Mental Health VA Claims Guide

Overview

Mental health conditions are among the most common—and most misunderstood—VA disability claims. Many veterans hesitate to file because they think they need years of documented treatment or a formal diagnosis before they can claim. This is not true.

The VA recognizes that mental health conditions often go untreated during service. You do not need a diagnosis before you file. In many cases, you can be evaluated and diagnosed during the Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam itself.

Common Mental Health Conditions

The VA rates many mental health conditions. Some of the most common include:

• PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder): Related to traumatic events during service, including combat, accidents, military sexual trauma (MST), or witnessing death
• Anxiety disorders: Generalized anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety
• Depression: Major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder
• Adjustment disorder: Difficulty coping after a stressful event or life change
• Bipolar disorder: If it began or was aggravated during service
• Insomnia and sleep disorders: Often secondary to other mental health conditions

All of these conditions are rated under the same general rating formula, which looks at how your symptoms affect your work, social life, and daily functioning.

Establishing Service Connection

To receive VA disability benefits for a mental health condition, you need to establish that it is connected to your military service. There are several ways to do this:

• Direct service connection: The condition started during service or was caused by something that happened during service
• Secondary service connection: The condition was caused or aggravated by another service-connected condition (for example, depression caused by chronic pain from a service-connected injury)
• Aggravation: A pre-existing condition was made worse by your military service

For most mental health claims (except PTSD), you need: a current diagnosis, evidence of an in-service event or stressor, and a medical opinion linking the two. The good news is that the diagnosis and medical opinion can often come from your C&P exam.

PTSD-Specific Requirements

PTSD claims have additional requirements because the VA needs to verify your "stressor"—the traumatic event that caused your PTSD. The requirements depend on the type of stressor:

Combat-Related PTSD

If your stressor is related to combat, the VA will generally accept your statement if your service records show you served in a combat zone or received combat-related awards. No additional verification is required.

Non-Combat PTSD

For non-combat stressors (accidents, witnessing death, training injuries), you may need corroborating evidence such as:

• Service records documenting the event
• News reports or unit histories
• Buddy statements from others who witnessed or know about the event

Military Sexual Trauma (MST)

The VA understands that MST is often unreported. They accept a wider range of evidence, including:

• Records showing behavioral changes after the incident
• Requests for transfer or change in duties
• Decreased performance evaluations
• Substance abuse that began after the event
• Statements from family, friends, or counselors

Stressor Statements

A stressor statement (VA Form 21-0781 or 21-0781a for MST) describes the traumatic event in your own words. Include:

• When and where it happened (as specifically as you can remember)
• What happened
• Who was involved
• How it affected you then and now

You do not need to remember every detail. Do your best to provide dates, locations, and unit information to help the VA verify the event.

Evidence That Helps

Strong evidence makes a significant difference in mental health claims. Here is what helps:

• Current treatment records: If you are seeing a therapist, psychiatrist, or counselor, these records document your symptoms
• Service treatment records: Any visits for stress, sleep problems, or mental health concerns during service
• Personal statement: Describe your symptoms, how they started, and how they affect your daily life
• Buddy statements: Family, friends, or fellow service members who can describe changes they have observed in you
• Performance records: If your condition affected your work performance or military career

What If You Never Sought Treatment

This is extremely common. Many service members avoid mental health care due to stigma, career concerns, or simply not recognizing they needed help. The VA knows this.

If you never sought treatment during service:

• You can still file: Lack of treatment records does not disqualify you
• Focus on lay evidence: Your personal statement and buddy statements become crucial
• Get treatment now: Seeing a mental health provider now establishes a current diagnosis
• The C&P exam can diagnose you: If you have never been diagnosed, the examiner can provide that diagnosis

Many veterans receive service connection for mental health conditions with no in-service treatment records. What matters is establishing that the condition is connected to your service.

The Mental Health C&P Exam

The Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam is where a VA-contracted examiner evaluates your condition. For mental health claims, this is typically a one-on-one interview lasting 30 minutes to two hours.

What to Expect

The examiner will ask about:

• Your military service and any traumatic or stressful events
• When your symptoms started
• Your current symptoms and their frequency
• How symptoms affect your work, relationships, and daily life
• Any treatment you have received
• Medications you take

Tips for Your Exam

• Be honest about your worst days: Do not minimize your symptoms. Describe how bad it gets, not just how you are feeling today.
• Bring examples: Specific incidents help illustrate your symptoms (panic attacks, outbursts, nightmares)
• Mention all symptoms: Sleep problems, irritability, hypervigilance, avoidance, concentration issues
• Describe functional impact: How does this affect your job, marriage, friendships, daily activities?

Secondary Conditions

Mental health conditions often connect to other disabilities:

• Depression secondary to chronic pain: If you have a service-connected injury causing ongoing pain, the resulting depression can be claimed as secondary
• Anxiety secondary to tinnitus: Constant ringing can cause or worsen anxiety
• Sleep disorders secondary to PTSD: Nightmares and hypervigilance often cause insomnia
• Migraines secondary to PTSD/anxiety: Stress and mental health conditions can trigger migraines

If you already have service-connected conditions, consider whether your mental health may be connected to them.

How Valor Rating Can Help

Mental health claims can feel overwhelming, especially when you are already struggling. Valor Rating helps you organize your claim:

• Guided claim building: Answer questions about your service and symptoms, and we help you identify what to claim and gather the right evidence
• Personal statements: Our AI-assisted tools help you write clear, detailed statements about your condition and how it affects you
• Buddy statements: Easily request and collect supporting statements from family, friends, and fellow veterans
• Evidence organization: Keep all your documentation in one place so you are prepared for your C&P exam

You do not have to navigate this process alone. Create a free account to get started.