Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is rated under Diagnostic Code 9411 using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. It is unique among mental health conditions in requiring a verified in-service stressor for service connection. Veterans must generally submit VA Form 21-0781 detailing the traumatic event, including the approximate date (within a two-month window if unsure), unit assignment, location, and a description of what happened. Recognized stressors include combat exposure, fear of hostile enemy forces, military sexual trauma, personal assault, training accidents, environmental disasters, vehicular crashes, and more. Fear of hostile enemy forces does not include anticipation of future deployment or learning of another person's death that occurred away from the veteran. Veterans with combat awards, badges, or decorations on their DD-214 may have their stressor conceded without additional verification. Only one mental health rating is allowed regardless of how many mental health diagnoses a veteran has, and the rating is based on the totality of symptoms.
VA Rating Levels
A mental health condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough to interfere with occupational or social functioning, and continuous medication is not required.
Mild or transient symptoms that decrease work efficiency and the ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms that are controlled by continuous medication.
Occasional decrease in work efficiency with intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, though generally functioning satisfactorily with normal routine behavior, self-care, and conversation. Symptoms include depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks weekly or less often, chronic sleep impairment, and mild memory loss such as forgetting names, directions, or recent events.
Reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as flattened affect, circumstantial or stereotyped speech, panic attacks more than once a week, difficulty understanding complex commands, impaired short-term and long-term memory, impaired judgment, impaired abstract thinking, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.
Deficiencies in most areas including work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood. Symptoms include suicidal ideation, obsessional rituals that interfere with routine activities, intermittently illogical or irrelevant speech, near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently and effectively, impaired impulse control such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence, spatial disorientation, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene, difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances including work settings, and inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.
Total occupational and social impairment with symptoms such as gross impairment in thought processes or communication, persistent delusions or hallucinations, grossly inappropriate behavior, persistent danger of hurting self or others, intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene, disorientation to time or place, and memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.
Exam Tips & Key Evidence
- →Be completely honest with your C&P examiner. Don't hold back or downplay what you're going through, but also don't exaggerate. Just tell the truth and let the evidence support your claim.
- →Include VA Form 21-0781 with your claim. Provide the approximate date of the event (a two-month window is fine if you're unsure), your unit, the location, and a description of what happened.
- →If your DD-214 shows combat awards, badges, or decorations, the VA may concede your stressor without requiring additional verification.
- →You don't need to check every box at a given rating level. The listed symptoms are used as a guide, not a checklist. You can absolutely receive a 50% rating without matching every single criterion.
- →Raters do have some discretion when evaluating mental health claims, so if you feel your rating should be higher, a Higher Level Review is always an option.
- →Keep in mind that conditions like erectile dysfunction, IBS, GERD, sleep apnea, and TMJ are commonly granted as secondary to mental health. If your medication is causing a problem, make sure you say so in your claim.
- →If you were medically separated or retired because of a trauma-related mental health condition, you'll receive at least a 50% rating to start, with a reevaluation scheduled within six months.
Commonly Related Conditions
38 CFR Reference
38 CFR 4.130, Diagnostic Code 9411; 38 CFR 3.304(f)