determine your rating. This means that the department will assume the cause of your symptom due to your service-connected disability. This would help you get a higher rating.

While your application is still under process and the department is figuring out your rating, the VA will assign you a staged rating which might be a little lower than what you actually deserve. However, you can submit medical evidence stating that your condition is getting worse.

Viewing Your Disability Rating

You can view your VA disability rating by signing into either of the platforms-

  • me
  • DS Logon
  • MyHealtheVet

If you do not have an account in any of these, you can make a free account with ID.me.

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