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VA Disability Ratings: Anxiety

The VA says anxiety disorders are no more common among veterans than among the general population. However, that changes depending on when and where the veteran served. For example, Vietnam Veterans studied were about twice as likely to have elevated levels of anxiety and depression than those who served in World War II or the Korean War. 

When a veteran does suffer from a service-connected anxiety disorder, they may be entitled to VA disability benefits. But, the type and amount of benefits a veteran may qualify for will depend on their disability rating. So, if you’re considering pursuing veterans disability benefits for anxiety, it’s important to understand how anxiety disorders and other mental health disorders are rated. 

Anxiety and Anxiety-Related Disorders

The VA recognizes a wide range of mental health conditions as potentially service-connected. Those specifically related to anxiety include: 

• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Specific phobia; social anxiety disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Other specified anxiety disorder
• Posttraumatic stress disorder
• Panic disorder and/or agoraphobia
• Unspecified anxiety disorder

Possible VA Disability Ratings for Anxiety

Federal regulations allow for a mental health disability rating of 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70% or 100%. Each of the conditions listed above is evaluated based on the same criteria. Here’s what is required to establish each of the possible disability ratings. 

100% VA Disability Rating for Anxiety

A 100% VA disability rating for anxiety and most other mental health conditions requires total occupational and social impairment. This would be established by evidence of symptoms such as: 

• Serious impairment of thought processes or communication
• Persistent hallucinations or delusions
• Persistent danger of hurting themself or others
• Intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living
• Disorientation to time and place
• Memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation or own name

With a 100% disability rating, a veteran will qualify for full monthly disability pay ($3,621.95 in 2023). The monthly benefit amount may be increased if the veteran has eligible dependents. You’ll also qualify for no-cost healthcare, dental care and prescription medications from the VA. If your disability is considered permanent, other benefits are available to assist your dependents. 

70% VA Disability Rating for Anxiety

A 70% VA disability rating for anxiety and most other mental health conditions requires occupational and social impairment with deficits in most areas (work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood). Symptoms might include: 

• Obsessive rituals that interfere with day-to-day activities
• Intermittent illogical or irrelevant speech
• Near-continuous panic affecting the ability to function independently
• Impaired impulse control
• Difficulty adapting to stressful situations
• Inability to establish and maintain effective relationships

At a 70% disability rating the veteran would qualify for partial monthly disability payments ($1,663.06 in 2023) and no-cost healthcare and prescriptions. The monthly benefit amount may be increased if the veteran has eligible dependents.

A veteran with a 70% rating may in some circumstances be deemed permanently individually unemployable. That designation would open up additional benefits. 

50% VA Disability Rating for Anxiety

A 50% VA disability rating for anxiety and most other mental health conditions requires occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. Symptoms supporting this finding might include: 

• Panic attacks more than once a week
• Difficulty understanding complex commands
• Impairment of short-term and long-term memory
• Impaired judgment
• Difficulty establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships

At a 50% disability rating, a veteran will qualify for partial disability payments ($1,041.82 in 2023) and no-cost medical care and prescription drugs. The monthly benefit amount may be increased if the veteran has eligible dependents. 

30% VA Disability Rating for Anxiety

A 30% VA disability rating for anxiety and most other mental health disorders requires a showing that the veteran suffers from occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks. This may be caused by symptoms such as: 

• Anxiety
• Suspiciousness
• Panic attacks (weekly or less frequently)
• Chronic sleep impairment
• Mild memory loss

A veteran with a 30% disability rating is entitled to partial monthly disability payments ($508.05). This amount may be increased if the veteran has eligible dependents. The veteran will also be entitled to no-cost healthcare for service-connected conditions.

10% VA Disability Rating for Anxiety

A 10% VA disability rating is assigned in two circumstances: 

• When the veteran shows occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms that decrease the ability to perform occupational tasks only when the veteran is under significant stress, or
• Symptoms are controlled by continuous medication

A veteran with a 10% disability rating is entitled to partial monthly disability payments ($165.92 in 2023) and medical care for the service-connected condition. At this level, there is no additional compensation for dependents. 

0% VA Disability Rating for Anxiety

A 0% rating is granted when the veteran has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, but the symptoms do not interfere with occupational and social function or require continuous medication. 

While there is no monetary compensation for veterans at the 0% rating, the veteran may qualify for no-cost healthcare for the service-connected condition.

Secondary Service Connections and Disability Ratings

If the veteran suffers from other service-connected medical conditions, the combined disability rating may be higher than described above. However, not every additional condition recognized leads to an increase in rating and/or benefits, and combined ratings are not the sum of separate ratings. And, the combined rating can never exceed 100%. 

The calculation is a bit complicated and involves applying the disability rate of the second-most-serious condition to the remaining ability of the veteran. For example, if the disability rating for the primary condition is 70% and the disability rating for the second condition is 10%, the 10% disability will only be applied to the 30% not already designated as disabled. 10% of 30% is just 3%, meaning the unconverted percentage of disability is 73%. That’s rounded to the nearest 10, so it remains 70%. 

On the other hand, if the second condition was rated at 20%, that 20% would be applied to the non-disabled 30% for an additional disability of 6%. That would be added to the 70% for a non-converted total of 76%. Rounded to the nearest 10, that would bump the veteran’s VA disability rating up to 80%. 

Since anxiety may be secondary to other service-connected disabilities or may have secondary service-connected conditions associated with it, it is important to understand which conditions may be considered service-connected or secondarily service-connected and include all relevant disabilities in your claim. 

If this seems complicated, don’t worry. An experienced veterans disability benefits advocate can help you sort out which conditions may be service-connected, which may have secondary connections, and what type of evidence will be required to support those claims. 

Talk to a VA Disability Benefits Advocate Now

We know assembling a VA disability claim or pursuing an appeal can be daunting and confusing. Veterans Help Group is here for you. To learn more about how we can help, call us at (855) 855-8992 or fill out the contact form here.