--- title: "DC 9211 - Schizoaffective disorder" diagnostic_code: "9211" body_system: "Mental Disorders" cfr_section: "§ 4.130" canonical: "https://veteranai.co/va-rating-schedule/mental-health/9211-schizoaffective-disorder" source: "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.130" updated: "2026-07-21T05:38:17.784910Z" --- # DC 9211 - Schizoaffective disorder Rated under § 4.130. Body system: Mental Disorders. General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders ## Rating criteria | Rating | Criteria | | --- | --- | | 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. | # Schizoaffective Disorder (VA Diagnostic Code 9211) **A mental health condition rated under the VA's General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.** *Body System: Mental Disorders · 38 CFR § 4.130 · Diagnostic Code 9211* --- ## Understanding the Condition Schizoaffective disorder is a mental disorder rated by the VA under **38 CFR § 4.130**, using the **General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders**. Because it falls under this general formula, the VA does not assign a rating based on a diagnosis alone — it evaluates how the condition affects your daily life, focusing on the degree of **occupational and social impairment** and the symptoms that cause it. Ratings for this condition are assigned at one of six levels: **0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100%**. --- ## Available Rating Levels ### 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, Not Disabling 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 schizoaffective disorder, the VA evaluates the **overall level of occupational and social impairment** your symptoms cause, rather than counting individual symptoms. Key factors reflected across the rating levels include: - **The degree of impairment** in areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, and mood. - **The severity and frequency of symptoms** — ranging from mild or transient symptoms, to reduced reliability and productivity, to deficiencies in most areas, up to total impairment. - **Whether symptoms are controlled by continuous medication.** - **The impact on daily functioning**, including the ability to maintain relationships, perform occupational tasks, care for oneself, and function during periods of stress. The symptoms listed at each level are examples used to illustrate the type and degree of impairment associated with that rating — the focus remains on how the condition affects your ability to function occupationally and socially. --- *This information is drawn directly from the VA rating schedule under 38 CFR § 4.130 for Diagnostic Code 9211. It is provided for general educational purposes and does not guarantee any particular rating or outcome.* Source: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.130