PTSD DC 9411
Listed in the rating schedule as “Posttraumatic stress disorder”. VA rates it under diagnostic code 9411 in 38 CFR 4.130. Body system: Mental health.
Also searched as: post-traumatic stress disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, post traumatic stress, combat stress.
How VA rates it
The schedule allows 6 rating levels for this code: 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100%. VA picks the level whose criteria best match your symptoms and records.
Rated on how symptoms affect work and social life (General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders).
Rated under the general rating formula for mental disorders (§ 4.130).
Source: 38 CFR 4.130 on eCFR. Read the full criteria there before you file.
Rating levels and criteria
This code is rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders (38 CFR 4.130).
| Rating | What the schedule says |
|---|---|
| 100% | Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as: 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 activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name. |
| 70% | Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain effective relationships. |
| 50% | Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships. |
| 30% | Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events). |
| 10% | Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication. |
| 0% | A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication. |
Criteria text from 38 CFR 4.130, eCFR as of November 10, 2026. The eCFR is the official source if anything here differs.
Conditions it can lead to
If this condition is service connected, these conditions are often claimed as secondary to it (38 CFR 3.310). Each one still needs its own diagnosis.
Erectile dysfunction DC 7522 Possible link
PTSD can cause or worsen erectile dysfunction, separate from any medicine side effects.
What to gather: An ED diagnosis and a medical opinion linking it to your PTSD. ED is usually rated 0%, but service connection can bring special monthly compensation (SMC-K).
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); PTSD and sexual difficulties: systematic review of veterans and military personnel (J Sex Med, 2021)
GERD / acid reflux DC 7206 Possible link
Long-term psychological distress, including PTSD, is linked with new acid reflux symptoms.
What to gather: A GERD diagnosis and a medical opinion linking it to your PTSD. If you take medicines for PTSD that worsen reflux, ask the doctor to mention that too.
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Psychological distress and new-onset upper GI symptoms in World Trade Center responders (Psychosom Med, 2014)
Hypertension DC 7101 Possible link
Research links PTSD with a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, through long-term stress hormones and sleep loss.
What to gather: A hypertension diagnosis (readings on at least three days) and a medical opinion linking it to your PTSD. If weight gain from your condition or its medicines played a part, the opinion should say so.
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Risk for incident hypertension associated with PTSD in military veterans (Psychosom Med, 2017); VA General Counsel VAOPGCPREC 1-2017 (obesity as an intermediate step)
Irritable bowel syndrome DC 7319 Possible link
PTSD is linked with irritable bowel syndrome through the gut-brain connection.
What to gather: An IBS diagnosis and a medical opinion that your PTSD caused it or makes it worse.
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Association between PTSD and irritable bowel syndrome: systematic review with meta-analysis (J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2019)
Migraines DC 8100 Possible link
Studies find PTSD and migraine often occur together, and PTSD is linked with more frequent headaches.
What to gather: A migraine or headache diagnosis, a log of prostrating attacks, and a medical opinion linking it to your PTSD.
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); The association between PTSD and migraine: a systematic review (Headache, 2026)
Sleep apnea DC 6847 Possible link
Obstructive sleep apnea is much more common in people with PTSD. Weight gain from PTSD or its medicines can be a step in the chain, which VA allows.
What to gather: A sleep study showing sleep apnea and a medical opinion linking it to your PTSD. If weight gain is the link, the opinion must say your PTSD caused the weight gain and that the weight gain was a substantial factor in the sleep apnea. Obesity itself can't be service connected.
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with PTSD: meta-analysis (Sleep Med, 2017); PTSD and risk of obesity: systematic review and meta-analysis (J Clin Psychiatry, 2015); VA General Counsel VAOPGCPREC 1-2017 (obesity as an intermediate step)
Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) DC 9905 Possible link
Stress-related jaw clenching and teeth grinding (bruxism) are linked with PTSD and can lead to a jaw joint disorder (TMD).
What to gather: A dentist's or doctor's diagnosis of TMD or bruxism damage and a medical opinion linking it to your PTSD.
Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Post-traumatic stress and temporomandibular disorders in war veterans: systematic review with meta-analysis (J Oral Rehabil, 2023)
Presumptive rules that include it
If your service matches one of these, VA presumes the link to service and you do not need a medical opinion connecting it.
Former prisoners of war (any length)
Covered: Anxiety states, including PTSD.
Who qualifies: Any length of time held as a prisoner of war. The condition must reach at least 10% disabling at any time after service.
38 CFR 3.309(c)(1). Sources: 38 CFR 3.309; VA.gov: Benefits for former prisoners of war
Related medications
Medications prescribed for it
A prescription shows the condition was diagnosed. It still needs its own link to service.
- Paroxetine (Paxil, Brisdelle). FDA labels: Paroxetine (DailyMed)
- Sertraline (Zoloft). FDA labels: Sertraline (DailyMed)
- Fluoxetine (Prozac), often prescribed off label. VA/DoD clinical practice guideline for PTSD; FDA labels: Fluoxetine (DailyMed)
- Prazosin (Minipress), often prescribed off label. VA/DoD clinical practice guideline for PTSD; FDA labels: Prazosin (DailyMed)
- Venlafaxine (Effexor), often prescribed off label. VA/DoD clinical practice guideline for PTSD; FDA labels: Venlafaxine (DailyMed)
Check your claim
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Rating schedule data as of November 10, 2026. Secondary and presumptive links checked November 13, 2026.
Not affiliated with the VA. VA decides ratings. Free help from an accredited VSO is available at no cost.