Claim Raven explanation
What this means
A VA mental-disorder diagnosis must conform to the DSM-5 standard identified in this regulation and be supported by the examination findings. If it does not, the report must be returned for substantiation.
The section also addresses changes in diagnosis. A different label may reflect progression, correction, or a separate condition, and the examiner should clarify the situation rather than leaving VA to guess.
How this helps your claim
This helps you review whether the examination explains the diagnosis and any change from earlier records. It concerns the medical foundation for evaluation, not a stand-alone promise of service connection or a rating.
What to check in your records
Use your decision, examination reports, and relevant records to check the following points.
- Find the diagnosis and supporting examination findings.
- Compare it with prior diagnoses in the treatment history.
- Look for an explanation of any diagnostic change or requested clarification.
Read diagnostic changes with the clinician's explanation
A new mental-health label may reflect progression, correction or a separate condition. The examiner should clarify that relationship where it matters. A change in wording alone should not be assumed to prove improvement, a new disability or an error in the earlier diagnosis.
Keep the diagnostic findings and history together, including the symptoms and reasoning supporting the assessment. A report's adequacy concerns its clinical basis, not simply whether it uses the label expected by the claimant. The rating of impairment remains a separate step under the applicable provisions.
Does a DSM-5 diagnosis automatically determine a percentage?
No. It addresses the diagnostic requirement. The evaluation depends on the resulting impairment and relevant rating criteria, including the broader record described in section 4.126. A diagnosis can be properly established while the degree of occupational and social impairment remains a separate question.
Official regulatory text
38 CFR § 4.125
eCFR snapshot: September 3, 2026. Layout and spacing are adapted for reading. The full section and its tables are included below.
§ 4.125 Diagnosis of mental disorders.
(a) If the diagnosis of a mental disorder does not conform to DSM-5 or is not supported by the findings on the examination report, the rating agency shall return the report to the examiner to substantiate the diagnosis. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), American Psychiatric Association (2013), is incorporated by reference into this section with the approval of the Director of the Federal Register under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. To enforce any edition other than that specified in this section, the Department of Veterans Affairs must publish notice of change in the Federal Register and the material must be available to the public. All approved material is available from the American Psychiatric Association, 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1825, Arlington, VA 22209-3901, 703-907-7300, http://www.dsm5.org. It is also available for inspection at the Office of Regulation Policy and Management, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Room 1068, Washington, DC 20420. It is also available for inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this information at NARA, call 202-741-6030 or go to http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_publications.html.
(b) If the diagnosis of a mental disorder is changed, the rating agency shall determine whether the new diagnosis represents progression of the prior diagnosis, correction of an error in the prior diagnosis, or development of a new and separate condition. If it is not clear from the available records what the change of diagnosis represents, the rating agency shall return the report to the examiner for a determination.
(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 1155)
[61 FR 52700, Oct. 8, 1996, as amended at 79 FR 45099, Aug. 4, 2014]
Related references
- 38 USC § 1155: The law behind VA disability rating percentages
- 38 CFR § 4.1: What a VA disability rating measures
- 38 CFR § 3.159: VA duty to assist: records and examinations
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