PTSD is the single most common VA disability claim — and one of the most frequently denied when veterans don’t understand the system. Here’s what you need to know to build a claim that actually sticks.

The Three Elements of a Successful PTSD Claim

To service-connect PTSD, the VA requires three things: a current PTSD diagnosis from a qualified mental health professional, an in-service stressor event (what triggered the PTSD), and a medical nexus linking the diagnosis to that stressor. Miss any one of these and your claim will be denied — regardless of how severe your symptoms are.

What Counts as an In-Service Stressor

The stressor doesn’t have to be combat. The VA recognizes personal assault (including MST), accidents, witnessing deaths, and non-combat traumatic events as valid stressors. For combat veterans, the VA gives “benefit of the doubt” on the stressor if your service records support combat exposure — you don’t need a separate buddy statement to confirm what happened.

For non-combat stressors, you’ll need to corroborate the event through service records, buddy statements, or official reports. This is where many claims fall apart — not because the PTSD isn’t real, but because the stressor can’t be documented.

The Rating Percentages and What They Mean

The VA rates PTSD on a spectrum that reflects how much the condition impairs your daily life:

• 10%: Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms that decrease work efficiency during periods of significant stress
• 30%: Occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent inability to perform occupational tasks — but generally functioning satisfactorily
• 50%: Reduced reliability and productivity with symptoms including flattened affect, panic attacks, and difficulty understanding complex commands
• 70%: Deficiencies in most areas — work, school, family, judgment — with symptoms like suicidal ideation, obsessional rituals, and near-continuous panic
• 100%: Total occupational and social impairment with persistent delusions or hallucinations, grossly inappropriate behavior, or persistent danger to self or others

Most veterans with genuine service-connected PTSD land at 50% or 70%. If you’re rated at 30% and your symptoms significantly impair your work, consider filing for an increase.

C&P Exam Strategy for PTSD

Your Compensation and Pension exam is where ratings get made or broken. The examiner will ask about your worst days, not your best — tell them about the week when things were hardest, not the week you were doing okay. Be specific about how PTSD affects your work, your relationships, your sleep, and your ability to leave the house. Vagueness gets rated at the lower end.

Bring a written list of your symptoms. If you’re taking medication that controls your symptoms, tell the examiner what you were like before the medication, or what happens when you miss a dose. The VA is required to rate your condition without medication masking the severity.

Secondary Conditions That Stack with PTSD

PTSD often causes or worsens other conditions. Sleep apnea, depression, anxiety disorders, migraines, and even cardiovascular conditions have been successfully service-connected as secondary to PTSD. Each secondary condition you get rated for adds to your combined rating — and potentially pushes you toward 100% or TDIU.

What to Do If You’re Denied

A denial isn’t the end. You have three options: file a Supplemental Claim with new evidence, request a Higher-Level Review for a senior reviewer to look at the same evidence, or appeal to the Board of Veterans Appeals. Most denials come down to either a missing nexus letter or a C&P exam that undersold the severity — both are fixable with additional evidence.