VA Rating for Anxiety

A veteran may be entitled to VA disability for anxiety if the condition is service-connected. That’s true for generalized anxiety disorder and a wide range of other anxiety-related conditions. Some related conditions that may support a VA disability claim include social anxiety, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and agoraphobia.

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How is Your Anxiety VA Rating Determined?

Generalized anxiety disorder and other anxiety-related medical conditions are rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.

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Current VA Ratings for Mental Health Conditions

Under that schedule, the current VA rating for anxiety may be 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70% or 100%. The current system bases the VA rating for anxiety on just two types of function: social and occupational. The more severe and consistent the impairment of one or both of those functions is, the higher the rating.

To receive a 100% VA disability rating for anxiety, a veteran has to show total occupational and social impairment. However, changes may be on the horizon.

The VA Disability for Anxiety Analysis May Change in 2025

The VA has set forth proposed rule changes for assessment of mental health conditions like anxiety. Those changes are expected to take place this year.

If and when the new rating system for mental disorders takes effect, veterans will see two important changes:

The 0% rating will disappear, with any veteran assigned a rating for a mental health disorder receiving at least a 10% rating, and
The analysis will be broadened to take into account domains other than social and occupational

The domains considered will include:

Cognitive processes
Ability to interact and maintain relationship with other people
Ability to completely tasks and attend to life activities
Ability to navigate environments
Ability to care for oneself

The veteran will be assigned a level of 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 for each domain, with 0 representing no impairment in that domain and 4 representing total impairment. The VA rating for anxiety or another mental health disorder (or combination of mental health disorders) will then be assigned based on the number of domains with impairment at or above a particular level. All domains will be weighted equally.

For example, a veteran who has total impairment (level 4) in one domain or level 3 impairment in at least two domains will receive a 100% VA disability rating.

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Help Securing VA Disability

If you are considering a VA disability claim for a mental health condition, you should get advice from an experienced VA disability benefits advocate as soon as possible. Your advocate can explain how the coming changes could impact your claim, how best to time your claim, and what type of documentation will be required to secure the highest possible disability rating.

To learn more about how we can help, call 888-373-4722 today, or fill out our contact form here.

Call 1-888-373-4722 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form