VA TBI Rating: The Number Hidden in Ten Facets

Your VA rating for TBI residuals is set by your single worst facet, not an average - one facet at the ‘total’ level alone drives a 100% evaluation worth $3,938.58 a month in 2026. Most veterans lose money when a rushed C&P exam scores a high facet at zero.

Professor Erica, River, Lewis, and Bella break down Diagnostic Code 8045 in 38 CFR 4.124a - the ten-facet cognitive table, the level-to-percentage mapping, and the pyramiding rule (38 CFR 4.14) that decides whether your PTSD and migraines get their own ratings or get folded into one.

In this video:

• The three areas DC 8045 rates: cognitive, emotional/behavioral, and physical
• All ten cognitive facets and how each scores 0, 1, 2, 3, or total
• Why the single highest facet sets your rating: 0, 10, 40, 70, or 100 percent
• How one facet at ‘total’ reaches a 100% evaluation
• Pyramiding: when migraines (DC 8100) and PTSD (DC 9411) get rated separately
• How to document your worst facet before the C&P exam so it actually counts