VA Disability Benefits for Female Sexual Arousal Disorder: What Veterans Need to Know

Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD) has its own line in the VA’s rating schedule, but that line pays $0 in most cases. That surprises a lot of veterans who assume any service-connected condition means a check. Understanding why Female Sexual Arousal Disorder works this way, and what actually moves the needle on compensation, makes the difference between a claim that goes nowhere and one that results in real money.

What Female Sexual Arousal Disorder Is, According to the VA

The VA defines Female Sexual Arousal Disorder narrowly. Under 38 CFR 4.116, it covers the physiologic form of the condition: the recurring inability to achieve or maintain adequate lubrication and swelling response during sex, usually tied to reduced blood flow or nerve damage in the genital area.

That’s a different diagnosis from what shows up in the DSM-5 under “Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder,” which includes low desire, disinterest, and other psychological features. If a veteran’s condition is the psychological form, the VA rates it under the mental disorders schedule (38 CFR 4.130) instead, using whatever diagnostic code fits the underlying condition, such as PTSD or depression.

This distinction matters for how you build your claim. Get the wrong framing on the DBQ, and you can end up rated for something that pays nothing when a different, entirely valid framing would have paid a lot.

How the VA Rates Female Sexual Arousal Disorder

The VA added diagnostic code 7632 back in 2018, mostly to catch female veterans up with how male sexual dysfunction had already been handled for years. Here’s the catch: it pays zero percent. Every time. The only way FSAD (Female Sexual Arousal Disorder) gets rated higher is if there’s actual physical damage to the genitals, and even then, the VA rates that damage separately, under codes 7610 through 7615, not under 7632 at all.

So why bother filing at all if the payout is zero? Because that zero percent still gets you service connection on paper, and that’s the ticket to Special Monthly Compensation.

Special Monthly Compensation (SMC-K)

Here’s the part most veterans miss. Every entry in 38 CFR 4.116, 7632 included, comes with a note telling the VA to check whether you qualify for SMC under 38 CFR 3.350. For FSAD, that usually means you can document a real, service-connected inability to get or stay aroused enough for sex, not just occasional trouble.

SMC-K doesn’t replace your rating. It sits on top of it, whether you’re at 0% or 100%. As of December 1, 2025, that’s $139.87 a month, and you can actually stack up to three separate SMC-K awards if you’ve got more than one qualifying condition. This is the whole reason a zero percent rating is still worth filing for.

Building the Service Connection

Like any VA claim, you need three things: a current diagnosis, an event or exposure in service, and a medical opinion linking the two. For Female Sexual Arousal Disorder, that link usually runs through one of a few paths:

• A physical injury or gynecological condition connected to service.
• Medication side effects from treating another service-connected condition.
• PTSD, particularly PTSD stemming from military sexual trauma (MST).
• Hormonal or vascular conditions connected to service, including diabetes or thyroid disorders.

The MST connection deserves its own mention. The VA defines MST as sexual assault or sexual harassment experienced during military service, and one in five female veterans has reported it to a VA provider. Sexual dysfunction, including FSAD (Female Sexual Arousal Disorder), shows up often enough among MST survivors that the VA doesn’t require the same documentation burden it does for other service-connection claims. Markers like a change in duty station request, a drop in performance evaluations, or contemporaneous mental health treatment can support the claim even without a formal incident report. Every VA medical facility has an MST coordinator, and MST-related health care is available regardless of whether a veteran has filed or won a disability claim.

Secondary Conditions Worth Claiming Alongside FSAD

Female Sexual Arousal Disorder rarely shows up alone, and the conditions around it often rate a lot higher than 0 percent. Depression and anxiety connected to the same underlying trauma are common secondary claims, especially when FSAD (Female Sexual Arousal Disorder) stems from MST. Chronic pelvic pain and dyspareunia can also be claimed and rated separately. So can hormonal conditions like PCOS, thyroid disorders, and service-connected infertility, which carries its own compensation path.

If you’re already service-connected for PTSD, adding FSAD (Female Sexual Arousal Disorder) as secondary to that diagnosis can support an SMC-K claim even though the FSAD rating itself stays at 0%. This is where a lot of veterans leave money on the table: they treat FSAD as a dead end because of the 0% schedule, without realizing it’s the trigger for compensation elsewhere in the system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a 0% rating for FSAD mean I get nothing? Not necessarily. A 0% rating still establishes service connection, which is what qualifies you for SMC-K. The rating itself pays nothing, but the SMC-K add-on does, currently $139.87 a month, and it stacks with whatever else you’re rated for.

Can FSAD be rated higher than 0%? Only if there’s physical damage to the genitals, in which case the VA rates the injury itself under a different diagnostic code (7610–7615), not under 7632.

What if my condition is really about low desire, not physical arousal? That’s a different diagnosis in the VA’s system. Low sexual desire and related psychological symptoms are typically rated under the mental disorders schedule, tied to a condition like PTSD or depression, rather than under diagnostic code 7632.

Do I need to prove a specific in-service incident to claim FSAD from MST? No. The VA accepts a range of supporting evidence for MST-related claims, including behavioral changes, treatment records, and buddy statements, and a mental health provider’s opinion linking your current diagnosis to the MST event can be enough on its own.

Can I get VA health care for MST-related conditions without filing a disability claim? Yes. VA health care for MST-related conditions is available to eligible veterans regardless of whether they’ve filed for or been awarded disability compensation, and no documentation of the MST is required to access that care.

Is SMC-K taxable? No. Like all VA disability compensation, SMC-K is tax-free.

Get Help With Your Claim

FSAD claims get denied or underrated more often than they should, usually because the paperwork doesn’t distinguish between the physiologic and psychological forms, or because nobody flags the SMC-K eligibility that comes with the 0 percent rating. If you’re dealing with FSAD, whether on its own or alongside PTSD, MST, or another service-connected condition, Veterans Help Group can review your case, help you document the right connection, and make sure you’re not leaving compensation unclaimed.

Contact Veterans Help Group today for a free case review and find out what your claim is really worth. CLICK HERE or call us at 855-855-8992.

Other Female Veteran Resources:

• Most Common Disabilities Among Female Vets
• Female-Specific VA Claims That Are Often Overlooked
• How Menopause Affects Female Veterans
• Female Veterans And Depression: Understanding Your Benefits