The gap between a 50% PTSD rating and a 70% PTSD rating is $675.55 per month. Tax-free. Every month. Many veterans are sitting at 50% with symptoms that clearly meet the 70% criteria. The difference is usually documentation, not eligibility.
This page explains exactly how the VA rates PTSD in 2026, what the criteria are at each level, and what secondary conditions are worth filing alongside your PTSD claim.
How the VA Rates PTSD
PTSD is rated under Diagnostic Code 9411 using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders at 38 CFR 4.130. There are six possible rating levels: 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100%.
There are no 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, or 90% ratings for mental health conditions. The scale jumps in specific increments. This is different from musculoskeletal conditions rated in 10% steps.
The VA rates PTSD based on one thing: how severely your symptoms impair your ability to work and function in daily life. Not the trauma itself. Not the diagnosis. The functional impact.
One critical rule from Mauerhan v. Principi (2002): the symptoms listed at each rating level are examples, not a checklist. You do not need every listed symptom to qualify for a rating. You can qualify with symptoms not on the list if your overall level of impairment matches that tier.
The Six Rating Levels
0% - Diagnosed But Not Compensably Disabling
Your PTSD is formally diagnosed and service-connected, but symptoms are not severe enough to interfere with occupational or social functioning, or they are fully controlled by continuous medication.
A 0% rating pays no monthly compensation. But it matters. It establishes service connection. It gives you access to VA mental health care. And it opens the door to a future increase if symptoms worsen, with back pay potentially going back to your original claim date.
10% - Mild or Transient Symptoms
Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms that decrease work efficiency only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication. Monthly pay in 2026: $180.42.
30% - Occasional Impairment
Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks. General satisfactory functioning the rest of the time. Typical symptoms at this level include depressed mood, anxiety, sleep problems, mild memory issues, and panic attacks occurring weekly or less. Monthly pay in 2026: $552.47.
50% - Reduced Reliability and Productivity
Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. Symptoms at this level include panic attacks more than once per week, difficulty understanding complex instructions, impairment of short-term and long-term memory, impaired judgment, impaired abstract thinking, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty establishing and maintaining work and social relationships. Monthly pay in 2026: $1,132.90.
70% - Deficiencies in Most Areas
Occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most major life areas, including work, family relations, judgment, thinking, and mood. Symptoms at this level include suicidal ideation, near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, impaired impulse control including unprovoked irritability with periods of violence, obsessional rituals that interfere with routine activities, speech that is intermittently illogical or irrelevant, spatial disorientation, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene, and inability to establish and maintain effective relationships. Monthly pay in 2026: $1,808.45.
The 70% rating is the most commonly assigned level for veterans with combat-related PTSD. It is also the level where TDIU becomes accessible for many veterans.
100% - Total Occupational and Social Impairment
Total inability to function at work or in any meaningful social context. Symptoms 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 basic activities of daily living, disorientation to time or place, and memory loss for names of close relatives. Monthly pay in 2026: $3,938.58.
The 50% to 70% Gap: Where Most Veterans Get Stuck
The jump from 50% to 70% is the most commonly missed upgrade in the VA mental health system. The monthly difference is $675.55. The annual difference is $8,106.60.
Veterans get stuck at 50% for two main reasons.
First, the C&P examiner documents symptoms without fully capturing functional impact. A record that says "veteran reports depression and anxiety" is not the same as a record that says "veteran reports near-continuous depressive episodes that prevent him from leaving the house for days at a time, inability to maintain personal hygiene during flare-ups, and two incidents of impaired impulse control resulting in verbal altercations at work in the past year."
Second, veterans downplay their symptoms at the C&P exam. Military culture encourages toughing it out. That instinct works against you in a VA exam setting. The examiner can only rate what is in the record. If you minimize your symptoms, the record reflects minimized symptoms.
If your PTSD causes deficiencies in most areas of your daily life, your rating should reflect 70%, not 50%. A supplemental claim with additional evidence from a treating provider or a private nexus letter can support an increase.
One Mental Health Rating, Not Multiple
The VA assigns a single combined mental health rating even when a veteran has multiple mental health diagnoses. If you have service-connected PTSD, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, the VA does not rate each separately. All three are evaluated together and a single rating is assigned based on the combined functional impact.
This means adding a second mental health diagnosis does not automatically increase your rating. What increases your rating is demonstrating greater functional impairment.
Secondary Conditions Worth Filing
PTSD is one of the most powerful generators of secondary conditions in the VA system. Chronic stress, disrupted sleep, and nervous system dysregulation create measurable physical effects that are separately ratable under their own diagnostic codes.
Sleep apnea (DC 6847). Published research links PTSD to sleep-disordered breathing. If your PTSD disrupts sleep and you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, a secondary claim is appropriate. A physician-written nexus letter connecting the two conditions is the key piece of evidence. Sleep apnea rates at 50% with a prescribed CPAP, worth $1,132.90 per month.
Hypertension (DC 7101). Chronic psychological stress from PTSD elevates blood pressure over time. Hypertension rates from 10% to 60% depending on blood pressure readings and medication requirements. It is one of the most straightforward secondary claims to build from a PTSD primary.
Migraines (DC 8100). Stress-induced migraines are common among veterans with PTSD. Ratings run from 0% to 50% based on frequency of prostrating attacks. If your PTSD is accompanied by frequent, debilitating headaches, a secondary claim with supporting treatment records is worth pursuing.
GERD and digestive conditions (DC 7346). The gut-brain connection is well-documented. Chronic stress from PTSD contributes to acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, and other GI conditions. GERD rates at 10% to 60% depending on severity.
Erectile dysfunction. PTSD and its medications both contribute to sexual dysfunction in male veterans. Erectile dysfunction from a service-connected condition is rated at 0% with a Special Monthly Compensation K award of $131.54 per month added to your base compensation.
A Note on This Page
PTSD affects every veteran differently. The criteria above describe functional impairment in clinical terms because those are the terms the VA uses. But behind every rating percentage is a real veteran managing something real.
If you are struggling, VA mental health services are available at no cost. You do not need a disability rating to access care. Call the Veterans Crisis Line at 988, then press 1, at any time.
Is Your PTSD Rating Accurate?
If your PTSD causes deficiencies in most areas of your daily life and your rating is 50%, you may have grounds for an increase. If you have sleep apnea, hypertension, or migraines that have never been filed as secondary conditions, you may be leaving significant monthly compensation unclaimed.
A VA-accredited attorney can review your complete rating picture at no cost. They identify what the record shows, where the gaps are, and whether a supplemental claim or appeal is appropriate. They are paid only if they win your case.
Get a free PTSD claim review from a VA-accredited attorney.
No upfront cost. No fee unless you win.