◢ 12 most-claimed conditions
VA disability conditions.
Plain-English rating guides for the conditions that produce the most VA claims. Each guide pulls the exact 38 CFR criteria, the evidence the C&P examiner needs, and the secondary conditions that frequently win alongside.
◢ Mental health
Mental health conditions
38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9411
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
PTSD is rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. The rating is driven by occupational and social impairment — how much your symptoms interfere with work and relationships, not the symptom list itself. Most veterans rated for PTSD land at 50% or 70%; the 100% rating is reserved for total impairment.
Read the rating guide38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9434
Major Depressive Disorder
Major depressive disorder uses the same General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders as PTSD. The differentiator is the underlying diagnosis — depression need not stem from a traumatic event. Many veterans receive depression as a primary mental health rating or as secondary to chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, or another service-connected disability.
Read the rating guide38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9400 (Generalized Anxiety) / DC 9412 (Panic Disorder)
Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety disorders use the same General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders as PTSD and depression. The rating depends on occupational and social impairment, not the diagnosis label. Generalized anxiety (DC 9400) and panic disorder (DC 9412) are rated identically; the choice of code is administrative, not consequential to your monthly check.
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◢ Musculoskeletal
Musculoskeletal conditions
38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5237
Lumbosacral Strain (Lower Back)
Lower back conditions are rated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The rating depends on forward flexion measured in degrees and the presence of muscle spasm, abnormal gait, or ankylosis. Critically, the VA must consider flare-ups and pain on motion under the DeLuca v. Brown precedent — the static measurement on exam day is not the whole story.
Read the rating guide38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5257 (instability), DC 5260 (limited flexion), DC 5261 (limited extension)
Knee Instability and Pain
Knee conditions allow what veterans call 'pyramiding within the rules.' The VA permits separate ratings for instability (DC 5257) and limitation of motion (DCs 5260 and 5261) on the same knee, because they describe distinct functional losses. A veteran with moderate instability plus limited flexion plus limited extension can stack to a meaningfully higher combined rating than any single DC produces alone.
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◢ Sensory
Sensory conditions
38 CFR § 4.87, DC 6260
Tinnitus (Ringing in the Ears)
Tinnitus is the single most-claimed condition at the VA — over 2.6 million veterans receive disability for it. Rating is straightforward: a fixed 10% whether one ear or both, whether intermittent or constant. The challenge is not the rating, it is documentation of in-service noise exposure and continuity from service to today.
Read the rating guide38 CFR § 4.85, DC 6100
Hearing Loss (Sensorineural)
Hearing loss ratings are calculated mechanically from your audiogram, not subjectively. The VA plugs your decibel thresholds at 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz plus your Maryland CNC speech-discrimination percentage into Tables VI and VIa, then cross-references on Table VII to produce your rating. Most veterans land at 0% even with measurable loss because the formula is conservative.
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◢ Internal
Internal conditions
38 CFR § 4.97, DC 6847
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is the highest-leverage condition many veterans miss. If you require a CPAP machine, you qualify for the 50% rating — automatically. The bigger question is whether your sleep apnea is service-connected, either directly or as secondary to PTSD, sinusitis, weight gain from a service-connected disability, or other qualifying conditions.
Read the rating guide38 CFR § 4.114, DC 7319
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
Irritable bowel syndrome is rated under DC 7319 with a 30% maximum. Gulf War veterans (those who served in Southwest Asia after August 2, 1990, or Afghanistan after September 19, 2001) get presumptive service connection for IBS as a Medically Unexplained Chronic Multisymptom Illness — meaning no in-service complaint or nexus letter is required.
Read the rating guide38 CFR § 4.119, DC 7913
Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
Type 2 diabetes is rated by treatment intensity, not by blood sugar numbers. The schedule moves up as the regimen escalates: oral medication (10%), insulin or restricted diet (20%), insulin plus restricted diet plus regulation of activities (40%, 60%, 100%). Vietnam veterans and others with documented Agent Orange exposure get presumptive service connection.
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◢ Neurological
Neurological conditions
38 CFR § 4.124a, DC 8100
Migraine Headaches
Migraine headaches are rated under DC 8100 with four tiers, but the 50% maximum requires meeting a specific legal phrase: 'completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.' The 50% rating is one of the most contested in the schedule because the language is subjective and rater interpretation varies widely.
Read the rating guide38 CFR § 4.124a, DC 8045
TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)
TBI ratings under DC 8045 use a unique 10-facet table covering memory, judgment, social interaction, orientation, motor activity, visual-spatial orientation, subjective symptoms, neurobehavioral effects, communication, and consciousness. The veteran's highest single facet level determines the overall rating — not an average. One severely impaired facet alone can push the rating to 100%.
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