You can check your VA disability rating in a few minutes by signing in to VA.gov, where your combined rating and each service-connected condition appear on one screen. If you’d rather not use the website, call the VA benefits hotline at 800-827-1000, open the VA Health and Benefits mobile app, or visit a VA Regional Office in person. All four methods pull from the same record, so the number you see will match your official rating decision.
Check It Online at VA.gov
The fastest way is through your VA.gov account. Once you’re signed in, open the disability rating tool. Your combined rating appears at the top, followed by a list of every condition, each one’s individual percentage, and whether the VA considers it service-connected.1Veterans Affairs. View Your Disability Ratings It’s the same information printed on your rating decision letter, shown in real time.
To sign in, you need a verified account with either Login.gov or ID.me. Those are the only two options the VA currently accepts. If you previously used My HealtheVet or DS Logon, both have been retired and you’ll need to create a new account.2Veterans Affairs. Prepare For VA’s Secure Sign-In Changes
Setting up either account is a one-time process. You’ll need your Social Security number, a valid unexpired driver’s license, state ID, or passport, a phone for multi-factor authentication, and a device with a camera to photograph your ID.3Veterans Affairs. Verifying Your Identity On VA.gov The automated identity check usually takes a few minutes; if it fails, ID.me may ask for a short video call to verify you in person.4Veterans Affairs. How to Verify Your Identity for Your ID.me Account Get this done before you actually need the rating for a deadline.
Check It on the VA Mobile App
The VA Health and Benefits app is available for iOS and Android and shows your rating after you sign in with the same Login.gov or ID.me account.5Veterans Affairs. VA: Health and Benefits It’s the easiest option when someone at a doctor’s office, county tax assessor’s window, or lender’s desk asks you to confirm your VA disability status on the spot.
Get It by Phone
Call the VA benefits hotline at 800-827-1000, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET. A representative can look up your current rating after verifying your identity. Have your name, date of birth, Social Security number, and service dates ready.6Veterans Affairs. Contact Us The same number handles claim and appeal status, address and direct deposit changes, and letter requests.
Visit a VA Regional Office
Walking into a Regional Office makes sense when you have questions that go beyond the number itself. Staff at the Public Contact Office can pull up your file, print documents, and walk you through how the current rating was calculated. If you’re weighing whether to file for an increase or an appeal, an in-person conversation is often faster than the website. You can find the nearest office through the VA’s facility locator on VA.gov.
Get a Written Copy of Your Rating
For a document you can hand to a state agency, a mortgage lender, or an employer, download your Benefit Summary Letter, sometimes called a VA award letter. In your VA.gov account, open the “Download VA Benefit Letters” section and use the checkboxes to choose what to include: service history, monthly compensation, and Permanent and Total status among them.7Veterans Affairs. Download VA Benefit Letters The Permanent and Total checkbox is worth attention. It signals that the VA does not expect your condition to improve, and it unlocks additional benefits in many states.
If you’ve misplaced your original rating decision letter, call 800-827-1000 to request a replacement. Federal law requires the VA to send written notice of any decision on your claim, including the issues considered, the evidence reviewed, and the laws applied.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 5104 – Decisions and Notices of Decisions Keep a copy somewhere you can find it. Most agencies and lenders accept the Benefit Summary Letter as official proof.
Reading Your Combined Rating
If you have more than one service-connected condition, the combined rating on your account isn’t the sum of the individual percentages. The VA uses what it calls the “whole person theory”: it starts with your highest-rated condition, then applies each additional condition to the percentage of you that’s still considered non-disabled. The final number is rounded to the nearest 10%.9Veterans Affairs. About Disability Ratings
Say you have one condition rated at 50% and another at 30%. The 50% comes first, leaving 50% non-disabled. The 30% then applies only to that remaining 50%, which adds 15 points. That gives 65, rounded to 70%. Simple addition would suggest 80%, which is why many veterans are surprised by what appears on the screen. Each percentage reflects impairment in earning capacity, not a medical opinion about how sick you are.10eCFR. 38 CFR Part 4 – Schedule for Rating Disabilities
Your decision letter also references diagnostic codes, four-digit numbers from the Schedule for Rating Disabilities that classify each condition and set the range of percentages available for it.10eCFR. 38 CFR Part 4 – Schedule for Rating Disabilities If a condition seems to be rated under the wrong code, that’s a legitimate issue to raise in a review.
If the Rating Looks Wrong or Your Condition Has Worsened
Checking your rating is one thing; changing it is another. If you think the VA rated a condition too low, missed a condition, or made an error, you have three review paths (Supplemental Claim, Higher-Level Review, and Board Appeal), and each has a one-year deadline from the date on your decision letter.11Veterans Affairs. Higher-Level Reviews
If your condition has genuinely gotten worse since the last rating, that’s a separate process: you file a new claim for increased compensation on VA Form 21-526EZ rather than disputing the original decision.12Veterans Affairs. Supplemental Claims The VA will typically schedule a new medical exam to assess current severity.