Most Common VA Disabilities in 2026
The VA paid disability compensation to about 6 million veterans in 2026. The conditions driving those claims fall into recognizable patterns. A handful of diagnoses account for the vast majority of claims, and understanding them helps veterans know what to look for in their own records.
This post covers the 10 most commonly claimed VA disabilities, their diagnostic codes, rating ranges, and what veterans should know about each one.
1. Tinnitus (DC 6260)
Tinnitus is the most claimed VA disability in the country. More than 2.3 million veterans have it service-connected.
It is rated at a flat 10% under Diagnostic Code 6260. There are no tiers. The rating is the same whether the sound is in one ear, both ears, or inside your head.
At 10%, tinnitus pays $180.42 per month in 2026. That is $2,165 per year, tax-free, for the rest of your life.
The real value of a tinnitus claim is not the 10% itself. It is the gateway it opens to secondary conditions including sleep apnea, anxiety, depression, and migraines. Veterans who file only for tinnitus and stop there are leaving the secondary chain unclaimed.
2. Hearing Loss (DC 6100)
Hearing loss is consistently the second most claimed VA disability. It is rated under Diagnostic Code 6100 using audiometric test results, including puretone average thresholds and Maryland CNC speech discrimination scores.
Ratings range from 0% to 100%. Most veterans with noise-induced hearing loss receive 0% or 10% because the audiometric criteria are strict. But even a 0% rating establishes service connection and opens access to VA hearing aids and audiology services.
Tinnitus and hearing loss are separate conditions under separate diagnostic codes. Filing for both is not pyramiding. Veterans with noise exposure in their service history should claim both simultaneously.
3. PTSD (DC 9411)
PTSD is the most claimed mental health condition and one of the highest-value single conditions in the VA system. Over 1.5 million veterans receive compensation for it.
It is rated at 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100% under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders at 38 CFR 4.130. The 70% rating, which applies when PTSD causes deficiencies in most major life areas, pays $1,808.45 per month. The 100% rating pays $3,938.58 per month.
The 70% rating is the most commonly assigned level for combat-related PTSD. Many veterans who qualify for 70% are rated at 50% because the functional impairment was not fully documented at their C&P exam.
4. Limitation of Flexion, Knee (DC 5260)
Knee conditions are among the most common service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities. Limitation of flexion under DC 5260 is the most frequently assigned knee code.
Ratings are based on how far the veteran can bend the knee. Normal flexion is 140 degrees. Flexion limited to 45 degrees or less earns 10%. Limited to 30 degrees earns 20%. Limited to 15 degrees earns 30%.
Many veterans with knee conditions qualify for separate ratings under DC 5257 for instability and DC 5261 for limited extension on the same knee. Veterans should verify that their rating decision addresses all applicable codes, not just one.
5. Lumbar Spine (DC 5237)
Back pain from lumbosacral strain is the second most claimed musculoskeletal condition overall. It is rated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.
Forward flexion drives the rating. Flexion over 60 degrees earns 10%. Flexion between 31 and 60 degrees earns 20%. Flexion at 30 degrees or less earns 40%.
There is no 30% tier for the lumbar spine. The jump from 20% to 40% happens at exactly 30 degrees of forward flexion. Veterans who stop at 31 degrees leave a 20% rating on the table compared to veterans who measure at 30 degrees.
Secondary radiculopathy is the most valuable add-on for back claims. When compressed spinal nerves cause radiating pain or weakness in the legs, each affected extremity earns a separate rating from 10% to 80%.
6. Sleep Apnea (DC 6847)
Sleep apnea has grown into one of the highest-value single-condition claims in the VA system. It is rated at 0%, 30%, 50%, or 100%.
A prescribed CPAP machine triggers the 50% rating. Monthly pay at 50% in 2026: $1,132.90.
Sleep apnea is most commonly claimed as secondary to PTSD, backed by strong published research linking PTSD to sleep-disordered breathing. Tinnitus-related sleep disruption also provides a secondary pathway.
A proposed 2026 rule change would shift sleep apnea ratings from device-based to function-based criteria. That change is not final. The current CPAP-triggers-50% rule remains in effect. Veterans who have sleep apnea and have not filed should do so now under the current criteria.
7. Limitation of Extension, Knee (DC 5261)
Limitation of extension is a separate knee code from limitation of flexion and is separately ratable. Veterans often receive only a flexion code in their decision letter without realizing extension limitation can produce an additional rating.
Extension limitation rates from 10% to 50% depending on how severely the knee cannot straighten. When combined with a separate flexion limitation rating or an instability rating under DC 5257, knee conditions can produce a combined rating significantly higher than a single code allows.
8. Sciatica and Lumbar Radiculopathy
Radiculopathy is not typically listed alone as a claimed primary condition. It develops as a secondary condition when service-connected lumbar spine disease compresses nerve roots and causes radiating pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness into the legs.
