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DC 9411Mental Disorders38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9411

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

VA disability rating criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) under Diagnostic Code 9411. The VA assigns ratings of 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 100% based on the severity and functional impact of your condition.

Rating Criteria

0%Disability Rating

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.

Note: A 0% rating requires a formal DSM-5 diagnosis of PTSD. The condition is service-connected but does not warrant compensation at this time. Veterans should re-evaluate if symptoms worsen.

10%Disability Rating

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.

Note: At 10%, symptoms are mild or controlled by medication. The veteran experiences reduced efficiency primarily under significant stress. Documentation of medication regimen and symptoms is critical.

30%Disability Rating

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).

Note: At 30%, the veteran is generally functioning satisfactorily but has intermittent episodes of reduced function. Panic attacks occur weekly or less. This is a common initial rating that is frequently underrated.

50%Disability Rating

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.

Note: At 50%, the veteran demonstrates significant impairment in reliability and productivity. Frequent panic attacks (more than weekly) are a key indicator. This rating significantly impacts combined VA disability calculations.

70%Disability Rating

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.

Note: At 70%, the veteran has deficiencies in most major life areas. Suicidal ideation or near-continuous panic/depression are hallmarks. This is the second-highest rating tier for mental disorders and is associated with significant functional impairment.

100%Disability Rating

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.

Note: At 100%, the veteran is totally impaired occupationally and socially. Persistent delusions, hallucinations, or danger to self/others are indicators. Veterans rated 100% for PTSD may also qualify for TDIU (Total Disability Individual Unemployability) or P&T (Permanent and Total) designation.

Secondary Conditions

14 known secondary conditions linked to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

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