Mental Disorders and Veterans Disability Benefits
Mental disorders can be just as disabling as physical medical conditions. The VA recognizes that and offers VA disability benefits for service-connected mental health issues. However, the way psychiatric disabilities are assessed for VA disability purposes is a bit different from the way most illnesses and injuries are assessed.
Here’s what you need to know about how mental disorders are assessed, what that means for your VA disability benefits, and the changes that may be on the horizon.
What psych issues qualify for VA disability benefits?
Benefits are available for veterans suffering from medical disorders as described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V), published by the American Psychiatric Association. This means virtually any mental disorder is covered. What’s left is for the veteran to demonstrate that his or her illness is service-connected and the level of disability it creates for the vet.
How Does the VA Evaluate Disability from Mental Disorders?
What Mental Disorders May Qualify for VA Disability Benefits?
The VA takes its cue for what mental disorders can be debilitating and what symptoms constitute these disorders from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V), of the American Psychiatric Association.
This includes but is not limited to such disorders as:
- Schizophrenia
- Delusional disorder
- Other specified and unspecified schizophrenia
- Psychotic disorder not otherwise specified (atypical psychosis)
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Delirium
- Major or mild neurocognitive disorder due to HIV, syphilis, or other systemic or intracranial infections
- Major or mild neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Major or mild vascular neurocognitive disorder
- Unspecified neurocognitive disorder
- Major or mild neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer’s disease
- Major or mild neurocognitive disorder due to another medical condition or substance/medication-induced major or mild neurocognitive disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Specific phobia
- Social Anxiety disorder (social phobia)
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Other specified anxiety disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Panic disorder and/or agoraphobia
- Unspecified anxiety disorder
- Dissociative amnesia; dissociative identity disorder
- Depersonalization/derealization disorder
- Somatic symptom disorder
- Other specified somatic symptom and related disorder
- Unspecified somatic symptom and related disorder
- Conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder)
- Illness anxiety disorder
- Cyclothymic disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)
- Major depressive disorder
- Unspecified depressive disorder
- Chronic adjustment disorder
How Are VA Disability Ratings Assigned for Mental Disorders?
Mental disorders are typically assessed under the General Formula for Mental Disorders. This schedule is similar to the schedules used to rate a wide range of physical disabilities, with one important difference. Most mental health issues are assessed together, whereas other types of disabilities are generally each assigned a separate VA disability rating.
It’s common for a veteran who has a service-connected mental health condition to have more than one disorder. For example, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may also suffer from anxiety, depression, or both.
The VA will consider symptoms and limitations of all service-connected mental disorders in assigning a rating based on the table below.
| 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. | 100 |
| 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. | 70 |
| 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. | 50 |
| 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). | 30 |
| 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. | 10 |
| 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. | 0 |
What if the Condition Has Both Mental and Physical Aspects?
In cases of neurocognitive disorders, the VA evaluates them under mental disorder guidelines. Physical impairments from the same illness or injury (e.g., HIV, TBI, Alzheimer’s) will, in some instances, be evaluated separately, and then the two ratings are combined.
When a single disability has been diagnosed both as a physical condition and as a mental disorder, the VA is to evaluate it using a diagnostic code that represents the dominant (more disabling) aspect of the condition.
Building the Strongest Possible VA Disability Claim for Mental Disorders
Of course, medical records play a critical role in establishing the severity of your mental health disorder. This can present a challenge for some veterans due to a reluctance to seek help with mental health issues or sporadic treatment. If you are considering pursuing a VA claim for mental disorders, you must receive a diagnosis and get regular treatment. The most important reason to keep up with your medical care is your health. But those consistent records will also be important when it’s time to submit your VA disability claim or appeal a denial or a VA disability rating you think is too low.
Your claim may also be strengthened by “buddy statements” from family members, friends, or those who served with you. When you hire Disabled Vets to assist with your VA disability claim or appeal, our experienced advocates will explain in detail what types of evidence are most important in your case and how to obtain that documentation.
We also refer clients to known and trusted medical professionals who can provide exams or medical opinions (via Disability Benefits Questionnaires) that meet VA claim evaluators’ standards, when needed.
Possible Changes to VA Disability Ratings for Mental Disorders
As of late 2025, discussion of proposed changes to the General Formula for Mental Disorders have been underway for more than three years. Many anticipated that the changes would take effect in 2025. Though that hasn’t yet happened, there is still a strong possibility that they will be implemented soon.
The new rating system is generally believed to be beneficial to veterans with service-connected mental disorders, since it will expand that assessment beyond social and occupational issues to a wider range of symptoms and impairments. That said, the best way to determine the best timing for your VA disability claim for mental health issues is to consult an experienced advocate as soon as possible.
Trust Our Advocates with Your VA Benefits Claim
We know what military veterans go through, and we offer assistance and guidance with what’s best for the disabled veteran in mind.
Our objective is to help disabled veterans and their families understand disability laws and obtain the maximum VA disability benefit available to them as quickly and as easily for the veteran and family as possible. The VA is a complex and overburdened bureaucracy that regularly drops the ball on valid claims for benefits that disabled American veterans and their families badly need. We’re here to keep your claim moving forward and to help you assert your rights and fight back when necessary.
Contact Disabled Vets today for experienced and compassionate assistance with a VA benefits appeal based on a service-connected mental/psychological disorder. You don’t have to go it alone. Let us take on the VA bureaucracy for you.
Frequently Asked Questions About VA Disability Benefits for Mental Disorders
What mental disorders qualify for VA disability benefits?
VA disability benefits are available for virtually any mental health condition listed in the DSM-V, including PTSD, depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and neurocognitive disorders. Veterans must show that the condition is service-connected and provide evidence of its impact on daily life.
How does the VA assign disability ratings for mental disorders?
The VA uses the General Formula for Mental Disorders to assign ratings from 0 to 100 percent. Ratings reflect the severity of occupational and social impairment caused by the condition, including how it affects work, relationships, and daily functioning. Multiple service-connected mental health disorders are considered together when determining a rating.
How can veterans strengthen a VA disability claim for mental disorders?
Consistent medical records, ongoing treatment, and documented diagnoses are crucial. Supporting statements from family, friends, or fellow service members can help demonstrate the impact of the disorder. Working with an experienced VA advocate can ensure the claim includes the right documentation and medical evidence to maximize the disability rating.
