How This Site Is Sourced, Checked and Updated

Official Sources Only

Every rule, deadline and dollar figure on the site traces to a government source or the official text of a regulation. Forums, law-firm blogs, other benefit sites and reader stories are never used as sources. Each kind of page leans on a different set of records:

• Social Security disability (SSDI and SSI). SSA's 2026 COLA fact sheet and its yearly tables, such as the $1,690 monthly substantial gainful activity limit and the $994 SSI federal payment for an individual; SSA's Program Operations Manual System (POMS), the instructions SSA staff follow; and the program pages on ssa.gov.
• VA disability compensation. VA's compensation rate tables, effective December 1, 2025 (va.gov labels them the 2026 rates), and VA's claim pages on va.gov.
• Federal regulations on the eCFR. 38 CFR 4.25 (VA's combined ratings table) and 38 CFR 4.26 (the bilateral factor) for VA ratings, and 20 CFR Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1 for SSA's Listing of Impairments.
• The Blue Book. SSA's Disability Evaluation Under Social Security, the professional edition of the listings, for the 15 condition pages. Listing revisions that SSA has published but not yet put into effect are tracked with their effective dates.
• State agencies. Each of the 52 state pages draws on that state's own agency sites: the disability determination office, the Medicaid agency, the state disability insurance or paid leave program where one exists, the vocational rehabilitation agency, the protection and advocacy agency, the ABLE program and the motor vehicle agency for parking placards. SSA's POMS supplies the state supplement rules.
• Other federal agencies for health care and rights: CMS and Medicare.gov, the IRS for ABLE contribution limits, ada.gov, the EEOC, the Job Accommodation Network, the Department of Education and HUD.

How Figures Are Dated and Refreshed

Amounts that change every year sit in one data file, each with its value, the year it applies to, the official page it came from, a quote from that page and the date it was checked. Pages read their figures from that file, so a dollar amount appears the same way everywhere, with its year beside it.

Social Security, SSI, Medicare and ABLE amounts change each January, and VA compensation rates change each December 1. The figures are refreshed every year when the new amounts are announced. As a safeguard, the site's build fails when the figures are more than about a year old, so out-of-date amounts can't go live unnoticed. The current figures were checked on October 2, 2026.

How the Tools Work

The 4 tools apply the same official rules and tables the guides describe:

• VA Combined Rating Calculator: Combine VA ratings with VA's official table and bilateral factor, and see the 2026 monthly payment.
• SSI Payment Estimator: Estimate your SSI from the $994 federal rate and your income.
• Disability Eligibility Screener: Check SSA's 12-month test, the $1,690 SGA limit, work credits and SSI limits.
• Disability Back Pay Estimator: Count SSDI and SSI months owed using SSA's waiting period and retroactive limit.

The VA calculator reads VA's combined ratings table cell by cell, as published in 38 CFR 4.25, and applies the bilateral factor in 38 CFR 4.26. Every tool runs entirely in your browser. What you enter isn't sent to the site or anyone else, isn't stored and isn't used for advertising. Each result explains the rule behind it, and none is a decision: only SSA, VA or your state can decide a claim.

How Pages Are Written and Reviewed

Each of the 32 guides starts from a research file that records every fact with the official page it came from. Automated checks confirm that every dollar figure in a guide traces to the official records, that internal links work, and that pages avoid wording the site's standards rule out. Pages are written in plain language for someone reading on a phone, and each one answers its main question near the top.

Pages are then reviewed for accuracy and clarity by Michael Rupe, U.S. Air Force veteran, with particular attention to VA content. The editorial policy sets out the standards each page meets.

How Corrections Work

If you see a figure, rule or link that looks wrong, use the contact form with the page address and, if you can, the official page that shows the right detail. Every report is checked against the official source. When the source confirms an error, the page is corrected and its review date is updated. Rule changes announced by SSA, VA or a state are added when they take effect.