How to Get From 70 to 100 VA Disability
If you receive benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, you can benefit significantly by moving from a 70 to a 100 percent VA rating for disability. A 100 percent disability rating provides significantly higher monthly payments and additional benefits, including free health care and long-term care plan advantages.
Many veterans with a 70 percent rating don’t realize they may qualify for a higher rating based on additional medical conditions or individual unemployability. If you are a veteran who suspects you may qualify for a higher rating, Veterans Guide is here to help.
Why Go From 70% to 100% VA Disability?
In 2025, the basic monthly compensation rate for veterans with a 100 percent VA disability rating is $3,831.30. The compensation may be increased based on whether the veteran has dependent family members such as spouses, children, or parents. For a 70 percent VA rating, the basic compensation rate in 2025 is $1,759.19.
Veterans with 100 percent disability ratings can also qualify for the following benefits:
- Long-term care benefits without co-pays or deductibles
- Dependency and Indemnity Compensation benefits for eligible family members after your death
- Education or training benefits for dependents and survivors
Some states also offer additional benefits to veterans with 100 percent disability ratings. For example, Florida and Texas offer full property tax exemptions to 100 percent disabled veterans.
Paths to 100%: Understanding Your Options
If your current rating is 70 percent or lower, there are two pathways to qualify for the benefits of a 100 percent VA disability rating. One involves the combined rating system, and the other relates to unemployability.
Schedular Rating
The VA calculates your combined disability rating using the schedular rating system. This system is complex and requires consideration of each of your medical conditions.
Increasing your rating through the schedular system requires proof of additional service-connected conditions or a secondary condition related to your primary disabling condition. Those additional conditions must be sufficiently severe to raise your combined rating to 100 percent.
“Think of it like a jar filled with 100 marbles—each one represents your total health. If the VA gives you a 70% disability rating, they take out 70 marbles, leaving you with 30. Now, let’s say you get another 50% rating for a different condition. That doesn’t mean 70% plus 50% equals 120%. Instead, the VA takes 50% of what’s left—so, 50% of 30 marbles is 15. This means your total VA disability rating would be 85%, which would be rounded up to 90%.”
Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability
Veterans with service-connected conditions that prevent them from working but who haven’t received a 100 percent VA disability rating may be eligible for Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, or TDIU.
TDIU provides veterans who cannot work because of a disabling condition benefits equivalent to those for a 100 percent disability rating.
To qualify for TDIU, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- You have one disabling condition rated at 60 percent.
- You have multiple conditions with a VA combined rating of 70 percent, including one rated at 40 percent or more.
TIDU approval is often faster and easier to obtain than pursuing a 100 percent rating through the combined rating system.
Challenges Veterans Face When Trying To Increase Their Ratings
Qualifying for a 100 percent rating on your own can be difficult. Claims for increased ratings and appeals require extensive documentation, including updated medical evidence to substantiate the higher rating.
The VA has strict eligibility requirements for disability benefits. Veterans frequently receive denials citing insufficient evidence or inadequate nexus letters, which are written statements from medical providers establishing the severity and service-connection of veterans’ disabling conditions.
It’s possible to receive a denial even with a valid nexus letter. For example, the VA may claim that the letter did not sufficiently demonstrate the nature and severity of the disability or that the doctor lacked the necessary specialized expertise. Many veterans need help to get past these hurdles.
How To Build a Strong Claim To Go From 70 to 100
To go from a 70 to a 100 percent VA disability rating, you must choose the most appropriate pathway: TDIU or an increased combined rating. You’ll also need to submit additional evidence to substantiate the increase, whether that means proving a secondary condition related to your primary condition or demonstrating that your service-connected condition prevents you from working.
Get Updated Medical Evidence
Medical records are the crux of your request or appeal. You must submit the most current documentation establishing the severity of your condition and its service connection.
Your documentation should include a statement from your treating physician. While not required, a comprehensive nexus letter can offer a significant advantage, particularly if it comes from a physician specializing in your disabling condition. Submitting a Disability Benefits Questionnaire, or DBQ, which your doctor will complete, can also be helpful.
Finally, you may have to undergo a new Compensation and Pension exam, or C&P. The VA can order a C&P exam whenever case reviewers need more information to assess your condition. A VA staff member or a contractor physician will perform the exam, which typically involves an interview and a physical examination.
Meeting the requirements can pose a challenge, but an experienced VA attorney can help you navigate the process.
File for Secondary Service-Connected Conditions
Your primary service-connected condition might cause or exacerbate other related conditions. The VA refers to these as secondary conditions, which can warrant an increased disability rating.
Filing a claim for your secondary rating may help you go from a 70 to a 100 percent VA rating. You must document the condition and provide evidence of its relationship to your primary service-connected disability. The process works like a new application, so you must submit VA Form 21-526EZ.
Consider TDIU if You're Unable To Work
TDIU status allows you full disability compensation without a 100 percent combined rating, but with similar benefits.
All applicants for TDIU must submit VA Forms 21-8940 and 21-492, which provide additional employment and career information. You must also submit any supplemental medical information proving your inability to work.
Let Veterans Guide Help You Get to 100%
Reaching 100 percent disability is difficult on your own. Veterans Guide works with veterans seeking rating increases. We can connect you with advocates who can help you gather evidence, file appeals, navigate VA red tape, and represent you throughout the process.
We work on a contingency fee basis, so you pay nothing unless you win your claim. Contact us today to learn more.
FAQs: Getting From 70 to 100% VA Disability
How Much Does 100 percent VA Disability Pay per Month?
In 2025, the base monthly compensation rate for a 100 percent disability rating is $3,831.30. Veterans with additional dependent family members receive higher compensation. For example, a veteran with a spouse receives $4,044.91, and those with a child, spouse, and parent receive $4,372.78.
Can I Work and Still Receive 100 percent VA Disability?
You can still work if you receive 100 percent disability through the schedular combined rating system. However, if you receive TDIU benefits, you can only perform “marginal employment,” meaning you work half the usual hours or less than half the prevailing local wage for your job.
What If My Disabilities Have Worsened Since My Last Rating?
If your disability has become more severe and you believe you might qualify for a higher rating, consider requesting an increase. You’ll file a new claim if it has been more than a year since your most recent determination, or an appeal if it has been a year or less.
If your primary service-connected disabling condition causes or exacerbates another condition, you may be eligible to file a claim for a secondary condition and qualify for a combined rating.
How Long Does It Take To Increase My Rating to 100 percent?
The waiting time for a decision depends on the type of claim. If you are applying for an increase, the VA will process your claim like a new application, which currently takes an average of 4.8 months.
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