PTSD (DC 9411) is rated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders at 38 CFR § 4.130. Note 2 in that section assigns diagnostic codes 9201 through 9440 to the same formula, including major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and chronic adjustment disorder. Eating disorders (DC 9520 and 9521) use a different formula. The PTSD questionnaire is not the form used for those other diagnoses.
What the examiner is actually filling out
VA publishes a PTSD Review DBQ (updated October 3, 2025). The Initial PTSD DBQ is on VA’s list of questionnaires that are not available for public use, so this page does not describe that form’s checkbox count. Sections veterans see discussed on a PTSD DBQ include:
- Diagnosis — does the veteran meet the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD (or another DSM-5 diagnosis)?
- Stressor — what in-service stressor supports the diagnosis (for direct PTSD claims). Combat / fear of hostile activity / MST get specific sub-questions.
- Symptom checklist — the public PTSD Review DBQ lists 31 symptoms drawn from the rating formula and tells the examiner to check all that apply to the veteran’s diagnoses.
- Overall level of occupational and social impairment — the examiner checks one statement. The General Rating Formula has six levels: 0, 10, 30, 50, 70, and 100 percent. On the public PTSD Review DBQ, the choices are “no mental disorder diagnosis” plus six impairment statements that follow those levels. That selection is evidence. Under § 4.126, the rating uses the whole record of occupational and social impairment.
The symptom checklist and overall occupational-and-social-impairment section are part of the completed record. Describe your actual daily functioning, including variation over time, so the examiner can record the findings accurately.
The § 4.130 rubric, decoded
The General Rating Formula uses one phrase per tier. The DBQ’s overall-level question carries that regulatory language. Understanding it can help you follow the form, but it should not be used as a script or a tier to target.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
These six rows quote the General Rating Formula in 38 CFR § 4.130. Where that formula says “due to such symptoms as,” the symptoms are examples named in the schedule. Under § 4.126, VA assigns the evaluation from all the evidence of record that bears on occupational and social impairment, rather than solely from the examiner’s assessment at the examination. The public Mental Disorders DBQ (updated October 14, 2025) and the public PTSD Review DBQ (updated October 3, 2025) use shorter checkbox lines. Their 10 percent line says “symptoms controlled by medication.” The regulation says “symptoms controlled by continuous medication.”
How to read the criteria
The DBQ symptoms list and overall-level rubric use regulatory vocabulary. Use the guide to understand the questions, then answer in your own words with accurate examples.
Use the criteria to understand the form
The rating schedule describes findings VA may consider. It is not a script. Describe only what is true in your own words, including frequency, duration, treatment, good and bad days, and effects on daily activities or work. Do not select or rehearse a rating tier.
Describe the full picture accurately
Accuracy reminder
Describe what is true in your own words, including frequency, duration, treatment, good and bad days, and effects on daily activities or work. Do not exaggerate, omit improvement, rehearse a rating tier, or guess. If something varies or you do not know, say that clearly.
Two universal moves for every PTSD DBQ
1. Describe the full pattern, not just exam day
Under 38 CFR § 4.126, the rating agency considers frequency, severity, and duration of symptoms, the length of remissions, and the veteran’s capacity for adjustment during periods of remission. The evaluation uses all the evidence of record that bears on occupational and social impairment, rather than solely the examiner’s assessment at the examination. Explain your usual pattern, how often severe periods occur, how long they last, and how better periods differ. Keep every example accurate and representative.
2. Bring a witness statement
A spouse, parent, or roommate can submit a lay statement on VA Form 21-10210 describing what they observe day to day — nightmares, irritability, withdrawal, missed work, neglected hygiene. Under 38 CFR § 3.159(a)(2), lay evidence is competent when the person knows the facts and describes matters a lay person can observe. A statement may supplement the record when it does that. See the buddy statement article for the 5-element template.
After the exam
You can request a copy of the completed DBQ from your VA medical record after the rating decision. Compare the symptoms checklist with what you reported. If symptoms you described are missing, a supplemental claim can include new evidence. A treating clinician may complete a DBQ that VA still publishes for public use. The decision letter decoder and the appeals article walk the post-decision options.
Use this with the rest of the site
- ▸ PTSD condition guide — the rating schedule and evidence checklist for that condition.
- ▸ C&P Exam Prep — a checklist for organizing your history, treatment, and questions before the exam.
- ▸ Coach preview — free five-question preview; the dashboard organizes C&P prep and a VSO packet.
- ▸ Full C&P exam guide — how to describe your symptoms accurately.
Get the free Secondary Conditions Checklist by email
Educational content only. VA publishes Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires. Some DBQs are not available for public use. Rating criteria are in 38 CFR Part 4. Not legal or medical advice. Always consult a VA-accredited VSO or attorney for claim-specific guidance. CFR citations: 38 CFR § 4.130 (General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders), § 4.126, § 3.159(a)(2), § 3.304(f).