VA Disability Ratings And Criteria For Anxiety Disorder

To decide the monthly compensation amount for a veteran with an anxiety disorder, The Department of Veteran Affairs uses anxiety disability ratings. To qualify, the individual must have a diagnosed anxiety condition that significantly disrupts their daily life and may be directly or indirectly linked to their military service, as confirmed by a medical professional.

After retiring from the military, if you have an anxiety disorder, you have the option to get services and file a compensation claim at your local VA office or online.

How Will Time In Military Service Cause Anxiety Disorder In Veterans?

Mental health conditions, like severe depression, suicidal ideation, post-traumatic stress disorder, or anxiety disorders, can be exacerbated by challenging experiences in the military. Such heightened or distressing conditions often hinder a veteran's successful reintegration into society after service.

Military service can cause or contribute to lasting mental health disorders such as anxiety in several ways:

Separation From Loved Ones

Being distant from loved ones and facing difficulty in regular communication can cause severe anxiety and prolonged stress.

Combat Trauma

Witnessing injury or death, or experiencing trauma like combat injury during military service, can cause long-term anxiety and mental disorders.

Reintegration Stress

Transitioning back into everyday civilian life can be challenging for veterans who have operated in a completely different and highly stressful environment for an extended period. Heightened anxiety can disturb interactions with loved ones and impede school or work attendance.

VA Disability Rating Criteria For Anxiety Disorder

VA rates physical and mental disorders on a 0 percent to 100 percent scale, with increments of 10. The disability ratings are based on how much a specific disability, its symptoms, and treatments affect a veteran's participation so that they can engage in their daily life activities.

Anxiety disorders are evaluated according to the schedule of ratings for mental disorders:

• Veterans with generalized anxiety disorder are assigned diagnostic code 9400.
• For specific phobias and social anxiety disorders, diagnostic code 9403 is assigned.
• Other specified anxiety disorders are categorized under diagnostic code 9410, whereas diagnostic code 9412 is allocated for agoraphobia and panic disorder.
• Diagnostic code 9413 encompasses unspecified anxiety disorders.

In February 2022, the schedule for anxiety VA Compensation ratings was revised to incorporate modern scientific knowledge and medical advancements, improving the diagnosis of mental disorders.

VA Disability Ratings For Anxiety

In the updated system, a designated score from zero to four is used to assess the disorder's impact on various aspects of daily life, encompassing the severity and frequency of its symptoms.

The zero-to-four scoring system evaluates the disorder's impact on specific factors of functioning, ranging from:

• Not at all
• Mildly
• Moderately
• Severely; to
• Totally

The scores of zero to four in the five factors lead to the resulting ratings as follows:

• 100 percent: A score of four in one or more domains or a score of three in two or more domains
• 70 percent: A score of three in one domain or a score of two in two or more domains
• 50 percent: A score of three in one domain or two in two or more domains
• 30 percent: A score of one in two or more domains.
• 10 percent: The minimum rating necessitates solely the clinical diagnosis of a mental disorder.

Anxiety Disorder As A Secondary Service-Connected Disability

Anxiety disorders can also arise from other service-related injuries, illnesses, and their respective symptoms and treatments. These include the following:

• Combat injuries
• Chronic pain
• Mental conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder
• Depression
• Life-threatening diseases, such as heart disease
• Thyroid issues; or
• Diabetes

You can file a disability claim for anxiety as a secondary condition if it develops due to service-related issues or other conditions linked to your time in service by your doctor.