Reviewed by Jonathan Teplitsky · Updated June 2026
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How does the VA rate PTSD?
The VA rates post-traumatic stress disorder under 38 CFR § 4.130, Diagnostic Code 9411, using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. There are six possible levels — 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100%. Every service-connected mental-health condition rated under § 4.130 (PTSD, depression, anxiety, and others) uses this same formula. The level you receive reflects how much PTSD impairs your occupational and social functioning.
VA PTSD rating chart (DC 9411)
| Rating | Level of impairment | Representative symptoms and criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | Diagnosed, no functional impairment | A mental condition has been diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication. |
| 10% | Mild or transient symptoms | Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms that decrease work efficiency only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication. |
| 30% | Occasional decrease in work efficiency | Occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent inability to perform tasks, with generally satisfactory functioning. Depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, weekly (or less) panic attacks, chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss. |
| 50% | Reduced reliability and productivity | Flattened affect; circumstantial speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty understanding complex commands; impaired judgment and abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty establishing effective work and social relationships. |
| 70% | Deficiencies in most areas | Deficiencies in work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, and mood. Suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals; intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant speech; near-continuous panic or depression; impaired impulse control; spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance; difficulty adapting to stress; inability to establish and maintain effective relationships. |
| 100% | Total occupational and social impairment | 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; disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name. |
You can read the full schedule of ratings for mental disorders at the 38 CFR Part 4 source.
How the VA actually picks your level
Here is the single most misunderstood point about PTSD ratings: the VA does not rate you by counting symptoms. The symptoms listed in the chart above are examples, not a checklist. The controlling question at every level is your overall occupational and social impairment — how much PTSD disrupts your ability to work and to maintain relationships.
That means you can be rated at a given level even if you do not have every symptom listed for it, and having a symptom from a higher tier does not automatically push you up if your overall functioning does not match. Federal courts have repeatedly confirmed that the symptoms are illustrative and that the degree of impairment governs. When you describe your condition to a clinician or examiner, focus on function: missed workdays, lost jobs, isolation, conflict with family, and the tasks you can no longer do.
The 70% rating and TDIU — getting paid at 100%
The 70% level is a turning point. It describes deficiencies in most areas of life and is the threshold where many veterans become eligible for TDIU (Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability). This is the second point most veterans miss: you can be paid at the 100% rate without a 100% schedular rating.
If your PTSD prevents you from holding down substantially gainful employment, TDIU pays at the full 100% compensation rate even though your schedular rating is 70%. Generally you qualify for schedular TDIU with one disability rated at least 60%, or a combined rating of 70% with at least one disability at 40%. PTSD at 70% on its own meets the single-disability path. Learn how it works in our TDIU explained guide.
Secondary conditions linked to PTSD
PTSD rarely travels alone. Several conditions are commonly granted secondary to service-connected PTSD, and each can be separately rated to raise your combined percentage:
- Sleep apnea — frequently linked to PTSD and the medications used to treat it. See our sleep apnea VA rating guide.
- Depression — often co-occurs with PTSD; note that mental-health conditions are rated together under one § 4.130 evaluation to avoid pyramiding. See depression VA rating.
- Hypertension — chronic stress and sleep disruption are recognized contributors.
A medical nexus letter connecting the secondary condition to your service-connected PTSD is the key piece of evidence for these claims.
MST claims and the C&P exam
For PTSD stemming from Military Sexual Trauma (MST), the rules for proving the in-service stressor are liberalized under 38 CFR § 3.304(f). Because assaults often go unreported, the VA accepts markers — records of behavior changes, requests for transfer, sudden performance drops, relationship problems, or counseling visits — along with lay statements to establish that the stressor occurred. You do not need a formal report filed at the time.
Your C&P exam documents your symptoms and functioning against the General Rating Formula. Walk in prepared to describe specific, concrete examples of how PTSD affects your work and relationships — not just a list of symptoms, but how often they occur and what they cost you. Buddy statements from family or fellow service members can corroborate changes the examiner cannot see in a single appointment.
A note on the 2026 proposed changes
In 2026 the VA proposed revising how mental-health conditions are rated, moving toward a domain-based system that evaluates functioning across defined areas rather than the current symptom-illustrated tiers. These changes are proposed and may evolve. For now, the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders shown in the chart above is the current standard the VA applies to PTSD claims.
Estimate your combined rating
PTSD is rarely your only rated condition. If you also carry ratings for sleep apnea, hypertension, or other conditions, use our VA disability rating calculator to see how they combine — VA math is not simple addition.
Frequently asked questions about VA PTSD ratings
What are the PTSD rating levels? 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100% under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9411.
How does the VA decide my level? By overall occupational and social impairment — not by counting symptoms. The listed symptoms are examples.
Can I get paid at 100% with a 70% rating? Yes — through TDIU, if PTSD prevents substantially gainful employment.
What is the difference between 50% and 70%? 50% is reduced reliability and productivity; 70% is deficiencies in most areas of life, often including suicidal ideation and near-continuous panic or depression.
How do MST claims prove the stressor? Under § 3.304(f), markers and lay evidence can establish the in-service stressor when no formal report exists.