VA Mental Health Rating Changes Coming: What Veterans Need to Know
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is preparing to overhaul its entire mental health rating criteria — and these changes could have a serious impact on your monthly disability payments. If you currently have a mental health rating, or you are planning to file a claim soon, this upcoming shift could be either a tremendous opportunity or a major obstacle. Understanding the new criteria is critical to navigating this process successfully.
Currently, the VA’s rating system for mental health conditions focuses heavily on social and occupational impairment — that is, how your service-connected mental health condition impacts your ability to work and maintain relationships. All mental health conditions — whether PTSD, MST, depression, anxiety, adjustment disorder, or somatic symptom disorder — are lumped together under a single rating system. You cannot stack ratings for multiple mental health diagnoses.
Problems with the Current System
Under the current structure, even veterans with severe mental health struggles can face hurdles when trying to secure a 100% rating. You may express severe emotional suffering, strained family relationships, and diminished ability to enjoy life — but if you can hold down a job, the VA often caps you at a 70% rating. This over-simplified approach often leaves deserving veterans under-compensated.
What’s Changing?
Beginning in August 2025, the VA is rolling out a new rating model based on five major “domains” of mental health function:
- Cognition: Impairments in memory, focus, and clear thinking.
- Interpersonal Interactions: Difficulties with social relationships, including work settings.
- Task Completion/Life Activities: Challenges completing daily tasks and engaging in hobbies or enjoyable activities.
- Navigating Environments: Struggles with movement and orientation, which can include issues like road rage or dissociation.
- Self-Care: Problems with hygiene, health maintenance, and general care of oneself.
Each domain will be rated on a scale from 0 to 4:
- 0: No impairment.
- 1-3: Varying levels of moderate to severe impairment (subject to interpretation).
- 4: Total impairment.
How Will the New Scoring Impact You?
The way the VA scores your mental health in these five domains will determine your overall rating:
- 10%: Awarded even if you score 0 across all domains (no more 0% ratings).
- 30%: Scoring 1 in two or more domains.
- 50%: Scoring 2 in one domain.
- 70%: Scoring 2 in two or more domains, or 3 in one domain.
- 100%: Scoring 4 in any domain, or 3 in two or more domains.
This system introduces more complexity — but it may create new opportunities for veterans whose conditions have been previously misunderstood or underrated. Unlike the current system, you will no longer be judged solely on your ability to maintain employment. Instead, more nuanced aspects of your daily functioning will be taken into account.
Potential Opportunities and Risks
Veterans who understand these new standards and can clearly communicate their struggles during C&P exams will have a better chance of receiving the ratings they deserve. On the other hand, veterans who are unaware of these changes — or who are unable to properly frame their experiences — risk receiving lower ratings than they deserve.
For those sitting at a 70% rating right now, this could be a critical opportunity. With the new criteria, it may be easier to reach that 100% rating if your symptoms align with the new domain scoring system. Now is the time to begin strategizing your claims and preparing for these changes.
