United States · VA disability · 38 CFR 4.130
VA diagnostic code 9400: generalized anxiety disorder.
Rating criteria for diagnostic code 9400, quoted from the regulation.
DC 9400 (generalized anxiety disorder) is listed in 38 CFR 4.130 and rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders, which has six levels: 0, 10, 30, 50, 70 and 100 percent, each defined by the degree of occupational and social impairment.
The short version
DC 9400 (generalized anxiety disorder) is listed in 38 CFR 4.130 and rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders, which has six levels: 0, 10, 30, 50, 70 and 100 percent, each defined by the degree of occupational and social impairment. The levels in the code are 0, 10, 30, 50, 70 and 100 percent.
DC 9400 rating criteria
38 CFR 4.130 lists "9400 Generalized anxiety disorder" in the schedule of mental disorders. The code has no table of its own: the regulation rates every code from 9201 to 9440 under one General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.
General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders
| Criteria (quoted from the regulation) | Rating |
|---|---|
| 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. | 100% |
| 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. | 70% |
| 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. | 50% |
| 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). | 30% |
| 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. | 10% |
| 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. | 0% |
Notes in the regulation
- Note 2 under the schedule: Ratings under diagnostic codes 9201 to 9440 will be evaluated using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.
- Nomenclature: The nomenclature is based on the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) (see 4.125).
How to read DC 9400
The General Rating Formula does not name the diagnosis at any level. It rates the degree of occupational and social impairment, and gives example symptoms introduced by "such symptoms as". That wording matters: the listed symptoms are examples under each level, not a checklist. The diagnosis (here generalized anxiety disorder, DC 9400) determines which code is used; the level of impairment determines the percentage.
The six levels step through total impairment (100), deficiencies in most areas (70), reduced reliability and productivity (50), occasional decrease in work efficiency (30), mild or transient symptoms or symptoms controlled by continuous medication (10) and a formal diagnosis without impairment (0).
Other mental disorders rated under the same formula in 38 CFR 4.130 include: 9400 Generalized anxiety disorder; 9403 Specific phobia, social anxiety disorder (social phobia); 9404 Obsessive compulsive disorder; 9411 Posttraumatic stress disorder; 9412 Panic disorder and/or agoraphobia; 9432 Bipolar disorder; 9433 Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia); 9434 Major depressive disorder; 9435 Unspecified depressive disorder.
What this page does not do
It does not diagnose, pick a diagnostic code, estimate your rating or advise on a claim. Every rating decision depends on the medical evidence and on VA’s application of the full schedule, including provisions this page does not reproduce.
Frequently asked questions
What is DC 9400?
Generalized anxiety disorder in the mental disorders schedule of 38 CFR 4.130.
Which rating formula applies?
The General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders, which applies to diagnostic codes 9201 to 9440.
What percentages are available?
0, 10, 30, 50, 70 and 100 percent.
What is the difference between the 10 percent and 0 percent levels?
The 10 percent level is for mild or transient symptoms that decrease work efficiency only during significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication. The 0 percent level is a formal diagnosis whose symptoms neither interfere with occupational and social functioning nor require continuous medication.
Are the listed symptoms a checklist?
The regulation introduces them with "such as", so they are examples of the kind of symptoms at each level, not a required list. This page quotes them and does not interpret how VA applies them.
Does this page say what rating I should get?
No. It reproduces the published criteria. VA decides the diagnosis and the rating, and this page is not medical or claim advice.
Sources
Read directly from the primary sources below on November 2, 2026 (eCFR text current through October 29, 2026). Quotations are the regulation text; anything labelled as a reading is TNAADO's. The schedule is amended from time to time, so check the linked section for the latest text.
Reference, not a VA determination, medical advice or claim advice
Rating criteria summarized from 38 CFR 4.130 as of October 29, 2026 (eCFR). This page reproduces published criteria so you can read them; it does not tell you whether you qualify, what your rating should be, or how to file. VA decides the diagnosis, the code and the rating. It is not legal, financial or medical advice; an accredited representative (VSO, attorney or claims agent) can review your case.