Depression VA Rating 2026 — 0%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100% Criteria

Depression — clinically, Major Depressive Disorder — is one of the most common mental-health conditions the VA rates, and one of the most frequently under-rated because veterans minimize their symptoms. The VA evaluates depression under Diagnostic Code 9434, using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. Ratings run from 0% to 100% based on how much your depression impairs your ability to work and function, and the dollar difference between levels is large: a 30% rating pays $552.47 a month in 2026, while a 70% rating pays $1,808.45.

Diagnostic Code 9434: Depression Rating Criteria

Depression is evaluated under 38 CFR 4.130, the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders — the same criteria used for PTSD, anxiety, and other mental-health conditions. The diagnostic code identifies the diagnosis; the rating levels are identical across mental disorders. Here's what each level requires:

0% — Diagnosed but Not Impairing

A formal diagnosis of depression that is service-connected, but symptoms are not severe enough to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication. This establishes service connection and VA healthcare access but pays no monthly compensation.

10% — Mild or Medication-Controlled

Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms that decrease work efficiency only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication. Pays $180.42 per month in 2026.

30% — Occasional Decrease in Work Efficiency

Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent inability to perform tasks, with symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, weekly-or-less panic attacks, chronic sleep impairment, and mild memory loss. Pays $552.47 per month.

50% — Reduced Reliability and Productivity

Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as flattened affect, circumstantial or stereotyped speech, panic attacks more than once a week, difficulty understanding complex commands, impairment of short- and long-term memory, impaired judgment and abstract thinking, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships. Pays $1,132.90 per month.

70% — Deficiencies in Most Areas

Occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas — work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood. Symptoms include suicidal ideation, obsessional rituals, intermittently illogical speech, near-continuous depression affecting the ability to function independently, impaired impulse control, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene, difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances, and the inability to establish and maintain effective relationships. Pays $1,808.45 per month.

100% — Total Occupational and Social Impairment

Total occupational and social impairment, with symptoms such 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, disorientation to time or place, and memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name. Pays $3,938.58 per month.

2026 Depression Compensation Rates

Rating	Level of Impairment	2026 Monthly Pay (Veteran Alone)
0%	Diagnosed, not impairing	$0.00
10%	Mild or medication-controlled	$180.42
30%	Occasional decrease in work efficiency	$552.47
50%	Reduced reliability and productivity	$1,132.90
70%	Deficiencies in most areas	$1,808.45
100%	Total occupational and social impairment	$3,938.58

Veterans rated 30% and above receive additional compensation for dependents. Depression is rarely your only rating — use the combined rating calculator to see how it stacks with your other conditions.

One Diagnosis Rule: You Can't Stack Depression on Top of PTSD

An important rule that trips veterans up: the VA assigns a single rating for all of your mental-health conditions combined, under the one General Rating Formula. You can't get a separate rating for depression and PTSD and anxiety — the VA evaluates the overall occupational and social impairment from all of them together and assigns one percentage. So if you already have PTSD rated at 70%, filing a depression claim doesn't add a second 70%; instead, the combined symptom picture is rated as a whole. What it can do is push your single mental-health rating higher if the added condition increases your overall impairment.

Depression as a Secondary Condition

Depression is one of the most successful secondary claims because chronic service-connected problems so often cause it. Common, well-supported secondary connections include:

• Chronic pain — depression secondary to a service-connected back or knee condition is extremely common; persistent pain and lost function drive it.
• Tinnitus — constant ringing disrupts sleep and concentration and is a recognized depression trigger.
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) — depression frequently co-occurs with and is secondary to TBI.
• Sleep apnea and other conditions that erode daily quality of life.

A secondary depression claim needs a nexus opinion — a medical statement linking your depression to the underlying service-connected condition. See our guide on secondary service connection for how to build that link.

C&P Exam Strategy for Depression

Like PTSD, depression is rated on subjective impairment, so the Compensation and Pension exam largely decides the outcome. The same discipline applies:

Describe your worst days, not your best. Veterans habitually minimize. If there are days you can't get out of bed, can't shower, or can't make yourself go to work, the examiner needs to hear it — in those words.

Tie symptoms to function. "I'm sad sometimes" tells the examiner little. "I've missed nine days of work this quarter because I couldn't get out of bed, and I've stopped seeing friends entirely" maps directly onto the occupational-and-social-impairment criteria.

Be honest about suicidal ideation. Passive suicidal ideation is explicitly part of the 70% criteria. If you've had those thoughts, the examiner needs to know — both for your rating and for your safety. If you are in crisis, call or text the Veterans Crisis Line at 988, then press 1.

Bring buddy statements. A spouse's or coworker's written account of how you've changed is powerful corroboration of impairment the examiner may not see in a 30-minute interview.

Sources & verification: Rating criteria from 38 CFR 4.130 (General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders, traditional formula in force; 2022 proposed overhaul not finalized as of 2026). Pay figures from VA.gov 2026 compensation rates (2.8% COLA, effective Dec 1, 2025). Reviewed June 2026 — see our data & methodology. This is general information, not medical or legal advice.