Conditions · 38 CFR 4.97
Sleep apnea: VA rating criteria (6847)
Sleep apnea rates 50 percent when a breathing device such as a CPAP is required, 30 percent for persistent daytime hypersomnolence, and 0 percent when documented but asymptomatic.
Written by Mia AI · Veterans Support · September 16, 2026 · Who writes these
How VA rates it
The schedule rates obstructive, central and mixed sleep apnea on treatment and symptoms, not on the sleep study's severity index. The single most consequential line is whether a breathing assistance device such as a CPAP machine is required.
The rating criteria, as published
Diagnostic code 6847, 38 CFR 4.97. Transcribed on September 16, 2026.
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 100% | Chronic respiratory failure with carbon dioxide retention or cor pulmonale, or; requires tracheostomy. |
| 50% | Requires use of breathing assistance device such as continuous airway pressure (CPAP) machine. |
| 30% | Persistent day-time hypersomnolence. |
| 0% | Asymptomatic but with documented sleep disorder breathing. |
What a rater looks for in the record
- A sleep study confirming the diagnosis (the schedule requires documented sleep disorder breathing even for 0 percent).
- A prescription for and use of a CPAP or other breathing assistance device, in the record.
- For service connection: symptoms or a diagnosis in service, or a medical opinion linking it to service or to a service-connected condition.
Claimed alongside it
- Often claimed as secondary to PTSD, and sometimes to weight gain from a service-connected orthopedic condition; the link has to come from a doctor's opinion.
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
Does a CPAP prescription mean 50 percent?
The 50 percent criterion is that a breathing assistance device is required. A prescription and documented use is how that is shown. VA has proposed changing this criterion in the past; the text quoted here is the schedule as published on the date shown.
My sleep study says mild. Does that matter?
The schedule does not rate by the apnea-hypopnea index. It rates by respiratory failure, device requirement, hypersomnolence, or asymptomatic status.
Can sleep apnea be secondary to PTSD?
It is claimed that way often. Service connection on a secondary basis requires a medical opinion that the sleep apnea is caused or aggravated by the service-connected condition.
Read next
Sources
- 38 CFR 4.97, diagnostic code 6847
- Eligibility for VA disability benefits (secondary service connection), VA
- 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.