u/Single-Reputation-44

There’s always a lot of discussion about how big the jump in VA compensation is from 90% to 100%.

That got me thinking about how VA math actually works, and I wanted to visualize it a different way.

This chart shows:

• X-axis: VA disability rating
• Left axis: monthly compensation (single veteran, no dependents)
• Right axis: the total number of 10% ratings you’d need to reach each level, assuming every condition was rated at 10%

Obviously real claims aren’t built this way, but it gives a consistent way to compare how much “effort” it takes to move between levels under VA math.

What stood out to me:

• The system is not linear, but it’s also not random
• As you move up in rating, each additional % becomes harder to achieve because it’s applied to a smaller remaining “healthy” portion
• That means the amount of disability required accelerates near the top

For example:

• 80 → 90 takes about +50 points worth of 10% ratings
• 90 → 100 takes about +100 points worth of 10% ratings

So while the pay jump from 90 → 100 is large, the amount of disability required to get there also increases significantly

In that sense, the compensation isn’t really “out of proportion”—it’s just reflecting how steep the VA math gets at the top end.

Not saying the system is perfect, but this helped me understand why that last jump looks so dramatic.