PTSD is one of the most commonly rated conditions in the VA system — and one of the most frequently underrated. The rating schedule measures functional impairment, not just diagnosis. Understanding what VA looks for at each rating level helps you document your symptoms accurately and ensure you’re rated for what you’re actually experiencing.
The PTSD rating schedule
10%: Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms. Symptoms decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress. This rating is often assigned when the C&P examiner doesn’t fully document chronic impairment.
30%: Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency due to symptoms like depressed mood, anxiety, chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss, and disturbances of motivation and mood.
50%: Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. Symptoms include near-continuous panic or depression, difficulty understanding complex commands, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, inability to establish effective relationships.
70%: Occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas — work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood. Symptoms include suicidal ideation, obsessive rituals, illogical speech, persistent danger of hurting self or others, near-continuous depression, impaired impulse control, spatial disorientation.
100%: Total occupational and social impairment. Includes gross impairment in thought processes, persistent delusions or hallucinations, grossly inappropriate behavior, persistent danger of hurting self or others, inability to perform activities of daily living.
What the C&P examiner is actually evaluating
The examiner uses the PTSD DBQ (Disability Benefits Questionnaire) to rate the frequency, severity, and duration of your symptoms. They assess occupational functioning — how your symptoms affect your ability to work — and social functioning — how your symptoms affect relationships and daily activities. The gap between 50% and 70% is significant both financially and in terms of documented impairment. Don’t minimize how symptoms affect your work and relationships. A veteran who has been passed over for promotions, changed jobs due to PTSD, or left the workforce is demonstrating exactly the occupational impairment the 70% rating addresses.
Sleep apnea as a secondary condition
Sleep apnea is frequently secondary to PTSD. The medical literature supports a strong nexus. Sleep apnea requiring a CPAP machine is rated at 50% — a standalone rating that adds substantially to your combined rating. If you have a PTSD diagnosis and sleep issues, get a sleep study. A positive result creates the foundation for a secondary claim worth significant monthly compensation.