VA has proposed replacing the way it rates mental health conditions, but as of October 2026 the change has not happened. The proposal was published in February 2022 and has never been finalized, so every mental health claim is still rated under the formula VA has used since 2014. This page explains what VA proposed, what applies to your claim today and what to do while the proposal is pending.
Table of Contents:
- Where the Proposal Stands in 2026
- How VA Rates Mental Health Today
- VA’s Proposed Domain-Based Rating System
- How the Proposed Ratings Would Work
- What the Proposal Would Change for Veterans
- What to Do While the Proposal Is Pending
- The Broader Context of Mental Health in the Military
- Looking Beyond Compensation
- Conclusion
Where the Proposal Stands in 2026
VA published its proposed rule, Schedule for Rating Disabilities: Mental Disorders, in the Federal Register on February 15, 2022, and took public comments until April 18, 2022. As of October 2026, VA has not published a final rule. A proposed rule has no legal effect, so nothing in it applies to claims yet. Earlier versions of this page said the change was set to take effect in August 2025; that was wrong, and no effective date has ever been set.
If VA does finalize the change, it has to publish a final rule in the Federal Register first. That rule would set the effective date and say how it applies to pending claims and to veterans who already have a rating. Until then, ignore any article or social post that gives a start date.
One related change came and went in 2026. On February 17, 2026, VA published an interim final rule saying that ratings should reflect your symptoms as they are with medication, rather than estimating how bad they would be without it. VA rescinded that rule on February 27, 2026 and restored the earlier wording of 38 CFR 4.10, so it no longer applies.
How VA Rates Mental Health Today
VA rates depression, anxiety, PTSD and almost every other mental health condition with one table, the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders in 38 CFR 4.130. It was last revised in 2014, when VA moved to the DSM-5. Each level describes how much your symptoms affect work and social life:
| Rating | Current criteria (summary) |
|---|---|
| 100% | Total occupational and social impairment |
| 70% | Occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking or mood |
| 50% | Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity |
| 30% | Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency |
| 10% | Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms |
| 0% | Condition formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough to interfere with work or social functioning or to require continuous medication |
If you have more than one mental health diagnosis, VA gives a single rating that covers all of them. Our PTSD VA disability guide covers the PTSD-specific rules, and our VA disability ratings guide explains how a mental health rating combines with your other conditions.
VA’s Proposed Domain-Based Rating System
The 2022 proposal would replace the current formula with a domain-based rating system. Instead of one overall description of how your symptoms affect work and social life, VA would score your functioning in separate areas of daily life.
The proposed system would use five domains:
- Cognition.
- Interpersonal interactions and relationships.
- Task completion and life activities.
- Navigating environments.
- Self-care.
Each domain would be scored from 0 (no difficulties) to 4 (total impairment), based on how often and how intensely your symptoms affect that area. The presumptive conditions list does not include most mental health conditions, so you must prove service connection.
How the Proposed Ratings Would Work
Under the proposal, your rating would depend on your impairment level in each domain and how many domains are affected. This is the table VA proposed; it is not in effect:
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 100% | Level 4 in one or more domains, or Level 3 in two or more domains |
| 70% | Level 3 in one domain, or Level 2 in two or more domains |
| 50% | Level 2 in one domain |
| 30% | Level 1 in two or more domains |
| 10% | Minimum rating for any diagnosed mental health condition |
That differs from the current formula, which describes overall occupational and social impairment at each level. In the proposal, VA estimated that fewer veterans would be rated at or below 50% and more would be rated above 50% under the new criteria.
What the Proposal Would Change for Veterans
If it were finalized as proposed, the new formula would change mental health ratings in three main ways.
More Accurate Ratings
Scoring five separate domains would give examiners a more detailed picture of how a condition affects daily life, instead of fitting a veteran into one overall description.
A 10% Minimum Rating
The proposal would set a 10% minimum for any service-connected mental disorder that has been diagnosed. Today a diagnosed condition can be rated 0%, which pays nothing, if symptoms don’t interfere with work or social life or require continuous medication.
Greater Emphasis on Symptom Severity
The proposal would rate how often and how intensely symptoms affect each area of life, rather than mainly their effect on work and social functioning. That could help veterans with severe symptoms who have kept a job or relationships at significant personal cost.
What to Do While the Proposal Is Pending
Don’t hold off on a claim waiting for the new formula. Every claim decided today is rated under the 2014 formula, a final rule would spell out how it treats pending claims, and waiting to file can cost you months of back pay. If your condition has gotten worse, our guide to a VA disability rating increase explains how to ask for a higher rating now, and our guide to filing a VA disability claim covers a first claim.
Seek Professional Help
Don’t hesitate to seek mental health treatment. Regular treatment provides essential documentation for your claim. If you’re in crisis, the Veterans Crisis Line is free and confidential: dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.
Document Your Symptoms
Keep a record of how your condition affects work, relationships, daily tasks and self-care. That evidence matters under the current formula, and it maps directly onto the five domains if the proposal is ever finalized.
Stay Informed
Watch for a final rule in the Federal Register docket and for announcements on VA.gov, not dates passed around online. For help with a claim, use a free VA-accredited representative; our guide to VA disability claim assistance explains where to find one.
The Broader Context of Mental Health in the Military
Mental health conditions are common. The American Psychiatric Association says more than one in five U.S. adults has a diagnosable mental disorder, and one in 20 has a serious mental illness.
Want updates when benefit rates change?
Join thousands of service members who get our free weekly briefing.
By subscribing you agree to receive email from USMilitary.org and Military.net. Unsubscribe anytime. We don't sell your email address or give it to anyone for their marketing. Privacy Policy.
PTSD alone is far more common among veterans of recent wars. According to VA’s National Center for PTSD, 7% of all veterans will have PTSD at some point in their lives, rising to 29% of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Those numbers are why the rating formula matters to so many veterans, and why VA’s 2022 proposal drew wide attention.
Looking Beyond Compensation
Compensation is crucial. But it’s only one aspect of support. Veterans with mental health issues should use available treatment and support services.
Many communities offer mental health support for veterans. Global awareness of this is rising. Initiatives to improve workplace mental health can especially help veteran employees. Employers may implement easy initiatives to ensure that they can improve the mental health at work.
These updates strive to ensure veterans receive appropriate mental health VA disability ratings based on impairments caused by their service. Whether you’re receiving compensation or seeking to file a VA claim, staying informed is crucial. Under the proposal, veterans with severe impairment in several domains could qualify for higher ratings than they would today.
Conclusion
VA’s proposed mental health rating formula would score five areas of daily functioning, set a 10% minimum for diagnosed conditions and, by VA’s own estimate, move more veterans above 50%. But it is still only a proposal. As of October 2026 there is no final rule and no effective date, and every claim is rated under the 2014 formula.
File or request an increase under the current rules if you need to, keep documenting your symptoms, and get treatment and support. If VA publishes a final rule, we’ll update this page.
This article is provided by USMilitary.org, an independent educational resource. We are not affiliated with the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any other government agency.
