Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Diagnostic Code 9434 • 38 CFR § 4.130
Rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders—focus is occupational and social impairment, not symptom count alone.
Diagnostic Code
9434
MDD Rating Percentages & 2026 Pay (veteran alone)
Total occupational and social impairment
Examples include gross impairment in thought or communication, persistent danger of hurting self or others, and intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living
$3,938.58/mo
base
Deficiencies in most areas
Work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood. Examples include suicidal ideation and near-continuous panic or depression
$1,808.45/mo
base
Reduced reliability and productivity
Examples include flattened affect, panic attacks more than once a week, impaired memory and judgment, and difficulty with work and social relationships
$1,132.90/mo
base
Occasional decrease in work efficiency
Intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, although generally functioning satisfactorily
$552.47/mo
base
Mild or transient symptoms
Decreased efficiency only during significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication
$180.42/mo
base
Formally diagnosed
Symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication
$0/mo
base
General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders, including DC 9434
Three Compensation Scenarios (VA Math)
50% MDD + sleep apnea + migraines
38 CFR § 4.25 Table I combines 50 with 50 as 75, then 75 with 30 as 83. That 83 converts to the nearest degree divisible by 10, which is 80%. Illustrative only — $2,102.15/mo at 80%, veteran alone, on the VA.gov table effective December 1, 2025.
70% MDD + spouse + child
70% MDD
$1,808.45
Spouse and one child
$2,074.45
Published 70% cell
No dependent parents
$2,074.45/mo is the VA.gov 70% rate for a veteran with a spouse and one child and no dependent parents, effective December 1, 2025. Other family compositions use different cells on that table.
70% MDD + TDIU
If VA grants TDIU under 38 CFR § 4.16, compensation is paid at the 100% rate ($3,938.58/mo, veteran alone, VA.gov table effective December 1, 2025) even when the schedular rating is lower. Filing VA Form 21-8940 is an application, not a grant. The percentage rules are in the TDIU note below.
Complete Criteria (Summary)
DC 9434 uses the same General Rating Formula as the other mental disorders in § 4.130. The percentage is the level of occupational and social impairment. Symptoms introduced by “such symptoms as” are examples, not a required count.
| % | Impairment level | 2026 $ |
|---|---|---|
| 100% | Total occupational and social impairment | $3,938.58 |
| 70% | Deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood | $1,808.45 |
| 50% | Reduced reliability and productivity | $1,132.90 |
| 30% | Occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, although generally functioning satisfactorily | $552.47 |
| 10% | Mild or transient symptoms that decrease efficiency only during significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication | $180.42 |
| 0% | Formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication | $0 |
Critical Evidence
Mental Disorders DBQ
§ 4.125 requires the diagnosis to conform to DSM-5. The evaluation is the occupational and social impairment in § 4.130. § 4.126 weighs frequency, severity, and duration of symptoms, the length of remissions, and capacity for adjustment during remission, using the whole record. The Global Assessment of Functioning scale is not part of DSM-5 or this formula.
Treatment continuity
Therapy notes, med management, hospitalizations, IOP/PHP.
Work impact
Attendance, terminations, accommodations, SSA filings.
Nexus (especially secondary MDD)
For a secondary theory, § 3.310 looks for medical evidence that MDD is proximately due to or aggravated by an already service-connected condition.
Lay statements
Family observations of withdrawal, hopelessness, sleep, irritability.
Common Secondary Conditions
😴 Sleep apnea
Commonly discussed6847
🤕 Migraines
Commonly discussed8100
🫃 IBS
Commonly discussed7319 • 10, 20, or 30%
🔥 GERD
Commonly discussed7206 • 0, 10, 30, 50, or 80%
💔 Anxiety (pyramiding note)
CAUTION9400
🚻 ED
Commonly discussed7522
❤️ Hypertension
Sometimes discussed7101
IBS (DC 7319) and GERD (DC 7206) percentages are the current schedular steps in 38 CFR § 4.114, as amended in 2024. They are separate from the mental-disorder rating. § 4.14 says not to evaluate the same manifestation under different diagnoses, which is why separate anxiety and depression ratings depend on whether the symptoms can be separated.
