VA Diagnostic Code 9424Conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder)

Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder) — VA Disability Rating (Diagnostic Code 9424)

Conversion disorder, also called functional neurological symptom disorder, is a mental health condition rated by the VA under § 4.130, within the Mental Disorders body system. It is evaluated using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders (Diagnostic Code 9424).

What This Condition Involves

Because this condition is rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders, the VA does not assign a percentage based on a diagnosis alone. Instead, the rating reflects how much the condition affects a person's occupational and social functioning — in other words, how symptoms impact work, relationships, daily activities, and overall day-to-day life.

Available Rating Levels

The VA assigns one of the following disability percentages based on the severity and impact of symptoms:

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, Symptoms Not Severe Enough for a Compensable 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 conversion disorder, the VA focuses on the type, frequency, and severity of symptoms and how those symptoms affect occupational and social functioning. As reflected across the rating levels, the VA considers factors such as:

• The degree of impairment in work, school, and family relationships
• Effects on thinking, judgment, mood, and communication
• Memory, panic attacks, sleep, and the ability to maintain relationships
• The ability to perform daily activities and self-care
• Whether symptoms are controlled by continuous medication
• Whether symptoms appear only during periods of significant stress or are more persistent

Higher ratings correspond to greater impairment across more areas of life.