VA Diagnostic Code 9417Depersonalization/Derealization disorder

Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder (VA Diagnostic Code 9417)

Understanding how the VA rates Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder under § 4.130.

What This Condition Is

Depersonalization/Derealization disorder is a mental health condition classified under the VA's Mental Disorders body system (Diagnostic Code 9417, found in § 4.130 of the rating schedule).

Like other mental health conditions in this section, it is evaluated using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. Rather than focusing on a single symptom, this formula looks at how much your condition affects your ability to function at work and in your social and family life.

How the VA Rates It

The VA assigns a disability rating based on the overall level of occupational and social impairment your symptoms cause. Available rating levels for this condition are 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100%.

100%

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%

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%

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%

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%

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%

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 this condition, the VA focuses on:

• A formal diagnosis of the mental condition.
• The degree of occupational and social impairment your symptoms cause — from mild or transient symptoms at the lower ratings, up to total impairment at the highest level.
• Specific symptoms listed at each rating level, which serve as examples of the kind of impairment associated with that percentage.
• Whether symptoms require continuous medication or appear only during periods of significant stress, which is relevant at the lower rating levels.

Each higher rating level reflects a greater impact of the condition on your ability to function at work and in your personal and social relationships.

This information is drawn directly from the VA rating schedule for Diagnostic Code 9417 under § 4.130. It is provided for general informational purposes and does not guarantee any particular rating or outcome.