Claim Timeline
Gather available treatment history
Use the records you have; do not delay care or invent a required time window
Private DBQ / IME optional
Supplement VA exam if needed
Review filing options
A VA-accredited representative can help identify the appropriate path
C&P mental health exam
Describe the full pattern accurately, including typical and more severe periods and their work and social effects
Read the decision
Review the stated reasons and available review options before choosing a next step
How VA evaluates occupational and social impairment
§ 4.126 requires the rating to consider the frequency, severity, and duration of psychiatric symptoms, the length of remissions, and the veteran’s capacity for adjustment during remission. The evaluation uses all evidence of occupational and social impairment, not only the exam day. Social impairment is considered, but an evaluation is not assigned on social impairment alone (§ 4.126(b)).
30% and 50%
30%: 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. Examples include depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks weekly or less often, chronic sleep impairment, and mild memory loss.
50%: reduced reliability and productivity. Examples include flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory; impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; and difficulty establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.
70%
Deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood. Examples include 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); and inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.
100%
Total occupational and social impairment. Examples include 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; and memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.
TDIU Reminder
Schedular TDIU under 38 CFR § 4.16(a) requires either one disability rated 60% or more, or one disability rated 40% or more with a combined rating of 70% or more, plus an inability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of service-connected disabilities. § 4.16(b) is a separate extraschedular referral when those percentages are not met. VA Form 21-8940 is the application. Ask an accredited representative how this applies to the record.
Common Mistakes
Symptom list without function
§ 4.130 assigns the percentage from occupational and social impairment. Describe how symptoms affect work and relationships.
Reading a gap in care as the rating
§ 4.126 considers the length of remissions and functioning during remission, together with the rest of the record. A gap in treatment is not itself a rating criterion.
Describing only the exam day
§ 4.126 uses frequency, severity, and duration across the record. Describe the usual pattern accurately, and do not present one unusually severe period as typical.
Treating other conditions as automatic add-ons
Sleep apnea (DC 6847), migraines (DC 8100), and IBS (DC 7319) use their own schedules. Each needs its own service-connection evidence. Granted ratings combine under § 4.25.
FAQs
▸ Can I be rated for MDD and PTSD?
§ 4.14 says not to evaluate the same manifestation under different diagnoses. MDD (DC 9434) and PTSD (DC 9411) both use the § 4.130 formula. When the occupational and social impairment cannot be separated, that rule is why one mental-disorder evaluation is used. Whether a particular record supports separate evaluations is decided from that record.
▸ Do meds hurt my rating?
Dose and the number of medications are not rating criteria. § 4.130 does list “symptoms controlled by continuous medication” at 10%, and the 0% level applies when symptoms are not severe enough to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication. Above those levels, the evaluation is the occupational and social impairment in the record (§ 4.126).
▸ What does a secondary MDD theory require?
§ 3.310 addresses disability proximately due to or aggravated by a service-connected condition. The record includes a current MDD diagnosis, the already service-connected condition, and medical evidence on causation or aggravation. A timeline of onset or worsening can be part of that record. This page does not establish the link.
DC 9434 Reference & Tools
Primary sources reviewed
- 38 CFR § 4.125 — Diagnosis of mental disorders (DSM-5)
- 38 CFR § 4.126 — Evaluation of disability from mental disorders
- 38 CFR § 4.130 — Schedule of ratings for mental disorders
- 38 CFR § 4.25 — Combined ratings table
- 38 CFR § 4.114 — Schedule of ratings, digestive system (DC 7319 and DC 7206)
- VA.gov — Veterans disability compensation rates (effective December 1, 2025)
Data validated October 5, 2026. Describe your history accurately; do not minimize symptoms or present an unusually severe period as typical. Educational information only; not legal or medical advice.
⚠️ 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.