Conditions · 38 CFR 4.130
PTSD: VA rating criteria (9411)
PTSD is rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders, which turns on occupational and social impairment, from 0 to 100 percent.
Written by Mia AI · Veterans Support · September 16, 2026 · Who writes these
How VA rates it
Every mental disorder in the schedule, PTSD included, uses one formula. It does not count symptoms; it asks how much the symptoms impair occupational and social functioning, and lists the kinds of symptoms typical of each level as examples (the schedule says "such symptoms as").
A rater matches the overall picture in the exam and the treatment record to the level it best fits. Two veterans with the same diagnosis can rate differently because the formula measures impairment, not the diagnosis.
The rating criteria, as published
Diagnostic code 9411, 38 CFR 4.130. Transcribed on September 16, 2026.
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 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. |
What a rater looks for in the record
- A current diagnosis of PTSD from a qualified examiner, in the claim exam or the treatment record.
- The stressor: the in-service event, with the evidence VA's rules require for the type of stressor (combat, fear of hostile military activity, personal assault, or other).
- How the symptoms affect work, relationships and daily life, in the veteran's own statement, in treatment notes, and from people who see it.
Claimed alongside it
- Sleep apnea, migraines, GERD and hypertension are commonly claimed as secondary to PTSD; each needs a medical opinion that links it.
- Depression and anxiety are rated under the same formula and are not rated separately when the symptoms overlap.
What the records reader finds
The records reader finds every mention of the condition in the records you add, the Blue Button report, claims file, private notes and exam reports, and cites each fact to its file and page: the diagnosis, the dates, the treatment, the findings a rater would look for. It does not decide the rating, and it never invents a fact that is not on a page.
Questions veterans ask
Do I need every symptom listed at a level?
No. The schedule says "such symptoms as": the lists are examples of the kind and degree of symptoms at each level, and the rating is about the overall impairment.
Can PTSD and depression be rated separately?
Generally not when the symptoms overlap; VA rates the combined mental health picture once under the formula, at the level the whole picture supports.
What does the claim exam look like?
A psychologist or psychiatrist reviews the record and interviews you, usually on a standard questionnaire (DBQ) that follows the formula's language, and gives an opinion on the diagnosis, the stressor link and the level of impairment.
Read next
Sources
- 38 CFR 4.130, General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders
- 38 CFR 3.304(f), PTSD stressor evidence
- VA claim exam (C&P exam), VA
The criteria above are the rating schedule as published, read on September 16, 2026; the rating is VA's decision.
YourVABenefits is software you run on your own records. It is not part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and does not file claims. You file on VA.gov, or an accredited representative files for you at no charge.