NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE VANOT A LAW FIRMNOT AN ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVE

Understand your VA disability rating decision letter.

Upload your rating decision. We explain what every section means in clear language, decode each diagnostic code against the federal rating schedule, and show you how your combined rating was calculated, step by step.

60 + 40 + 20 = 80not 120. The math that trips everyone up, shown step by step.

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PDF or a photo of the paper · multi-page scans welcome · free decode, no account

Your letter stays private.
Deleted within 24 hours unless you choose to save it · never used to train AI models · encrypted in transit and at rest. No account needed for your free decode.

Free. No account needed. Your SSN is blacked out on your device before anything is uploaded.

A VA disability rating is worth between $180.42 and $3,938.58 a monthVA.gov · eff. Dec 1 2025

See it in action

Your letter on the left. What it actually means on the right.

Every section is translated, every diagnostic code decoded, every number linked to the federal rule behind it.

understandmyrating.com/decode

Your letter

What this section means

Tinnitus, granted at 10%

VA connected your tinnitus to service and rated it 10 percent, the full amount its code allows. Marked static.§4.87 · DC 6260

Lumbosacral strain, 40%

Rated 40 percent with a routine future examination scheduled.§4.71a · DC 5237

Tap any dotted term for a plain definition. Every explanation links to its federal source.

See the math, honestly

Watch your combined rating build one step at a time, bilateral factor and all.

RUNNING TOTAL · 76%

Where you landed

The full ladder of criteria for each code, straight from 38 CFR Part 4.

30%

40%YOU

50%

Walk in prepared

A printable packet of questions for your accredited representative.

QUESTION 2 OF 6
"Two of my conditions affect paired limbs. Was the bilateral factor applied?"

How it works

Upload your letter

A PDF or a photo of the paper. We black out your SSN on your device first. No account needed.

We read and match it

Every condition, diagnostic code, effective date, and status, matched against the published federal rating schedule.

You understand it

A plain explanation with a source link on every number, and the exact questions to bring to an accredited representative.

What we check

Everything the letter says, matched against public federal rules.

Every explanation links to the exact section of 38 CFR or VA.gov behind it.

§4.25

Your combined rating

We reproduce the combined-rating arithmetic step by step and tell you honestly whether it checks out.

Part 4

Every diagnostic code

The plain condition name, body system, and the full ladder of percentage criteria for each code.

§3.400

Your effective dates

What each effective date means and where it comes from, per condition.

M21-1

Static, deferred, future exam

Each status flag on your letter, explained in clear language.

Ask about your letter

Ask a question, get an answer from your own letter.

With the unlock, you can ask questions about your decision letter in plain language. Every answer is drawn only from your own letter, with the exact sentence quoted, so you can see where it comes from.

It explains what your letter says and what VA terms mean. It does not predict how an appeal or future decision would turn out, and it is not a substitute for a VA-accredited representative.

The $49 packet

Walk into your meeting with a folder, not a shoebox.

Your decision becomes a printable packet built for one thing: a productive conversation with a VA-accredited representative. It turns your specific letter into an organized agenda, so you are not paying for time you spend explaining the basics.

A one-page summary of your conditions, codes, percentages, and effective dates

Specific questions drawn from your letter, phrased as questions, never as advice

Blank space for the representative's answers, and a glossary of your terms

See a sample packetPart of Report + Math + Packet, $49 once

Questions worth asking

1. My right knee is listed as deferred. What does that mean for my timeline?

2. Was the bilateral factor applied to my paired conditions?

UnderstandMyRating

Questions to ask your representative

A prepared agenda for your meeting

Combined80%

PTSD · DC 941160%

Lumbar strain · DC 523740%

Tinnitus · DC 626010%

After you decode

See which programs your rating may open up.

Your combined rating is a key to federal programs: health-care priority, hiring preference, commissary and exchange access, and more, plus state programs where you live. The Benefits Explorer shows you what exists and names the agency that decides. We show you the door. We never decide for you.

Explore benefits by rating →Educational only. Every program is decided by the agency named on it.

Commonly searched

Is VA disability taxable? →What changes at 100%? →VA health care priority groups →Benefits by rating →

Pricing

One-time. No subscription. No auto-renew.

See full pricing details →

NO ACCOUNT NEEDED

Basic decode

Free

Understand your letter, section by section

Plain-language glossary for the jargon

Look up any diagnostic code

Start free decode

ONE-TIME

Full annotated report

$19

Everything in Basic decode

Understand every condition, with the federal rule behind it

See where each rating sits on its criteria scale

See your monthly compensation, including dependents

See the federal benefits your rating meets

Ask about your own letter, answered from the exact sentence in it

Your full annotated report, saved as a PDF

Choose Full annotated report

ONE-TIME · MOST COMPLETE

Report + math + packet

$49

Everything in the full annotated report

See exactly how VA reached your combined rating, step by step

A printable packet, to bring better questions to your representative

Choose Report + math + packet

Built for trust

Your letter is sensitive. We treat it that way.

Your SSN never leaves your device unredacted

We black out your Social Security number on your device, before the file is ever uploaded.

No account needed for the free decode

Start reading your letter without signing up. You only make an account if you buy a report.

Encrypted, and not used to train AI

Your documents are encrypted in transit and at rest. They are never used to train AI models.

Deleted unless you save it

An uploaded letter you do not save is deleted within 24 hours. A saved letter stays until you delete it.

The full detail is in our privacy policy.

Questions

Common questions

Is UnderstandMyRating affiliated with the VA?

No. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs. We are an independent educational tool that helps you understand a rating decision letter you already received.

What do you do with my rating decision letter?

We black out your Social Security number on your device before anything is uploaded. Your documents are encrypted in transit and at rest, and are never used to train AI models. The free decode needs no account, an uploaded letter you do not save is deleted within 24 hours, and a saved letter stays until you delete it.

Will you file my claim or tell me what to do about it?

No. We are educational only. We explain what your letter says and show how your combined rating was calculated, plus the exact questions to bring to a VA-accredited representative. For help with a claim or appeal, use an accredited representative, and many Veterans Service Organizations help for free.

Can you tell me whether my rating is wrong or whether an appeal would win?

No. We do not predict outcomes or assess the merits of a specific claim. What we do is reproduce the combined-rating math step by step, with a source link on every number, so you can see exactly how your rating was reached and bring any questions to a representative.

Is it free, and is there a subscription?

The basic decode is free and needs no account. Two optional upgrades are one-time purchases, priced per letter, with no subscription and nothing that auto-renews.