How VA rates depression
The most expensive sentence in a depression file is often written by a well-meaning doctor: stable on medication. That phrase maps to the 10 percent level even when the veteran is missing work and isolating at home, because the formula rates functioning, not prescriptions. The record has to describe what the medication does not fix.
How VA rates depression
Major depressive disorder is rated under diagnostic code 9434 in the mental disorders schedule (38 CFR 4.130). Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) uses 9433 and unspecified depressive disorder uses 9435, but the code number barely matters. Every mental disorder except eating disorders is rated under the same general rating formula. What drives the percentage is not the diagnosis. It is how much the condition impairs your ability to work and to function socially.
The percentage levels
- 0 percent: a formal diagnosis exists, but symptoms are not severe enough to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication.
- 10 percent: mild or transient symptoms that decrease work efficiency only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication.
- 30 percent: occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent inability to perform occupational tasks, with symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, chronic sleep impairment, and mild memory loss. You generally function satisfactorily.
- 50 percent: reduced reliability and productivity, with symptoms such as flattened affect, panic attacks more than once a week, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty maintaining effective work and social relationships.
- 70 percent: deficiencies in most areas (work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood), with symptoms such as suicidal ideation, near-continuous depression affecting independent functioning, impaired impulse control, neglect of personal hygiene, and difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances including work.
- 100 percent: total occupational and social impairment, with symptoms such as gross impairment in thought processes, persistent delusions or hallucinations, persistent danger of hurting self or others, and disorientation to time or place.
The symptom lists are examples, not a checklist
Each level says "due to such symptoms as." You do not need every symptom listed, and symptoms not on the list still count. Raters are instructed to look at the frequency, severity, and duration of symptoms and the resulting level of impairment across the whole record (38 CFR 4.126), not to tally boxes.
The medication trap at 10 percent
The 10 percent level explicitly covers symptoms "controlled by continuous medication." If medication keeps you employed but you still miss work, isolate at home, or lose focus during stressful periods, the record needs to say that plainly. A treatment note that reads "stable on sertraline" can quietly hold a rating at 10 percent when day-to-day functioning tells a different story.
One rating covers all mental health diagnoses
If you have depression and anxiety, or depression and PTSD, VA assigns a single rating covering the overall impairment from all mental health conditions together. Rating each diagnosis separately would compensate the same symptoms twice, which the anti-pyramiding rule forbids (38 CFR 4.14). The single rating is assigned under the diagnostic code that best reflects the dominant picture.
70 percent is the gateway to TDIU
A 70 percent mental health rating meets the schedular threshold for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) on its own (38 CFR 4.16). If depression keeps you from holding substantially gainful employment, TDIU pays at the 100 percent rate without requiring the 100 percent criteria. The 70 percent level's own language, difficulty adapting to work and worklike settings, often describes exactly the evidence TDIU needs.
Common rating details veterans overlook
- Suicidal ideation is listed at the 70 percent level. Passive thoughts count. A plan or an attempt is not required by the criteria.
- Social impairment alone cannot be the sole basis for the rating (38 CFR 4.126), so the work impact needs to be documented too.
- Depression secondary to a service-connected condition (chronic pain, tinnitus, or another disability) can be service connected under 38 CFR 3.310.
- The C&P exam is a snapshot. Treatment records and lay statements from family or coworkers document the bad weeks the exam never sees.
Related on this site
- How VA rates mental disorders (38 CFR 4.130)
- Mental health at 70 versus 100, and the TDIU bridge
- How VA rates anxiety (DC 9400)
- Secondary service connection, explained
Common questions
What ratings can VA assign for depression?
Depression is rated under diagnostic code 9434 using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders at 0, 10, 30, 50, 70, or 100 percent. The percentage turns on how much the condition impairs your ability to work and function socially, not on the diagnosis label, and raters must weigh the frequency, severity, and duration of symptoms across the whole record.
Why does medication hold some depression ratings at 10 percent?
The 10 percent level explicitly covers symptoms controlled by continuous medication. If medication keeps you employed but you still miss work, isolate at home, or lose focus under stress, the record needs to say that plainly; a treatment note reading "stable on sertraline" can quietly hold a rating at 10 percent when daily functioning tells a different story.
Can I get separate ratings for depression and PTSD or anxiety?
No. VA assigns a single rating covering the overall impairment from all mental health conditions together, because rating each diagnosis separately would compensate the same symptoms twice under the anti-pyramiding rule. The single rating is assigned under the diagnostic code that best reflects the dominant picture.
Do I need every symptom listed at a rating level?
No. Each level says "due to such symptoms as," which means the lists are examples, not a checklist. Symptoms not on the list still count, and raters are instructed by 38 CFR 4.126 to look at the resulting level of impairment across the whole record rather than tally boxes.
How does a 70 percent depression rating connect to TDIU?
A 70 percent mental health rating meets the schedular threshold for individual unemployability on its own under 38 CFR 4.16. If depression keeps you from substantially gainful employment, TDIU pays at the 100 percent rate without requiring the 100 percent criteria. Note that suicidal ideation is listed at the 70 percent level, and passive thoughts count; a plan or attempt is not required.