DCM Advisory Group

10/10/2026

Rated 40% and 20%? Your final VA rating is 50%, not 60%.

Here’s why: VA ratings don’t simply add together. A 40% rating leaves 60% under VA’s whole-person calculation. The next 20% applies to that remaining 60%, adding 12 percentage points. That produces a combined value of 52%, which rounds to 50% if these are your only ratings and no bilateral factor applies.

Understanding VA math can help you make sense of the percentage on your decision letter.

Our guide from DCM Advisory Group explains how to read the table and follow each step.

VA Disability Claims Process: Step-by-Step Guide Get link Facebook X Pinterest Email Other Apps October 07, 2026 Table of Contents VA Disability Claims Process: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough Step 1: Protect Your Potential Effective Date and Gather Evidence Step 2: Submit Your Claim Using VA Form 21-526...

10/07/2026

A VA disability decision letter can leave you unsure what to do next. Review the reasons for the decision and understand your options before responding. Take a moment to review the details.

Our guide explains the review options available when a claim is denied. Which part of a decision letter do you find hardest to understand?

VA Disability Claims Process: Step-by-Step Guide Get link Facebook X Pinterest Email Other Apps October 07, 2026 Table of Contents VA Disability Claims Process: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough Step 1: Protect Your Potential Effective Date and Gather Evidence Step 2: Submit Your Claim Using VA Form 21-526...

09/30/2026

09/22/2026

🇺🇸 We’ve moved! New location. Same commitment to you.

DCM Advisory Group has a new office, a new phone number, and an updated website! We’re excited to welcome you to:

📍 705 S. Illinois, Suite 4B
Joplin, MO 64801
📞 417-208-2197
🌐 dcmadvisorygroup.com

Whether you need help understanding your VA benefits or navigating the SSDI application and appeals process, we’re here to answer questions and help you understand your next steps.

We provide VA benefits guidance and SSDI representation through an Authorized SSDI Non-Attorney Representative.

Call us to schedule your FREE consultation, and take a look at our updated website!

Thank you for supporting our veteran-owned business. Please share this post to help us spread the word!

⭐ We Educate. We Guide. You Decide.

09/08/2026

🇺🇸 VETERAN REALITY CHECK 🇺🇸

Veterans helping veterans—that’s what this one is about.

If you could go back to the beginning of your VA journey, what is ONE thing you wish another veteran had told you?

Maybe it was:

👉 Keep copies of EVERYTHING.
👉 Read your entire decision letter.
👉 Get a copy of your C&P exam.
👉 Don’t overlook a 0% service-connected condition.
👉 VA math definitely isn’t normal math. 😅
👉 Or something we didn’t mention at all.

👇 DROP YOUR BEST ADVICE IN THE COMMENTS.

There may be a veteran reading this today who is just beginning the process and has no idea where to start. Something you learned the hard way could make their journey a little easier.

And if you're new to VA benefits, read through the comments. Some of the best knowledge comes from veterans who have already walked the road.

🇺🇸 Because Veterans Help Veterans.

DCM Advisory Group
Veteran-Owned. Veteran-Focused.
📞 417-208-2197
🌐 www.dcmadvisorygroup.com
📱

WE EDUCATE. ⭐ WE GUIDE. ⭐ YOU DECIDE.

09/01/2026

🇺🇸 VA MATH CAN BE CONFUSING!

If you're already rated 90% and receive another 30% disability rating, you're at 120%...right?

Not necessarily.

VA doesn't simply add your disability percentages together. Instead, it uses a combined ratings calculation, which is why another disability rating may not increase your overall percentage the way you expect.

And here's something especially important:

👉 Two veterans who both show a 90% VA rating may actually have very different underlying combined values. One could be at 85%, while another could be at 94%—yet both display as 90%.

That difference can matter when another disability is added.

⭐ DCM TIP: Don't just look at the percentage shown on your VA benefits page. Know your individual ratings and your actual combined value.

Understanding your VA math can help you better understand where you really stand.

Have questions about your current ratings? We'd be happy to help you understand them.

🇺🇸 FREE CONSULTATIONS

☎️ 417-208-2197
🌐 www.dcmadvisorygroup.com
📍 Joplin, MO

And don't forget to follow DCM Advisory Group on Facebook & Instagram for more VA benefits education!

WE EDUCATE. ⭐ WE GUIDE. ⭐ YOU DECIDE.

08/28/2026

🇺🇸 SUCCESS STORY FRIDAY 🇺🇸

Two exams. Two different diagnoses. The difference mattered.

One of our veteran clients had undergone two separate C&P examinations—and the exams contained conflicting diagnoses.

When we reviewed the veteran’s records and compared the exams, we found the discrepancy.

⚖️ Why did that matter?

VA claims don’t require absolute medical certainty. You may see medical opinions using language such as “at least as likely as not,” and when the evidence for and against a material issue is in approximate balance, reasonable doubt is resolved in favor of the veteran.

⭐ THE RESULT: A 20% increase in the veteran’s VA disability rating.

This is exactly why we encourage veterans to get their C&P exam records and actually read them.

If you’ve had more than one exam, compare them. Look for:

✓ Conflicting diagnoses
✓ Different examination findings
✓ Missing symptoms
✓ Incorrect medical history
✓ Evidence that may have been overlooked

🔎 One exam may not tell the whole story.

A discrepancy in your records may seem small, but sometimes that detail can change the direction of a claim.

Have you had multiple C&P exams or received a VA decision that doesn’t seem to match your medical evidence? We’d be happy to take a look with you.

🇺🇸 FREE CONSULTATIONS
☎️ Office: 417-208-2197
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.dcmadvisorygroup.com
📍 Joplin, MO

WE EDUCATE. ⭐ WE GUIDE. ⭐ YOU DECIDE.

08/26/2026

🇺🇸 WHAT’S THE WORD? WEDNESDAY

Today’s word: BILATERAL FACTOR

Have service-connected disabilities affecting both legs or both arms? Your VA math may work a little differently than you think.

The VA doesn’t simply add disability percentages together. When qualifying compensable disabilities affect paired extremities, the bilateral factor may apply—and that can affect your overall combined rating.

👉 And here’s something veterans sometimes miss: it doesn’t necessarily have to be the same joint.

For example, a compensable disability involving the right knee and left ankle may potentially meet the bilateral requirements because both involve the lower extremities.

⭐ DCM TIP: Don’t just look at the percentages listed on your VA rating. Make sure you understand how VA calculated your combined rating.

Not sure whether the bilateral factor applies to your disabilities or whether it was calculated correctly? We’d be happy to take a look with you.

🇺🇸 FREE CONSULTATIONS

☎️ Office: 417-208-2197
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.dcmadvisorygroup.com
📍 Joplin, MO

WE EDUCATE. ⭐ WE GUIDE. ⭐ YOU DECIDE.