VA Diagnostic Code 9310Unspecified neurocognitive disorder

Unspecified Neurocognitive Disorder (VA Diagnostic Code 9310)

Understanding This Condition

Unspecified neurocognitive disorder is a mental health condition evaluated by the VA under Diagnostic Code 9310, within the Mental Disorders body system. It is rated under § 4.130 using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.

Because this condition falls under the general formula for mental disorders, the VA assigns a disability rating based on how much your symptoms affect your ability to function at work and in your social and personal life. Ratings focus on the overall level of occupational and social impairment caused by the condition.

Available Rating Levels

The VA assigns one of the following rating percentages based on the severity of your symptoms and their impact on daily functioning:

100% Rating

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% Rating

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% Rating

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% Rating

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% Rating

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% Rating

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.

What the VA Looks For

When rating unspecified neurocognitive disorder, the VA evaluates the degree of occupational and social impairment your symptoms cause. The reviewer considers factors such as:

• The nature and severity of your symptoms
• How your symptoms affect your ability to work and perform occupational tasks
• How your symptoms affect your social, family, and personal relationships
• Your ability to perform activities of daily living, including personal hygiene and self-care
• Whether your symptoms are controlled by continuous medication

Each rating level reflects a progressively greater impact on functioning — from a formally diagnosed condition with minimal impairment (0%) up to total occupational and social impairment (100%).