The Bilateral Factor Explained

Disabilities affecting both arms, both legs, or paired organs get a 10% bonus on their combined value before combining with other conditions.

Example: left knee 20% + right knee 10% = 28% combined. Bilateral factor adds 2.8% → 30.8%. This bilateral total then combines with your other conditions. Can push borderline ratings over a threshold — 44% becomes 47% with bilateral, rounding to 50% instead of 40%.