VA Diagnostic Code 9403Specific phobia; social anxiety disorder (social phobia)

Specific Phobia & Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia) — VA Disability Rating (Diagnostic Code 9403)

Specific phobia and social anxiety disorder (social phobia) are mental health conditions rated by the VA under Diagnostic Code 9403, within the Mental Disorders body system. Ratings are assigned under § 4.130 using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.

Understanding the Condition

Social anxiety disorder and specific phobias fall under the VA's mental disorders category. Because they are evaluated using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders, the VA assigns a disability rating based on how much the condition affects your ability to function at work and in your social and personal life — and on the specific symptoms you experience.

Available Rating Levels

The General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders provides the following levels for this condition:

100% — Total Occupational and Social Impairment

Assigned for 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% — Deficiencies in Most Areas

Assigned for 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% — Reduced Reliability and Productivity

Assigned for 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% — Occasional Decrease in Work Efficiency

Assigned for 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% — Mild or Transient Symptoms

Assigned for 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% — Diagnosed, Non-Compensable

Assigned when 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 specific phobia or social anxiety disorder under Diagnostic Code 9403, the VA evaluates:

• The degree of occupational and social impairment — ranging from a diagnosed condition with no functional interference (0%) up to total occupational and social impairment (100%).
• The specific symptoms present and how they affect your daily functioning, work efficiency, relationships, and self-care.
• Whether symptoms are controlled by continuous medication, which is relevant at the 10% level.

Each rating level is tied to both the overall level of impairment and the particular symptoms listed in the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders under § 4.130.