Insomnia Disorder
Difficulty falling/staying asleep. Often filed as secondary to PTSD, anxiety, depression, or chronic pain.
VA rating criteria
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 100% | Total occupational and social impairment. Persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living; disorientation to time or place; memory loss for own name, occupation, or names of close relatives. |
| 70% | Occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas. Suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals; illogical/obscure/irrelevant speech; near-continuous panic or depression; impaired impulse control; spatial disorientation; neglect of personal hygiene; difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances; inability to establish/maintain effective relationships. |
| 50% | Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. Flattened affect; circumstantial/circumlocutory/stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once weekly; difficulty understanding complex commands; impairment of short and long-term memory; impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation/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. Depressed mood; anxiety; suspiciousness; panic attacks (weekly or less); chronic sleep impairment; mild memory loss. |
| 10% | Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency 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 to interfere with occupational/social functioning or to require continuous medication. |
Often claimed secondary to
If you're already service-connected for any of these, Insomnia Disorder is often a viable secondary claim.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Mental health condition from experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Stressor verification required (except combat-related, which is presumed if consistent with circumstances of service).
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Persistent, excessive worry across multiple domains. Rated identically to PTSD under §4.130.
Major Depressive Disorder
Persistent depressed mood, loss of interest, and associated symptoms. Common secondary to chronic pain.
Migraine Headaches
Recurring debilitating headaches. The word 'prostrating' is key for higher ratings.
Lumbosacral Strain / Lower Back
ROM-based. Goniometer required. 10-40% typical.
Filing this claim
For most veterans this is filed as a secondary claim. You need a nexus letter linking it to a service-connected primary condition. Use the letter generators to draft your nexus letter and Statement in Support of Claim.
Step by step
- File an Intent to File (Form 21-0966) to lock your effective date.
- Confirm you have a current medical diagnosis in a medical record.
- Get a nexus letter — magic phrase: "at least as likely as not."
- Write a Statement in Support of Claim (21-4138).
- If applicable, gather buddy statements (21-10210).
- File the formal 21-526EZ.
Source: 38 CFR §4.130. For exact regulatory language, consult eCFR Title 38. This is general education — for your specific case, consult a VA-accredited representative.