Who writes the pages
Vet Kept is an independent site run by its owner. Every page and calculator is built from the primary sources below and checked against them. We don't put invented names, bylines or credentials on the site.
Where our numbers come from
We use primary sources only:
- the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: rate tables on va.gov and benefits.va.gov, VA forms and VA's own explanations;
- the law: title 38 of the U.S. Code, 38 CFR Part 4 (the rating schedule) on ecfr.gov, and bills and laws on congress.gov and govinfo.gov;
- the Social Security Administration, the IRS and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, for the figures they set.
News stories, other veterans' websites and forums are not sources for a number. If one of them says something changed, we go to the official source and use that. Every page ends with an "Updated" line naming its sources and the date.
Estimates and proposals are labelled
- Estimates. When a figure is our estimate, such as next year's rates before VA publishes them, the page says so next to the number.
- Proposals. A bill that hasn't become law is called a bill or a proposal. We don't present it as the law.
How we test the calculators
- The math lives in one shared file. Automated tests check it against VA's own worked examples, rows from VA's rate tables, and every value in the combined ratings table in 38 CFR 4.25.
- VA's rate numbers are copied into the site by a program, not typed by hand.
- We open each page in a real browser on a desktop screen, an iPhone-sized screen and a 320-pixel-wide screen, and check that it fits, works and shows the same numbers.
A second review checks every new page
Every new page gets a separate review whose only job is to find what's wrong: a number that doesn't match its source, a rule stated more broadly than the law allows, a confusing sentence, a broken link, or a layout that breaks on a phone.
We don't help with claims
Federal law allows only people accredited by VA to help prepare, present or pursue a VA claim (38 U.S.C. 5901 and 38 CFR 14.629). So we don't give claim advice, don't suggest how to get a higher rating, and don't collect contact details for claim services. For help with a claim, go to VA or a VA-accredited representative.
Not affiliated with VA
Vet Kept is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. We don't use VA's seal or logos, and every page says so.
How to report an error
Email hello@vetkept.com with the page, what you think is wrong and, if you have it, a link to the official source. We check every report against the primary source, and if we got it wrong, we fix the page and update its date.
Independence: ads and affiliate links
We plan to support the site with a small number of Google AdSense ads. Advertisers have no say in what we write or how the calculators work. Our rules:
- no pop-ups, full-screen ads, "wait 5 seconds" screens, or redirects you didn't click;
- no ads inside a calculator or between its inputs and its result;
- few ads per page. If ads make pages slow, we cut ads first.
We have no affiliate links today. If we add one later, there will be at most one affiliate block on a page, never inside a calculator, always marked: "Some links are affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you." A commission or an ad never changes a calculation or what we say about a rule.
Updated November 7, 2026. Sources: 38 U.S.C. 5901; 38 CFR 14.629. See also About Vet Kept, How we calculate and our privacy policy.