The Playbook › Condition guides
VA rates post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on how much it interferes with your work and your relationships. It uses the same scale for every mental health condition, called the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. The possible ratings are 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100%.
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The short version
- The rating is about occupational and social impairment, not the diagnosis by name.
- The symptoms listed at each level are examples. You do not need all of them.
- You get one rating for all mental health conditions together.
- Service connection needs a diagnosis, a stressor, and a link between them.
- The C&P exam carries heavy weight. Be honest about your worst days.
On this page
PTSD rating levels
| Rating | Overall level of impairment | Examples of symptoms VA lists |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | Diagnosed, but symptoms do not interfere with work or social life or need continuous medication | None required |
| 10% | Mild or temporary symptoms that reduce work efficiency only under significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication | |
| 30% | Occasional drop in work efficiency, with intermittent periods of being unable to do tasks, while generally functioning satisfactorily | Depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks weekly or less, chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss |
| 50% | Reduced reliability and productivity | Flattened affect, panic attacks more than once a week, trouble understanding complex commands, impaired short and long-term memory, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships |
| 70% | Deficiencies in most areas: work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood | Suicidal ideation, obsessional rituals that interfere with routine, near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, impaired impulse control such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene, difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances including work, 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 or own name |
How raters actually use this
- The symptom lists are examples, not a checklist. What counts is the overall level of impairment your symptoms cause.
- Raters look at frequency, severity, and duration.
- The difference between 50% and 70% often comes down to whether your difficulties reach into most areas of life.
- A veteran can be employed and still rate 70%, if the evidence shows serious deficiencies at work and at home.
Getting service connected
You need three things:
- A current diagnosis of PTSD that meets the DSM-5 criteria, from a qualified mental health professional.
- An in-service stressor.
- A medical link between the stressor and your symptoms.
Proving the stressor
How much proof VA requires depends on the type of stressor.
| Stressor type | What is needed |
|---|---|
| Combat | Your own statement is enough if it is consistent with your service. Combat awards, such as a Combat Action Ribbon or Combat Infantryman Badge, help establish this. |
| Fear of hostile military or terrorist activity | Your statement is enough if consistent with where and when you served, and a VA psychiatrist or psychologist confirms the stressor supports the diagnosis. Covers IEDs, incoming fire, and similar threats, even for non-combat jobs. |
| PTSD diagnosed during service | Your statement, if consistent with your service |
| Military sexual trauma or personal assault | Evidence beyond service records is accepted, including behavior changes. See MST claims. |
| Other stressors, such as accidents or training incidents | Credible supporting evidence that it happened: records, news reports, buddy statements |
VA asks for stressor details on VA Form 21-0781. Give dates as closely as you can, the location, your unit, and what happened.
One rating, not several
If you have PTSD along with depression, anxiety, or another mental health diagnosis, VA assigns a single rating covering all of them. It does not stack them. If examiners cannot separate which symptoms come from a service-connected condition and which do not, VA must attribute them all to the service-connected one.
The PTSD C&P exam
Most PTSD exams are interviews of 30 to 60 minutes, often by video. The examiner selects one overall statement of impairment, which maps directly to a rating level. Read the C&P exam guide first, and:
- Talk about sleep, nightmares, anger, avoidance, concentration, and relationships
- Give examples from work and home
- Mention suicidal thoughts if you have had them. It is safe to be honest, and it is relevant.
- Do not say “I’m fine”
Evidence that helps a PTSD claim
- Mental health treatment records. Regular treatment builds a record of your symptoms over time.
- A statement from your spouse or someone close to you. They see what you do not.
- Your own statement with specific examples.
- Work records showing discipline, absences, or job loss.
Related claims
- Secondary conditions linked to PTSD include sleep apnea, migraines, GERD, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction. See secondary conditions.
- If PTSD keeps you from holding a job and you are rated 70%, you meet the threshold for TDIU.
Proposed changes to mental health ratings
VA proposed a new way of rating mental health conditions in 2022, based on functioning across several domains, with a minimum rating of 10%. As of this writing it has not been finalized, and the criteria above remain in force. If the rules change, existing ratings are not reduced just because the schedule changed. Check the regulation linked below for the current text.
Free printable checklist. Everything to gather before you file, what to bring to your C&P exam, and what to check in your decision, on two pages.
Last reviewed October 2026. This guide is general educational information, not legal or medical advice, and this site is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Rules and rates change. Confirm details on VA.gov or with an accredited representative. See our disclaimer and editorial policy.