VA Diagnostic Code 9412Panic disorder and/or agoraphobia

Panic Disorder and/or Agoraphobia (VA Diagnostic Code 9412)

Body System: Mental Disorders · Rated under 38 CFR § 4.130

Understanding This Condition

Panic disorder and agoraphobia are mental health conditions rated by the VA under Diagnostic Code 9412. Panic disorder involves panic attacks, while agoraphobia relates to anxiety about situations that may be difficult to escape or manage.

The VA rates this condition using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. Rather than counting individual symptoms, this formula focuses on how much your condition affects your ability to function at work and in your social and family life. The listed symptoms are examples that illustrate the level of impairment at each rating.

Available Rating Levels

The VA assigns one of six possible ratings based on the degree of occupational and social impairment.

100% — Total Impairment

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

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

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

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

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 but Non-Compensable

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 panic disorder and/or agoraphobia, the VA evaluates:

• The degree of occupational and social impairment — how much the condition affects your ability to work and maintain relationships.
• The frequency and severity of symptoms — for example, how often panic attacks occur and how they impact daily functioning.
• Whether symptoms are controlled by continuous medication — this can affect the assigned rating level.
• How the condition affects everyday functioning — including behavior, self-care, communication, memory, mood, and the ability to perform occupational tasks.

The listed symptoms serve as examples of the type and severity of impairment expected at each level. Your overall level of functioning guides the rating decision.