38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.130

Somatic symptom disorder — VA Diagnostic Code 9421

Mental health

Diagnostic code

9421

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38 CFR § 4.130 lists Diagnostic Code 9421 as “Somatic symptom disorder”. The schedule line does not end with a period. The next names are other specified somatic symptom and related disorder, then unspecified somatic symptom and related disorder. The name has no percentage beside it. Note 2 says ratings under diagnostic codes 9201 to 9440 will be evaluated using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. DC 9421 is inside that span. Appendix B to Part 4 indexes “Somatic symptom disorder.” The catalog slug is dc-9421-somatic-symptom-disorder.

Reviewed 2026-10-05. Text checked against the eCFR versioner full-text XML for 2026-10-01 on 2026-10-05. Title 38 was last amended on 2026-08-27. On 2026-10-05 the titles list reports up to date as of 2026-10-02. The § 4.130 source note prints 79 FR 45100, Aug. 4, 2014.

The rating criteria at each level

General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders — diagnostic codes 9201 to 9440, including DC 9421

Rating %: 100

Criteria (verbatim). 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.

Rating %: 70

Criteria (verbatim). 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.

Rating %: 50

Criteria (verbatim). 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.

Rating %: 30

Criteria (verbatim). 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).

Rating %: 10

Criteria (verbatim). 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.

Rating %: 0

Criteria (verbatim). 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.

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
100	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.
70	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.
50	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.
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), 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).
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.
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.

The formula uses the words “such symptoms as” and “such as.” Those words are part of the printed lines.

Note 2, printed under the eating-disorder table: Ratings under diagnostic codes 9201 to 9440 will be evaluated using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. Ratings under diagnostic codes 9520 and 9521 will be evaluated using the General Rating Formula for Eating Disorders.

DC 9421 does not print its own 100, 70, 50, 30, 10, or 0 line. The lines above are the formula Note 2 names.

The opening of § 4.130 says the nomenclature employed in this portion of the rating schedule is based upon the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), and it points to § 4.125 for availability information. It says rating agencies must be thoroughly familiar with this manual to properly implement the directives in § 4.125 through § 4.129 and to apply the general rating formula for mental disorders in § 4.130. 38 CFR § 4.7 assigns the higher rating when the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating. Otherwise, the lower rating will be assigned. 38 CFR § 4.6 requires each element affecting the evidence to be studied so that decisions will be equitable and just. 38 CFR § 4.14 says the evaluation of the same disability under various diagnoses is to be avoided, and that the evaluation of the same manifestation under different diagnoses is to be avoided.

The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “somatic” or “9421.” This page does not add DC 9421 to a presumptive row.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.130, Diagnostic Code 9421 and the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.

What the words mean in your records

The name has no percentage

DC 9421 prints the diagnosis. Note 2 sends diagnostic codes 9201 to 9440 to the general formula. The formula lines are 100, 70, 50, 30, 10, and 0.

such symptoms as

The 100, 70, 50, and 30 lines use “such symptoms as.” The 100 line also lists symptoms after a colon. The 10 and 0 lines do not use that phrase.

Eating disorders are the other sentence

Note 2 assigns the eating-disorder formula to diagnostic codes 9520 and 9521. DC 9421 is inside 9201 to 9440.

Evidence that speaks to each level

The formula level

What the rater needs to see. The occupational and social impairment the formula describes, including the symptoms the line lists after “such symptoms as” or “such as.”

Where that usually lives. The mental-health examination and the treatment records that describe work and social function.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
The formula level	The occupational and social impairment the formula describes, including the symptoms the line lists after “such symptoms as” or “such as.”	The mental-health examination and the treatment records that describe work and social function.

VA’s public DBQ list, checked October 5, 2026, names “Mental Disorders” under Psychological. It also names “PTSD Review” as a separate form. The mental-disorders file is Mental Disorders.

The exam form

DC 9421 uses the general formula. This page does not say the form replaces that formula. The PTSD form is the separate list entry.

Related codes and how they interact

Other specified and unspecified are different names.

DC 9422 is other specified somatic symptom and related disorder. DC 9423 is unspecified somatic symptom and related disorder. DC 9421 is “Somatic symptom disorder,” without the words other specified or unspecified. Note 2 puts all three on the same formula.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “somatic” or “9421.” This page does not add DC 9421 to a presumptive row.

A separate question, when a presumption does not decide it, is a medical question on the facts under 38 CFR § 3.310. Paragraph (a) covers disability proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disease or injury. Paragraph (b) covers increase in severity and requires a medical baseline.

Short answers

How does VA rate Somatic symptom disorder?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, Diagnostic Code 9421 uses the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. The formula prints 100, 70, 50, 30, 10, and 0. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Is this code outside 9201 to 9440?

No. DC 9421 is inside that span. Note 2 names the span.

FAQ

What percentages does DC 9421 use?

Note 2 says ratings under diagnostic codes 9201 to 9440 use the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. The formula lines are 100, 70, 50, 30, 10, and 0, based on occupational and social impairment. DC 9421 does not print a separate percentage. Education only.

Is DC 9421 the same name as DC 9422?

No. DC 9421 is “Somatic symptom disorder.” DC 9422 is “Other specified somatic symptom and related disorder.” The schedule lists them as separate names.

Does the eating-disorder formula apply?

Note 2 assigns that formula to diagnostic codes 9520 and 9521. DC 9421 is inside 9201 to 9440, so it uses the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 9421 and the formula level it names.
The free worksheet is a place to write the code, the findings, and the records you already have. It does not file a claim or protect a filing date. An accredited representative is at find a VSO.
Other mental-disorder codes are on the mental-health diagnostic-code index. The category page is mental health conditions.

Education only. Not legal or medical advice. My Claim Packet is not a VA-accredited representative and does not file claims. VA decides every claim on its own evidence.

Other codes in this body system

Nearby catalog entries in Mental health, ordered by diagnostic code number. All Mental health codes

Also: DC code lookup (tools) lists the same index in a compact layout.

Source: 38 CFR Part 4, Diagnostic Code 9421 • va.gov

⚠️ Important Disclaimer

This page provides general educational information based on public VA regulations and VA.gov resources. It is not legal or medical advice, and My Claim Packet is not a VA-accredited representative. Any worksheets or draft documents produced by the tools must be reviewed for accuracy and are not filed with VA for you. Ratings and service connection are decided case-by-case from the individual record. Consult a VA-accredited VSO, claims agent, attorney, or qualified clinician for help with your situation, and verify current rules using the linked official source.