If you’re a veteran dealing with mental health issues, you may feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle by yourself—but you’re not alone. More than one in every 10 veterans has been diagnosed with depression or anxiety.
These are serious conditions that can greatly impact your quality of life. If your conditions are related to your service, you may be entitled to VA disability benefits. Take the first step toward getting the help and support you deserve. Rob Levine Law is here to help you with filing a claim for benefits or appealing a denial. Call (888) 791-9135 today to learn more.
How Does the VA Approach Disability Ratings for Depression and Anxiety?
For many veterans, depression and anxiety are linked to service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder, making them secondary conditions to a PTSD diagnosis. Secondary conditions are medical issues that develop as a result of a service-related disability without necessarily having a direct connection to a veteran’s time in the military.
The VA assigns disability ratings to mental health conditions like anxiety and depression based on the severity of the symptoms and how significantly they impact the veteran’s daily functions. In general, the more an illness prevents the veteran from having a normal social or work life, the higher the disability rating.
The VA math used to calculate overall disability ratings combines percentages assigned to individual disabilities into a total, rounded to the nearest 10%, with multiple conditions contributing to a higher overall rating.
What Do Different VA Ratings for Depression and Anxiety Mean?
For mental health conditions, the VA will assign a rating between 0% and 100% as follows, based on the extent of their impact:
- 0%: A formal diagnosis, but no symptoms serious enough to require even regular medication
- 10%: Mild symptoms controlled by medication that occasionally interfere with work or social interactions
- 30%: Moderate symptoms that occasionally interfere with work and social functioning, such as panic attacks, sleep impairment, and depressed moods
- 50%: Significant symptoms that interrupt productivity and relationships with others, including frequent panic attacks and impaired memory, judgment, or abstract thinking
- 70%: Severe symptoms significantly affecting most aspects of daily life, including poor impulse control, consistent panic or depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation
- 100%: Total impairment and unable to hold a job or have meaningful relationships with others, typically from symptoms like persistent delusions, dangerous behavior, and severe memory loss
What Does the VA Consider When Evaluating Mental Health Symptoms?
The VA focuses on the following five key factors when determining how depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions impact a veteran’s quality of life:
- Cognitive functioning, including impairments to memory, concentration, or decision-making
- Ability to maintain interpersonal connections with family, friends, and colleagues
- Ability to perform tasks, such as chores and job responsibilities
- Mobility and navigation, including being able to regularly leave the house and attend appointments
- Self-care and the ability to maintain personal hygiene
What Evidence Do I Need for My VA Depression or Anxiety Claim?
For a successful VA benefits claim, you’ll need to gather documentation showing a link between your depression or anxiety and your military service. Some key types of evidence that can help you include:
- Your medical records, including an official diagnosis from a healthcare professional
- Your military service records documenting your experiences
- A “nexus letter” from a doctor or other medical expert establishing your condition’s link to your service and how your symptoms affect your ability to work, conduct daily activities, and maintain personal relationships
Your own personal testimony on the impact of your disabilities is a key source of evidence.
“Buddy” statements from your family, friends, or co-workers, testifying to how your depression or anxiety affects your life, can also bolster your claim.
How Can Rob Levine Law Help Me Get VA Disability Benefits for My Depression and Anxiety?
If you’re one of the more than 10% of veterans who have been diagnosed with depression or anxiety, you’re not alone in your journey toward the VA disability benefits you deserve. With over 75 years of combined experience and over $2 billion recovered for more than 50,000 clients, the trusted veterans disability lawyers at Rob Levine Law have the skill and know-how to help you get approval for your depression or anxiety claim.
Our team is available 2/47 to take your call and answer your questions. Contact us online or call (888) 791-9135 for a free consultation.
