VA Bilateral Factor Calculator
Apply the 10% bilateral factor to disabilities of both arms or both legs, and see whether the 2023 exception raises your rating.
Updated · By Niraj Kumar · 5 sources
https://checkpre.com/legal/va-bilateral-factor-calculator
Your ratings
Dependents
In a VA-approved school program.
The 2023 exception raises you from 90% to 100%. See the comparison below.
- Monthly pay
- $3,938.58
- Tax-free; rates effective December 1, 2025
- Yearly pay
- $47,262.96
- To reach the next band
- —
- You are already at the 100% schedular rating.
Why 38 CFR 4.26(d) applies
With the bilateral factor, your ratings combine to 94, which rounds to 90%. Combining 10% left knee separately instead gives 95, which rounds to 100%. Since April 16, 2023, VA must use the calculation more favorable to you.
| # | Disability | Rating | Efficiency left | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1: bilateral factor (38 CFR 4.26) | ||||
| 1 | Left knee | 10 | 100 | 10 |
| 2 | Right knee | 10 | 90 | 19 → 19 |
| Plus 10% of 19 | +1.9 | 20.9 → 21 | ||
| Step 2: combine everything (38 CFR 4.25) | ||||
| 1 | Disability 1 | 90 | 100 | 90 |
| 2 | Disability 2 | 30 | 10 | 93 → 93 |
| 3 | Bilateral factor | 21 | 7 | 94.47 → 94 |
| Combined 94, rounded to the nearest 10 | 90% | |||
| # | Disability | Rating | Efficiency left | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disability 1 | 90 | 100 | 90 |
| 2 | Disability 2 | 30 | 10 | 93 → 93 |
| 3 | Left knee | 10 | 7 | 93.70 → 94 |
| 4 | Right knee | 10 | 6 | 94.60 → 95 |
| Combined 95, rounded to the nearest 10 | 100% | |||
How does the VA bilateral factor work?
When both arms or both legs have a compensable rating, VA combines those ratings, adds 10% of the result, and treats the total as one disability. Two 10% knees combine to 19; adding 1.9 gives 20.9, rounded to 21. Since 2023, VA must leave disabilities out of the factor if that gives a higher rating.
combined = A + B × (100 − A) ÷ 100, rounded to a whole number at each step
bilateral = combined(arms or legs) + 10% of it, rounded
rating = combined rounded to the nearest 10 (ending in 5 → up)This page uses the same method as the VA Disability Calculator, which explains each term and assumption in full.
Worked example
The Federal Register's example: other ratings of 90% and 30% (combined 93), and 10% for each leg.
- 1Bilateral: 10% left leg and 10% right leg combine to 19; plus 10% (1.9) = 20.9 → 21
- 2With the bilateral factor the combined value is 94, rated 90%. 4.26(d) applies: combine separately instead
- 3Start with the highest, First rating: 90
- 490 and 30 (Second rating): 90 + 30 × 10 ÷ 100 = 93
- 593 and 10 (Left leg): 93 + 10 × 7 ÷ 100 = 93.7 → 94
- 694 and 10 (Right leg): 94 + 10 × 6 ÷ 100 = 94.6 → 95
A combined value of 95, rated 100%: $3,938.58 a month for a Veteran alone.
Frequently asked questions
When does the bilateral factor apply?
When each of two paired extremities, both arms or both legs, has a compensable disability of at least 10% (38 CFR 4.26(c)). The disabilities do not need to be the same: a knee on one side and an ankle or hip on the other counts, because the rule looks at the whole extremity (4.26(a)). It also applies to paired skeletal muscles, which this calculator does not cover.
What if both arms and both legs are affected?
All four extremities are combined together and one 10% bilateral factor is added to the result, not one per pair (38 CFR 4.26(b)). An extremity without its pair, such as one arm when only the legs are bilateral, is combined with the other disabilities as usual.
What is the 2023 bilateral factor exception?
38 CFR 4.26(d), effective April 16, 2023 and finalised December 27, 2023. Near 100%, adding the bilateral value as one rating can round down where combining the disabilities one by one rounds up. Combined values of 93 plus two 10% legs give 94 (90%) with the factor but 95 (100%) without it. VA must now use whichever is higher.
Does a 0% rating on the other side count?
No. A non-compensable 0% rating does not trigger the bilateral factor. If one knee is 10% and the other 0%, the 10% is combined as an ordinary rating.
Sources
- 38 CFR 4.25, Combined ratings table, eCFR · checked
- 38 CFR 4.26, Bilateral factor, eCFR · checked
- Exceptions to Applying the Bilateral Factor, interim final rule, 88 FR 22912 (April 14, 2023) · checked
- Exceptions to Applying the Bilateral Factor, final rule (December 27, 2023) · checked
- VA, Current Veterans disability compensation rates · checked
Related calculators
- VA Disability CalculatorCombine your VA ratings step by step as a rater does, with the bilateral factor, its 2023 exception and your 2026 monthly pay.
- VA Combined Ratings TableThe full 38 CFR 4.25 Table I, generated and checked against the regulation, with a calculator that reads it for you.
- VA Disability Pay Chart 2026Monthly VA compensation for every rating and family size, effective December 1, 2025, with a calculator for your exact dependents.