VA Disability Rating for PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be challenging to diagnose. Many veterans experience traumatic events during service, such as a serious injury, personal or sexual trauma, sexual violation, or the threat of injury, sexual assault, or death. Afterward, they may carry on normally only to find that months or even years later they are replaying the traumatic events in their memory. The stress and anxiety of reliving their trauma can prove debilitating to their mental health, relationships, and employment.
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) provides disability compensation and medical care for PTSD. The level of financial support depends on a critical factor: the VA PTSD rating.
What is a VA Rating for PTSD?
A VA rating for PTSD is a numerical value for the severity of a veteran’s PTSD. VA adjudicators assign a disability rating based on factors such as social and occupational impairment and the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms. VA disability ratings for PTSD are expressed as a percentage and include ratings of 0, 10, 30, 50, 70, and 100%.
0% VA Disability Rating for PTSD is the lowest possible rating. While the VA may recognize a diagnoses of PTSD, those symptoms are not deemed severe enough to interfere with occupational or social functioning or to require continuous medication. Veterans with a 0% rating do not receive disability compensation for PTSD.
10% VA Disability Rating for PTSD is the lowest compensable VA PTSD disability rating. This rating is assigned in cases where a Veteran may experience PTSD symptoms that are mild or transient and which decrease work efficiency and abilities during periods of stress. A 10% rating is also given when a Veteran’s symptoms are controlled by continuous medication. Veterans with a PTSD disability rating of 10% will receive a monthly payment of $165.92 in 2023.
30% VA Disability Rating for PTSD is assigned when a Veteran experiences an occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks due to symptoms such as: depressed mood, anxiety, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, or mild memory loss (ie. Forgetting names, directions, or recent events). A key criteria for the 30% rating is that PTSD does not fully prevent the Veteran from performing in a work environment. Veterans with no dependents and a PTSD disability rating of 30% will receive a monthly payment of $508.05 in 2023.
50% VA Disability Rating for PTSD applies when a veteran displays reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such 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 (the retention of only highly learned material or forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; and difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships. Veterans with no dependents and a PTSD disability rating of 50% will receive a monthly payment of $1,041.82 in 2023.
70% VA Disability Rating for PTSD involves more severe symptoms that cause significant levels of impairment, both occupationally and socially. A 70% rating applies if a veteran displays deficiency in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood. Additionally, symptoms can include: 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. Veterans with no dependents and a PTSD disability rating of 70% will receive a monthly payment of $1,663.06 in 2023.
100% VA Disability Rating for PTSD is assigned in cases where a veteran’s symptoms are so severe that they are totally impaired—occupationally and socially—and unable to function in everyday life. Symptoms can include: 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 of time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives or own name. veterans with no dependents and a PTSD disability rating of 100% will receive a monthly payment of $3,621.95 in 2023.
How to Prove Your Claim for VA PTSD Disability
In order to obtain VA disability compensation for PTSD, veterans must meet three conditions:
- A current diagnosis of PTSD from a qualified healthcare professional (e.g. therapist, psychiatrist, or general practitioner)
- An in-service traumatic event, or “stressor,” that caused or contributed to the PTSD symptoms
- A medical opinion from a psychologist/psychiatrist that the in-service stressor caused or contributed to the PTSD
To establish these three conditions, a veteran should submit medical evidence from a medical provider detailing the diagnosis and its connection to military service. If the veteran does not have a medical provider, the veteran can request a medical examination from the VA.
Once the VA agrees the PTSD is service-connected, the VA will rate the PTSD based on the severity of occupational and social impairment, as detailed above. To establish this severity, veterans can submit medical or lay statements from friends and family detailing their symptoms. Any statements from friends or family should include a date and details on how the author of the statement knows the veteran.
Get the Benefits You Deserve
At Vets National Advocates, we use our expert knowledge to help veterans navigate the complex procedures of filing or appealing a VA disability claim. Let us guide you toward a life that honors the sacrifices you have made for our nation. Contact us today for a free consultation using our online form or call 1-877-777-4021.
