How the VA Rates PTSD: The 6 Disability Percentages and What Each One Requires

6 min read · Last updated August 21, 2026

In this article

• What the VA disability rating formula actually measures
• The 6 PTSD rating percentages, plain language
• What a PTSD claim has to prove
• What the Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam is looking for
• The most common reason PTSD claims get rated too low
• Frequently asked questions

Marcus, a 34-year-old Army veteran, filed for PTSD after two combat deployments and expected a straightforward approval. The VA rated him 30%, worth $552.47 a month in 2026. His friend from the same unit, with what Marcus considered milder symptoms, came back rated at 70%, worth $1,808.45 a month. Same condition, same branch, a $1,255.98 monthly gap. The difference was not luck. It was one federal regulation neither of them had read before filing.

What the VA disability rating formula actually measures

Every mental health disability the VA rates, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders, is scored under the same regulation: the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders in 38 CFR § 4.130. This is a single scale that applies regardless of which mental health condition you are claiming. Two veterans with different diagnoses but similar functional impairment can land on the same percentage.

The formula does not ask “how severe is your PTSD” in the abstract. It asks how much occupational impairment (your ability to hold and perform a job) and social impairment (your ability to sustain relationships) your symptoms cause, and it only recognizes six possible answers.

The 6 PTSD rating percentages, plain language

Rating	What it requires (38 CFR 4.130)	2026 monthly compensation, veteran alone
0%	A diagnosed condition present, but symptoms are not severe enough to affect work or require continuous medication	$0 (service connection on file, no payment)
10%	Mild symptoms that reduce work efficiency only during high-stress periods, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication	$180.42
30%	Occasional decrease in work efficiency, depressed mood, weekly or less frequent panic attacks, chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss	$552.47
50%	Reduced reliability and productivity, flattened affect, disturbances of motivation, difficulty understanding complex commands, impaired judgment	$1,132.90
70%	Deficiencies in most areas (work, school, family, judgment, mood), near-continuous panic or depression, impaired impulse control, suicidal ideation	$1,808.45
100%	Total occupational and social impairment: gross impairment in communication, persistent delusions, danger to self or others, disorientation	$3,938.58

This one table is why two veterans with the same diagnosis can be rated differently. The VA examiner is not scoring PTSD on a severity scale from your perspective. They are matching your documented symptoms against the specific language in each row, and the resulting dollar figure comes from VA.gov’s current compensation rate table, not the regulation itself.

Worked example: a veteran currently rated 50% for PTSD ($1,132.90 a month) successfully appeals to 70% after a Higher-Level Review finds the original exam undercounted near-continuous panic attacks and impaired impulse control. The new rate is $1,808.45 a month. That is a difference of $675.55 a month, or $8,106.60 over a full year, from the same diagnosis and the same set of facts, reassessed against the correct row of the formula.

What a PTSD claim has to prove

A PTSD claim needs two elements the VA treats as separate hurdles, not one:

1. A verified in-service stressor. VA.gov describes this as documentation that “the stressor happened during your service.” For combat-related stressors, your own statement plus your service record showing combat service is often enough. For non-combat stressors, including military sexual trauma, the VA accepts a broader range of supporting evidence because official documentation is frequently unavailable.
2. A current diagnosis linking the stressor to your symptoms. This comes from a licensed mental health professional, filed with a Statement in Support of Claimed Mental Health Disorder(s) (VA Form 21-0781).

Missing either element is the single most common reason a PTSD claim is denied outright, before the rating percentage question ever comes up.

What the C&P exam is looking for

Your Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam, a required in-person or telehealth evaluation with a VA-contracted examiner, is where the rating percentage actually gets decided. The examiner is not there to treat you. Their job is to document, in the specific language of the 38 CFR 4.130 formula, which symptoms you have and how often they occur.

Bring specifics: how many panic attacks in a typical month, how your sleep has actually changed, whether you have missed work or been written up, and how your relationships have changed since your symptoms began. Vague answers get vague ratings.

If your rating increases through a later exam or a successful appeal, the effective date of that increase matters as much as the new percentage itself. In most cases, VA back pay for an increased rating runs from the date the evidence shows your condition actually worsened to the new severity level, which is not always the date of the exam that finally caught it. This is why keeping your own record of symptom changes, missed workdays, and treatment visits between exams can directly affect how far back your increased payment reaches once it is approved.

The most common reason PTSD claims get rated too low

A rating decision is not the end of the process. If your rating does not reflect your actual symptoms, two options exist without filing an entirely new claim: a Higher-Level Review, which asks a senior reviewer to take a second look at the same evidence for an error, or a Supplemental Claim, which lets you add new evidence the first examiner did not see. Both keep your original effective date, which matters because back pay is calculated from that date forward.

Many veterans filing a PTSD claim from combat or training noise exposure also file for hearing loss and tinnitus from that same exposure. That claim is rated by a completely different mechanic than PTSD’s six-tier formula. See our guide to how the VA rates hearing loss and tinnitus claims if you are filing both together.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a formal PTSD diagnosis before I file a claim? Yes. The VA requires a diagnosis from a licensed mental health professional as part of the claim, not after it is approved. You can start the claims process while treatment is ongoing, but the diagnosis has to be on file before a rating decision can be issued.

Can my PTSD rating go down at a future exam? It can be reduced if a future evaluation shows sustained improvement, though the VA generally will not reduce a rating that has been in place for 5 years or more without clear evidence of sustained improvement. A rating held for 20 years or more becomes permanent and protected from reduction.

What if my stressor cannot be confirmed by military records? Combat-zone service and military sexual trauma both have relaxed evidence standards. For MST specifically, the VA accepts markers like changed performance evaluations, requests for a transfer, or statements from people you confided in at the time, since official reports are often never filed.

Does a 70% PTSD rating automatically qualify me for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU)? No. A single 70% rating meets the minimum schedular threshold to apply for TDIU, but it still requires separate proof that your service-connected conditions actually prevent you from holding substantially gainful employment.

How long does a PTSD claim typically take to decide? Timelines vary by regional office and claim complexity, and the VA does not publish a fixed guarantee. Claims requiring a C&P exam generally take longer than claims decided on existing medical records alone.