How the VA Rates PTSD

The rating levels

Criteria paraphrased from 38 CFR Part 4, DC 9411 / 9434 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

   Total occupational and social impairment due to symptoms such 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; disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Unable to hold any job — complete occupational impairment
   • Persistent hallucinations or delusions
   • Danger to self (active suicidal ideation with plan or attempt)
   • Inability to perform basic ADLs without help
   • Gross thought disorganization
   • Disorientation to time or place
   • Memory loss for close relatives' names or own name
2. 70%

   $1,808.45/month

   Occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood due to symptoms such as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals interfering with routine activities; intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant speech; near-continuous panic or depression affecting ability to function independently; impaired impulse control; spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances; inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Suicidal ideation (passive or active)
   • Near-constant depression or anxiety
   • Impulsive or self-destructive behavior
   • Inability to maintain relationships — estrangement from family
   • Difficulty functioning independently (needs reminders, supervision)
   • Obsessive rituals interfering with daily tasks
   • Poor personal hygiene or appearance on bad days
   • Spatial disorientation
   • Unemployed or on the verge of termination due to symptoms
3. 50%

   $1,132.90/month

   Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory; impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Flat affect, emotional numbing
   • Panic attacks more than weekly
   • Short- and long-term memory problems
   • Difficulty following complex instructions
   • Impaired judgment or abstract thinking
   • Significant difficulty in work relationships — write-ups, conflicts, reduced output
   • Isolation from family and friends
4. 30%

   $552.47/month

   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).

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness
   • Panic attacks weekly or less often
   • Chronic sleep impairment
   • Mild memory loss (e.g., forgetting names, directions, recent events)
5. 10%

   $180.42/month

   Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms that decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Mild anxiety or depressed mood
   • Occasional sleep disturbance
   • Symptoms worsen noticeably under stress
   • Needs medication to function
6. 0%

   $0/month (0% is still service-connected)

   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.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Confirmed diagnosis in medical records
   • Symptoms do not interfere with work or social functioning
   • Symptoms do not require continuous medication

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.