How the VA Rates Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The rating levels

Criteria paraphrased from 38 CFR Part 4, DC 6354 for readability. Monthly amounts are the 2026 rate (effective December 1, 2025) for a veteran with no dependents if this were the only rated condition — dependents add more, and multiple conditions combine under the VA’s own math.

1. 100%

   $3,938.58/month

   Symptoms nearly constant and so severe that they almost completely restrict routine daily activities, sometimes even preventing self-care.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Almost completely unable to carry out daily activities
   • At times unable to manage self-care
   • Nearly constant, disabling fatigue and associated symptoms
2. 60%

   $1,435.02/month

   Symptoms nearly constant and restricting routine daily activities to less than 50% of your pre-illness level — or periods of incapacitation totaling at least six weeks per year.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Routine activities down to less than half of before
   • Unrefreshing sleep, muscle/joint pain, memory & concentration problems
   • Incapacitation totaling 6+ weeks a year
3. 40%

   $795.84/month

   Symptoms nearly constant and restricting routine daily activities to 50–75% of your pre-illness level — or incapacitation of at least four but less than six weeks total per year.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Routine activities cut to roughly half to three-quarters of before
   • Post-exertional malaise — crashing after activity
   • Incapacitation totaling 4–6 weeks a year
4. 20%

   $356.66/month

   Symptoms nearly constant and restricting routine daily activities by less than 25% of your pre-illness level — or incapacitation of at least two but less than four weeks total per year.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Fatigue and cognitive fog most of the time
   • Daily activities cut back by up to a quarter
   • Incapacitation totaling 2–4 weeks a year
5. 10%

   $180.42/month

   Symptoms wax and wane but cause periods of incapacitation of at least one but less than two weeks total per year — or symptoms controlled by continuous medication.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Debilitating fatigue not relieved by rest
   • Short flares of incapacitation (1–2 weeks a year total)
   • You take medication continuously to control it

The listed symptoms are examples that appear in each level’s criteria — not a checklist that earns a percentage. Raters apply the criteria as a whole.