Should I Get 60% Or 70% Please Help Me Figure It Out

[Thumper]

They posted the results of my BVA hearing, http://www.va.gov/vetapp06/files2/0606980.txt

They awarded me a 40% rating on my back and 40% on the foot drop for a combined total of 60%.

My question is: during the time this appeal was in process I tripped and fell due to the foot drop and broke my leg. I filed for the broken leg as secondary to the foot drop and was awarded 10% for the broken leg.

I figure the total award should be 40% + 40% + 10% for a total of 70%. Right?

This hearing result is all I have received to date, no letter from the regional office. Every time I call the VA 1-800 number I get the run around.

I was concerned that since I have not heard anything from the regional office that they may be trying to take away the 10% for the broken leg under some sort of pyramiding rule.

What do you think? Any action I should take?

Thanks, Thumper

Edited to add: They also have my dates of service wrong in this letter, they list 1976-1983 and I was in service from 1973-1983 does this matter? Do I need to address this?

Edited June 1, 2006 by Thumper

[john999]

Just doing the math myself the VA should round up to 70%. 2 forty percents should be 64% and 10% of that is 4% rounding up. I think no matter how you round it you should be getting 70%. Someone will post the VA formula, but I think you should have 70%. Now file for TDIU if you are not working regardless.

[foreveryoung]

I believe your combined rating is 68%, so you should receive 70% total. Here is the chart, hope this helps.

§ 4.25 Combined ratings table.

top

Table I, Combined Ratings Table, results from the consideration of the efficiency of the individual as affected first by the most disabling condition, then by the less disabling condition, then by other less disabling conditions, if any, in the order of severity. Thus, a person having a 60 percent disability is considered 40 percent efficient. Proceeding from this 40 percent efficiency, the effect of a further 30 percent disability is to leave only 70 percent of the efficiency remaining after consideration of the first disability, or 28 percent efficiency altogether. The individual is thus 72 percent disabled, as shown in table I opposite 60 percent and under 30 percent.

(a) To use table I, the disabilities will first be arranged in the exact order of their severity, beginning with the greatest disability and then combined with use of table I as hereinafter indicated. For example, if there are two disabilities, the degree of one disability will be read in the left column and the degree of the other in the top row, whichever is appropriate. The figures appearing in the space where the column and row intersect will represent the combined value of the two. This combined value will then be converted to the nearest number divisible by 10, and combined values ending in 5 will be adjusted upward. Thus, with a 50 percent disability and a 30 percent disability, the combined value will be found to be 65 percent, but the 65 percent must be converted to 70 percent to represent the final degree of disability. Similarly, with a disability of 40 percent, and another disability of 20 percent, the combined value is found to be 52 percent, but the 52 percent must be converted to the nearest degree divisible by 10, which is 50 percent. If there are more than two disabilities, the disabilities will also be arranged in the exact order of their severity and the combined value for the first two will be found as previously described for two disabilities. The combined value, exactly as found in table I, will be combined with the degree of the third disability (in order of severity). The combined value for the three disabilities will be found in the space where the column and row intersect, and if there are only three disabilities will be converted to the nearest degree divisible by 10, adjusting final 5's upward. Thus, if there are three disabilities ratable at 60 percent, 40 percent, and 20 percent, respectively, the combined value for the first two will be found opposite 60 and under 40 and is 76 percent. This 76 will be combined with 20 and the combined value for the three is 81 percent. This combined value will be converted to the nearest degree divisible by 10 which is 80 percent. The same procedure will be employed when there are four or more disabilities. (See table I).

(B) Except as otherwise provided in this schedule, the disabilities arising from a single disease entity, e.g., arthritis, multiple sclerosis, cerebrovascular accident, etc., are to be rated separately as are all other disabiling conditions, if any. All disabilities are then to be combined as described in paragraph (a) of this section. The conversion to the nearest degree divisible by 10 will be done only once per rating decision, will follow the combining of all disabilities, and will be the last procedure in determining the combined degree of disability.

