Generalized anxiety disorder VA Rating
How VA rates Generalized anxiety disorder under diagnostic code 9400, what evidence decides the percentage, and the reasons these claims get denied or under-rated.
Generalized anxiety disorder is rated under diagnostic code 9400. In the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities it appears as Generalized anxiety disorder, within the Mental Disorders section of 38 CFR Part 4.
The essentials
| Diagnostic code | 9400 |
|---|---|
| Rating schedule name | Generalized anxiety disorder |
| Body system | Mental Disorders |
| Examination form | PSYCH Mental disorders |
How VA rates generalized anxiety disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder has no percentage criteria of its own. It is rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders (38 CFR § 4.130), the same scale VA applies to every condition in that group — so the percentage turns entirely on how your symptoms measure against these levels, not on the diagnosis itself.
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 100% | Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as: gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name. |
| 70% | Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain effective relationships. |
| 50% | Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships. |
| 30% | Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events). |
| 10% | Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication. |
| 0% | A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication. |
Criteria quoted from 38 CFR Part 4, Subpart B (eCFR edition 2026-01-01). Where a rating depends on measurements, the figures in your examination report are what decide it — which is why an examination that skipped a required measurement is worth challenging.
Other names for this condition
VA and treating providers may use different terms for the same condition. If your records use any of these, they may still support a claim for Generalized anxiety disorder:
- GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
What evidence decides the rating
For mental disorders conditions, these are the findings VA weighs when assigning a percentage. If your examination did not address them, the examination may be inadequate for rating purposes — which is itself an argument on appeal.
- Occupational and social impairment — the General Rating Formula rates function, not diagnosis
- Frequency, severity and duration of specific symptoms, not just their presence
- Treatment records showing medication changes, therapy frequency, hospitalisations
- Work history: missed days, accommodations, terminations, reduced hours
- Lay statements from family or co-workers describing day-to-day functioning
Why these claims get denied or under-rated
These are the failure patterns we see most often on generalized anxiety disorder and related mental disorders claims:
- The examiner assigned a summary level of impairment that does not match the symptoms they recorded in the same report
- VA relied on a single snapshot examination rather than the full treatment record
- A stressor was not conceded because VA did not attempt JSRRC or unit-records development
- Symptoms were attributed to a non-service-connected condition without the medical rationale required to separate them — where they cannot be separated, Mittleider requires VA to attribute all symptoms to the service-connected condition
Secondary service connection
Under 38 CFR §3.310, a condition caused or aggravated by an already service-connected condition is itself service-connected. Secondary claims are where most veterans are leaving compensation on the table — and where most denials turn on the nexus opinion rather than the diagnosis.
Generalized anxiety disorder is commonly claimed secondary to
- Chronic illness or pain from a service-connected condition
- Traumatic brain injury
Generalized anxiety disorder commonly causes or aggravates
- GERD
- IBS
- Hypertension
- Insomnia
- Sleep apnea
If you are already service-connected for generalized anxiety disorder and any of these apply to you, they may be claimable as secondary conditions.
If your claim was denied or under-rated
A denial is not the end of the claim. Which route is right depends on why VA decided the way it did:
- Higher-Level Review — when the evidence already in the file supports a grant and VA got the decision wrong, or the examination was inadequate.
- Supplemental Claim — when you have new and relevant evidence, such as a private nexus opinion.
- Board Appeal — when you need a Veterans Law Judge to decide, or want a hearing.
- Clear and Unmistakable Error — when a decision more than a year old contains an undebatable error, which can recover retroactive pay.
Effective dates matter as much as the percentage. See effective dates and back pay for how far back an award can reach.
Sources
Related conditions
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This page is educational information, not legal advice. VA rules and deadlines change — always confirm details with the official source (38 CFR, M21-1) or your accredited claims agent. Borne Accredited Claims is an accredited VA claims agent under 38 CFR §14.629 and is not part of, or endorsed by, the Department of Veterans Affairs. We do not guarantee any specific outcome.