When a former service member makes a disability claim through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA assigns a disability rating to their claim. 

This rating is based on how much the disability impairs their ability to work so that the disability compensation can make up for lost wages. If they are unemployable, the compensation would need to cover the loss of full-time wages.

In some cases, a veteran has a disability that qualifies for a 100 percent disability rating, AND their disability is permanent. 

In these cases, an eligible veteran would receive a total and permanent disability va rating. This rating makes veterans eligible for VA disability compensations, social security benefits and a number of other VA disability benefits for the veteran and their family members.

We will break down the basics of permanent and total disability ratings below.