Table I_Combined Ratings Table

[10 combined with 10 is 19]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

19...................................... 27 35 43 51 60 68 76 84 92

20...................................... 28 36 44 52 60 68 76 84 92

21...................................... 29 37 45 53 61 68 76 84 92

22...................................... 30 38 45 53 61 69 77 84 92

23...................................... 31 38 46 54 62 69 77 85 92

24...................................... 32 39 47 54 62 70 77 85 92

25...................................... 33 40 48 55 63 70 78 85 93

26...................................... 33 41 48 56 63 70 78 85 93

27...................................... 34 42 49 56 64 71 78 85 93

28...................................... 35 42 50 57 64 71 78 86 93

29...................................... 36 43 50 57 65 72 79 86 93

30...................................... 37 44 51 58 65 72 79 86 93

31...................................... 38 45 52 59 66 72 79 86 93

32...................................... 39 46 52 59 66 73 80 86 93

33...................................... 40 46 53 60 67 73 80 87 93

34...................................... 41 47 54 60 67 74 80 87 93

35...................................... 42 48 55 61 68 74 81 87 94

36...................................... 42 49 55 62 68 74 81 87 94

37...................................... 43 50 56 62 69 75 81 87 94

38...................................... 44 50 57 63 69 75 81 88 94

39...................................... 45 51 57 63 70 76 82 88 94

40...................................... 46 52 58 64 70 76 82 88 94

41...................................... 47 53 59 65 71 76 82 88 94

42...................................... 48 54 59 65 71 77 83 88 94

43...................................... 49 54 60 66 72 77 83 89 94

44...................................... 50 55 61 66 72 78 83 89 94

45...................................... 51 56 62 67 73 78 84 89 95

46...................................... 51 57 62 68 73 78 84 89 95

47...................................... 52 58 63 68 74 79 84 89 95

48...................................... 53 58 64 69 74 79 84 90 95

49...................................... 54 59 64 69 75 80 85 90 95

50...................................... 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95

51...................................... 56 61 66 71 76 80 85 90 95

52...................................... 57 62 66 71 76 81 86 90 95

53...................................... 58 62 67 72 77 81 86 91 95

54...................................... 59 63 68 72 77 82 86 91 95

55...................................... 60 64 69 73 78 82 87 91 96

56...................................... 60 65 69 74 78 82 87 91 96

57...................................... 61 66 70 74 79 83 87 91 96

58...................................... 62 66 71 75 79 83 87 92 96

59...................................... 63 67 71 75 80 84 88 92 96

60...................................... 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96

61...................................... 65 69 73 77 81 84 88 92 96

62...................................... 66 70 73 77 81 85 89 92 96

63...................................... 67 70 74 78 82 85 89 93 96

64...................................... 68 71 75 78 82 86 89 93 96

65...................................... 69 72 76 79 83 86 90 93 97

66...................................... 69 73 76 80 83 86 90 93 97

67...................................... 70 74 77 80 84 87 90 93 97

68...................................... 71 74 78 81 84 87 90 94 97

69...................................... 72 75 78 81 85 88 91 94 97

70...................................... 73 76 79 82 85 88 91 94 97

71...................................... 74 77 80 83 86 88 91 94 97

72...................................... 75 78 80 83 86 89 92 94 97

73...................................... 76 78 81 84 87 89 92 95 97

74...................................... 77 79 82 84 87 90 92 95 97

75...................................... 78 80 83 85 88 90 93 95 98

76...................................... 78 81 83 86 88 90 93 95 98

77...................................... 79 82 84 86 89 91 93 95 98

78...................................... 80 82 85 87 89 91 93 96 98

79...................................... 81 83 85 87 90 92 94 96 98

80...................................... 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98

81...................................... 83 85 87 89 91 92 94 96 98

82...................................... 84 86 87 89 91 93 95 96 98

83...................................... 85 86 88 90 92 93 95 97 98

84...................................... 86 87 89 90 92 94 95 97 98

85...................................... 87 88 90 91 93 94 96 97 99

86...................................... 87 89 90 92 93 94 96 97 99

87...................................... 88 90 91 92 94 95 96 97 99

88...................................... 89 90 92 93 94 95 96 98 99

89...................................... 90 91 92 93 95 96 87 38 99

90...................................... 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

91...................................... 92 93 94 95 96 96 97 98 99

92...................................... 93 94 94 95 96 97 98 98 99

93...................................... 94 94 95 96 97 97 98 99 99

94...................................... 95 95 96 96 97 98 98 99 99

[foreveryoung]

Sorry that didn't copy over right. If you move the 10% through 90% on the top row over and line the 10 with the 27 it's right.