Get the VA rating you’ve actually earned.
Tactical, CFR-sourced guides for the conditions veterans get under-rated, denied, or never file as secondaries. No fluff. No claim sharks. No data sales.
From veterans
Filed right, rated right
Real tactics, applied to real claims. Here’s what knowing the regulation before you file actually changes.
“This site told me to ask the examiner to use a goniometer. He didn’t. I requested a new exam. Went from 10% to 40%.”
“I had no idea sleep apnea + CPAP was an automatic 50%. Got rated last month. Thank you.”
“I filed my secondaries the way the guide laid them out — depression secondary to tinnitus, migraines secondary to the neck. The combined math finally made sense.”
Built by Jesse — Army veteran, 100% service-connected12 years in (15U). No claim sharks, no $5,000 fees. Read why →Outcomes vary by claim. The VA decides every case on its own facts — nothing here is a guarantee of any rating.
Find the VA claims you’ve left on the table.
Describe your service, exposures, and symptoms in plain English. Our AI analyzer surfaces the primary, secondary, presumptive, and SMC claims you may be owed — every one cited to 38 CFR Part 4 with 2026 dollar values.
Free. No login. Most veterans surface $500–$2,000+/month in missed compensation.
0
Condition guides
Tactical, CFR-sourced
0
Diagnostic codes
Searchable 38 CFR Part 4
2026
VA rate tables
Dec 2025 COLA applied
$0
Guides cost you
Guides free, forever
Start here
The conditions veterans claim most
Each guide walks the rating tiers, the exam questions the VA actually asks, the evidence that wins, and the secondaries you should be filing alongside.
Sleep Apnea
DC 6847Sleep study + CPAP = automatic 50%
PTSD
DC 9411GAF + occupational impairment drive the tier
Back Pain
DC 5237Goniometer reading or you stay at 10%
Migraines
DC 8100Prostrating attacks unlock 30 – 50%
Tinnitus
DC 6260Flat 10% — easiest claim in the book
Diabetes (Type 2)
DC 7913Insulin + restricted diet = 40%
Hypertension
DC 7101Home BP log can break a denial open
Depression
DC 9434Same formula as PTSD — same dollars
Knee Conditions
DC 5260Flexion + instability rate separately
Hearing Loss
DC 6100Audiogram + Maryland CNC required
GERD
DC 7346Secondary to PTSD meds in many cases
TBI
DC 804510 facets — rate the highest
What the right page can do for you
Four plays most veterans never run
Real tactics pulled from the catalog. Each one is the difference between “denied” or “10%” and a rating that reflects what service actually did.
CPAP unlocks 50% — for life
If your sleep study confirms OSA and a provider prescribes CPAP, you qualify for 50%. That is $1,132.90/mo — $13,594/yr — and it does not stop when symptoms improve.
Read the full play →No goniometer reading? You stay at 10%
C&P examiners must measure thoracolumbar range of motion with a goniometer and document flare-up loss. Without that, raters default to the minimum. Ask for both before you sign out.
Read the full play →A $20 BP cuff can flip a denial
Take three readings a day for 30 days on an automated cuff. Average diastolic ≥100 or systolic ≥160 hits 10% — averages above thresholds in CFR § 4.104 push higher. Often the difference between denied and rated.
Read the full play →TDIU at 70% pays the 100% rate
If a service-connected condition prevents substantially gainful employment, TDIU bridges you to the 100% pay rate. That is roughly $24,000/yr many vets leave on the table by never filing Form 21-8940.
Read the full play →Tools
Stop guessing your combined rating
Free tools that do the math, build your evidence list, map secondaries, and (NEW) surface the claims you've missed via AI — so you walk into a C&P with a plan instead of a stack of records.
Missed Claims Analyzer (AI)
Paste your situation, AI surfaces every claim you may be owed — primary, secondary, presumptive, SMC — cited to 38 CFR with 2026 dollars.
Open tool →VA Math Calculator
38 CFR § 4.25 combined-rating math. Add ratings the way the VA actually does it — not simple addition.
Open tool →Evidence Checklist
Personalized DBQ + records list for each condition you claim. Walk into your C&P knowing what is missing.
Open tool →Secondary Mapper
Enter what is already service-connected. Get a prioritized list of secondaries with the strongest medical link.
Open tool →DC Code Lookup
All 728 diagnostic codes from Part 4 — searchable, with rating criteria and regulation links.
Open tool →From the blog
Tactical breakdowns, CFR-grounded
Plain-English guides to the claims veterans miss and the moves that change a rating — sleep apnea, the C&P exam, the 2026 pay tables, and more.
July 6, 2026 · 7 min read
SFL-TAP Before ETS: The 12-Month Window That Decides Your VA Rating
Every branch has a mandatory transition program under DoDI 1332.35, and most soldiers show up, sign the form, and leave with nothing. The BDD filing window alone is worth $8,000 to $15,000 in backpay. The 12-month timeline for timing your VA claim right.
Read →July 4, 2026 · 10 min read
VA Home Loan Funding Fee: How Disability Rating Affects Your Costs (2026 Guide)
Veterans receiving VA disability compensation are exempt from the VA home loan funding fee — at any rating, not just 100%. But a 100% rating locks it in permanently and unlocks SAH, SHA, HISA, and state property-tax benefits most vets never claim. 2026 rate charts, worked examples, and how to claim the waiver.
Read →June 7, 2026 · 12 min read
SMC (Special Monthly Compensation): The Extra Pay Tier Most 100% Veterans Don't Know Exists
Most veterans top out at 100% and assume it's the ceiling. SMC under 38 CFR § 3.350 sits on top, with the highest tier paying more than double the 100% rate. The K, L, M, N, O, R-1, R-2, S, and T tiers explained — with 2026 dollars.
Read →June 5, 2026 · 12 min read
VA Disability for Back Pain: The ROM Rules, the Radiculopathy Stack, and DC 5235–5243
Most veterans file "back pain," get measured on a good day, and walk away with 10%. The spine formula actually contains three rating streams that stack: the ROM rating, a nerve rating for each leg with radiculopathy, and the IVDS episodes formula. Here is how to claim all three.
Read →Get the Secondary Conditions Checklist
What you can stack on your primary claim — the secondaries most veterans miss, mapped to the diagnostic codes that rate them. Free, printable, by email.
How it works
Three steps. No sales pitch.
STEP 01
Create a free account
Saves your guides, unlocks the four tools, tracks your filing progress. No card.
STEP 02
Look up your conditions
Search by name or DC. Every guide is built on the live 38 CFR Part 4 schedule.
STEP 03
Build your evidence plan
Use the checklist + secondary mapper, then walk in with a file your VSO will recognize.
Why VA Disability Max
Built on 38 CFR Part 4
Every rating tier and threshold sourced directly from the regulation. Citations, not vibes.
2026 rates, Dec 2025 COLA
Every dollar figure on the site reflects the current pay tables. Updated, not stale.
Catalog free forever.
All 109 condition guides stay free. No data sales. No ads. Education paid for by people who give a damn.
Our mission
VA Disability Max is an educational resource. We do not prepare claims, give personal legal or medical advice, or promise any outcome. We exist so that veterans can walk into a conversation with their VSO, attorney, or physician already knowing what the regulation says — and what their claim is worth if they file it right.