Mental-health claims can involve PTSD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, adjustment disorder, or another diagnosed condition. The legal question is not which label sounds most serious; it is whether the evidence meets the service-connection requirements and shows the condition's occupational and social effects. Be accurate about symptoms and safety. If you may hurt yourself or someone else, call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or use the Veterans Crisis Line; call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department for immediate danger.
One evaluation for most mental disorders
VA generally evaluates all service-connected mental disorders under the General Rating Formula in 38 CFR § 4.130. When a veteran has more than one service-connected mental-health diagnosis, VA ordinarily assigns one evaluation based on the overall level of occupational and social impairment rather than adding separate percentages for each diagnosis. Eating disorders have their own diagnostic criteria in § 4.130. The rating is about functional impairment, not the number of diagnoses or the fact that a medication was prescribed. Read Chapter 10: Understanding the Rating System and the condition overview for the criteria that may apply.
PTSD and stressor evidence
A PTSD claim generally needs: (1) a diagnosis that conforms to the applicable diagnostic criteria, (2) credible supporting evidence that the in-service stressor occurred, unless a regulatory exception applies, and (3) medical evidence linking the symptoms to that stressor. Combat service, fear of hostile military or terrorist activity, prisoner-of-war experiences, and certain personal-assault situations have different corroboration rules. For fear of hostile military or terrorist activity, a VA psychiatrist or psychologist (or a qualified contract equivalent) must confirm that the stressor supports a PTSD diagnosis and that the symptoms are related to it; the circumstances of service must also be consistent with the claimed fear. Do not assume a deployment alone proves a particular event.
Use VA Form 21-0781 to provide details about a traumatic event when it is helpful. VA now uses that form for all mental-health conditions related to an in-service traumatic event, including PTSD, MST, and personal assault. VA discontinued Form 21-0781a for PTSD secondary to personal assault in June 2024. The form is optional, but dates, locations, units, people involved, treatment, and other evidence can help VA search for corroboration. Submit only facts you know; explain uncertainty instead of guessing.
MST and personal-assault claims
An assault may not have been reported to command or law enforcement. Under 38 CFR § 3.304(f)(5), evidence from sources other than service records may corroborate the stressor. Examples of potential “markers” include a request for transfer, sudden deterioration in performance, substance use, unexplained depression or panic, relationship or financial changes, visits to a clinic or counseling center, pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection testing, or statements to family, friends, clergy, or medical providers. A marker is not automatically proof, and the absence of a marker is not a reason to dismiss a report without considering the full record. Buddy and Lay Statement Tips explains how witnesses can describe what they observed without making a medical conclusion.
Other conditions and secondary theories
Depression, anxiety, and other disorders do not require a PTSD stressor form simply because they are mental-health conditions. They still require evidence of a current condition and a connection to service, such as in-service symptoms, an event, continuity, or a competent medical opinion. A mental disorder can also be claimed as secondary to an established service-connected condition, including aggravation. Chapter 3: What Makes a Strong Nexus Letter and Chapter 11: Secondary Conditions explain when a nexus opinion may help. VA may consider overlapping symptoms only once in the single mental-health evaluation; accurately identify every diagnosis and symptom rather than trying to assign percentages yourself.
Describe the whole period honestly
Keep a timeline of symptoms, treatment, medication changes, work and school effects, relationships, sleep, hygiene, concentration, panic, irritability, avoidance, and safety concerns. At an exam or in a statement, describe typical functioning and meaningful fluctuations over the period at issue. Give concrete examples with frequency and duration, and say when a symptom is absent. Do not prepare by reporting only an isolated extreme day, minimizing symptoms to appear strong, or rehearsing a rating formula. The Symptom Tracker can organize dates for your own records; it is not a substitute for clinical evidence. Submit relevant records through Raven Scan only after checking that extracted text is accurate, and read The C&P Examination for the exam-specific process.