Each affected leg earns a separate rating under peripheral nerve codes, ranging from 10% for mild neuralgia to 80% for complete paralysis of the sciatic nerve. Veterans with a service-connected back condition and leg symptoms should file for radiculopathy as a secondary condition immediately.
9. Hypertension (DC 7101)
High blood pressure affects an estimated 45% of veterans. It is rated from 10% to 60% based on diastolic and systolic blood pressure readings and medication requirements.
The most common pathway to a hypertension rating for veterans without direct service connection is secondary to PTSD or sleep apnea. Chronic psychological stress and disrupted sleep both elevate blood pressure over time, and the VA recognizes the connection.
A 10% hypertension rating is achievable for many veterans with PTSD who have been prescribed blood pressure medication, and it adds meaningful dollars to the combined rating in the right combination.
10. Migraine Headaches (DC 8100)
Migraines rate from 0% to 50% based on the frequency of prostrating attacks. A prostrating attack is one that forces the veteran to stop activity and lie down.
The 50% rating applies when there are very frequent, completely prostrating, and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability. That means migraines severe enough to regularly interfere with the ability to hold employment.
Migraines are most commonly claimed as secondary to PTSD, tinnitus, and traumatic brain injury. Veterans who experience frequent debilitating headaches alongside any of these primary conditions have a viable secondary claim worth pursuing.
The Bigger Picture: Conditions Work Together
The most financially significant insight in the VA claims world is that conditions multiply each other's value. A veteran with only a 70% PTSD rating receives $1,808.45 per month. A veteran with the same PTSD at 70% plus sleep apnea at 50% and hypertension at 10% reaches a combined rating that rounds to 90%, paying $2,362.30 per month. That is $554 more per month from two secondary conditions.
Understanding which conditions connect to which creates a roadmap for building a claim that reflects the actual burden of service-connected disability.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most claimed VA disability?
Tinnitus is the most claimed VA disability in the United States, with more than 2.3 million veterans having it service-connected as of 2026. Tinnitus is the perception of sound, typically ringing, buzzing, or hissing, in the absence of an external source. It is rated under Diagnostic Code 6260 at a flat 10% regardless of severity or the number of ears affected, paying $180.42 per month in 2026. Despite being the most common claim, tinnitus is often underutilized because veterans treat it as a standalone condition rather than as the foundation for secondary claims. Sleep apnea, anxiety, depression, and migraines can all be connected to tinnitus through secondary service connection, each carrying its own separate and potentially much higher rating.
What are the highest-value single VA disability conditions?
The highest-value single VA disability conditions in terms of monthly compensation are those that can reach 70% or higher on their own. Sleep apnea at 50% pays $1,132.90 per month with a prescribed CPAP, making it one of the highest single-condition payments achievable with a relatively common diagnosis. PTSD at 70% pays $1,808.45 per month and at 100% pays $3,938.58 per month. TDIU, which is not technically a rating but a pay status, pays at the 100% rate of $3,938.58 per month for veterans whose service-connected conditions prevent substantially gainful employment. Conditions that rate at 40% or 50% individually are significant because they serve as anchor conditions around which secondary claims can build a combined rating high enough to qualify for TDIU.
Can I have the same condition rated twice?
In most cases, the VA does not rate the same condition twice, as this would constitute pyramiding under 38 CFR 4.14. Pyramiding means evaluating the same disability under multiple diagnostic codes and collecting compensation for the same symptom more than once. However, conditions with multiple distinct functional limitations can be rated separately. A knee disability with both limited flexion and lateral instability can receive separate ratings under DC 5260 and DC 5257 because each limitation represents distinct functional loss. The VA's own General Counsel confirmed this in Opinion VAOPGCPREC 23-97. Veterans who received only one diagnostic code for a condition with multiple qualifying limitations may have grounds for an additional rating through a supplemental claim.
What are the most underrated VA disabilities?
Several VA disability conditions are consistently underrated relative to the actual functional burden they impose. Knee conditions are frequently rated under only one diagnostic code when multiple codes apply, leaving additional ratings unclaimed. PTSD is frequently rated at 50% for veterans whose functional impairment meets the 70% criteria. Lumbar spine conditions are often rated at 20% when the veteran's range of motion at its worst, accounting for flare-ups and pain-limited motion, would produce a 40% rating. Radiculopathy secondary to back conditions is one of the most commonly missed secondary conditions in the entire VA system. Sleep apnea is underrated in cases where the CPAP rating at 50% was not applied or where the veteran does not know that secondary connection through PTSD is available.
How many conditions can I claim at once?
There is no limit to the number of conditions a veteran can claim simultaneously. The VA is required to evaluate each claimed condition and issue a decision on every one. Veterans can claim primary conditions directly tied to military service and secondary conditions caused or worsened by service-connected disabilities, all in the same initial claim or supplemental claim. Filing all conditions together rather than one at a time typically produces the earliest effective date for all of them. Veterans who have been service-connected for years and have never filed secondary conditions can do so at any time. The effective date for a secondary claim is generally the date the VA receives the claim, so earlier filing means earlier potential back pay.
