---
title: "DC 9400 - Generalized anxiety disorder"
diagnostic_code: "9400"
body_system: "Mental Disorders"
cfr_section: "§ 4.130"
canonical: "https://veteranai.co/va-rating-schedule/mental-health/9400-anxiety"
source: "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.130"
updated: "2026-07-21T05:42:15.561993Z"
---

# DC 9400 - Generalized anxiety 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. |

# Generalized Anxiety Disorder (VA Diagnostic Code 9400)

**Body System:** Mental Disorders | **Regulation:** § 4.130 | **Rated Under:** General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders

## Understanding This Condition

Generalized anxiety disorder is a mental health condition rated by the VA under Diagnostic Code 9400. Like other mental disorders in § 4.130, it is evaluated using the **General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders**. This formula focuses on how symptoms affect your **occupational and social functioning** — in other words, how the condition impacts your ability to work and maintain relationships.

Ratings range from 0% to 100%. Each level reflects a different degree of impairment and is tied to specific example symptoms the VA considers.

## 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, Non-Interfering
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 generalized anxiety disorder under § 4.130, the VA evaluates the **degree of occupational and social impairment** your symptoms cause. Key factors reflected across the rating levels include:

- The impact on your **ability to work** and perform occupational tasks
- The impact on your **social and family relationships**
- The **frequency and severity of symptoms** such as panic attacks, sleep impairment, and mood disturbances
- Effects on **thinking, judgment, memory, and communication**
- Whether symptoms are **controlled by continuous medication**
- Your ability to perform **activities of daily living**, including personal hygiene

The example symptoms listed at each level illustrate the kind of impairment associated with that rating. The overall evaluation is based on how your symptoms, taken together, affect your daily functioning.

Source: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.130