PTSD VA Disability Rating

Diagnostic Code 9411 · Mental Disorders · 38 CFR § 4.130

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is rated based on occupational and social impairment. Here are the exact criteria the VA uses for each rating level.

100%

Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms 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; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.

70%

Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.

50%

Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.

30%

Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events).

10%

Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication.

0%

A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication.

Key Facts About PTSD Claims

Service Connection

To establish service connection for PTSD, you need: (1) a current diagnosis of PTSD, (2) a verified in-service stressor, and (3) a medical nexus linking the PTSD to the stressor. Combat veterans get a presumption on the stressor element.

Common Secondary Conditions

  • Sleep apnea (PTSD medications + hyperarousal cause weight gain → OSA)
  • Depression / Major Depressive Disorder
  • Migraines (stress-related, co-occurring)
  • Hypertension (chronic stress → elevated blood pressure)
  • GERD (stress + medications → acid reflux)
  • Erectile dysfunction (PTSD medications + psychological factors)

C&P Exam Tips

Describe your worst days, not your best. Discuss how symptoms affect work, relationships, and daily functioning. Mention sleep disturbances, hypervigilance, avoidance behaviors, and any incidents of irritability or anger. Bring your symptom log if you have one.

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