Understanding the Path from a 70% VA Rating to Higher Combined Ratings
A 70% combined VA disability rating does not automatically mean another single rating will move the combined result to 100%. VA combines multiple percentages using its Combined Ratings Table and rounds only the final combined value.
1. Understand combined ratings first
Before filing anything new, verify the ratings VA has already assigned and use VA's published combined-ratings guidance. A higher combined rating should come from qualifying disabilities and evidence—not from targeting a number.
2. Increased-rating claims require evidence of worsening
If an already service-connected disability has worsened, VA says an increased-rating claim should include current evidence showing the change. That may include medical records, test results, or lay evidence describing observable functional changes.
3. Secondary claims require a real medical or factual link
A secondary claim is not simply another condition that commonly appears alongside a service-connected disability. VA says you need evidence of the new condition and evidence linking it to a disability that is already service connected; medical records or opinions are usually needed for the link.
4. TDIU is about unemployability, not reaching a percentage target
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) may pay at the 100% rate when service-connected disabilities prevent substantially gainful employment and the eligibility rules are met. It is a separate benefit theory with its own evidence requirements.