Diagnostic code
Diagnostic Code 9421: Somatic Symptom Disorder Rating Criteria
- CFR section
- 38 CFR § 4.130
- Rating range
- 0% to 100%
- Rating levels
- 6
- Body system
- Mental disorders
The VA rates Somatic Symptom Disorder under diagnostic code 9421 in 38 CFR § 4.130. The table below is the full set of rating criteria, from the schedule itself, with the evidence factors raters look for at each level.
DC 9421 rating criteria
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 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 What raters look forformally diagnosed mental condition; symptoms not severe enough to interfere with occupational and social functioning; symptoms not severe enough to require continuous medication |
| 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 What raters look formild or transient symptoms; work efficiency decreased only during periods of significant stress; symptoms controlled by continuous medication |
| 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) What raters look fordepressed mood; anxiety; suspiciousness; panic attacks (weekly or less often); chronic sleep impairment; mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events) |
| 50% | Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity What raters look forflattened 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; impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships |
| 70% | Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood What raters look forsuicidal 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 |
| 100% | Total occupational and social impairment What raters look forgross 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 |
Condition guide
The rating criteria are only part of the picture for Somatic Symptom Disorder. The Somatic Symptom Disorder condition page covers service connection, common evidence problems, secondary conditions, and Board outcome patterns in depth.
Frequently asked questions
What is VA diagnostic code 9421?
Diagnostic code 9421 is the VA rating schedule entry for Somatic Symptom Disorder, found in 38 CFR § 4.130. The VA assigns this code when it rates the condition and applies the criteria listed on this page.
What ratings are possible under DC 9421?
DC 9421 provides ratings of 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 100%. The percentage depends on which criteria your medical evidence documents, not on the diagnosis alone.
What does the highest rating under DC 9421 require?
The 100% rating for Somatic Symptom Disorder requires: Total occupational and social impairment.
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