When evaluating VA compensation claims for veterans with mental disorders, diagnosing the illness and linking it to the patient’s military service is just the first step in the VA claims. Next it must be determined just how impaired the person is. This is done using a sliding scale called the “General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.”
What this formula does is measure just how impaired the veteran’s social and occupational functioning are. The unique thing about this scale is that it focuses specifically on how a veteran’s symptoms affect their life. The outcome of this test is then used to determine the extent of their VA compensation claims.
What Are the Specific Criteria Used to Determine VA Compensation Claims?
The “General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders” is measured in percentages of disability based on the veteran’s level of impairment.
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100 Percent Total Social and Occupational Impairment. Symptoms include persistent delusions or hallucinations, grossly impaired communication or thought processes, disorientation, memory loss for things that should be familiar, persistent danger of hurting self or others, and intermittent inability to perform normal daily activities.
70 Percent Social and Occupational Impairment. This results in deficiencies in thinking, mood, family relations, work, school, and judgment. Symptoms include intermittently illogical speech, suicidal ideation, near-continuous depression or panic that affects the ability to function, obsessed rituals which interfere with the daily routine, unprovoked irritability with occasional violence, neglect of appearance and hygiene, inability to maintain relationships, and spatial disorientation.
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50 Percent Social and Occupational Impairment. This will result in reduced reliability and productivity. Symptoms include panic attacks more than once per week, circumstantial or stereotyped speech, difficulty comprehending complex commands, flattened affect, memory impairment, impaired abstract thinking, impaired judgment, difficulty with work and social relationships, and disturbances of motivation and mood.
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30 Percent Social and Occupational Impairment. This is marked by an occasional decrease in work efficiency. Routine behavior, conversation, and self-care generally remain normal. Symptoms include anxiety, depression, panic attacks once per week or less, suspiciousness, mild memory loss, and chronic sleep impairment.
10 Percent Social and Occupational Impairment. Symptoms here are mild and result in a decreased ability to perform occupational tasks during periods of high stress. This can be controlled by medication.
0 Percent Social and Occupational Impairment. A mental condition has been diagnosed, but the symptoms are not severe enough to affect social or occupational functioning.
By using the proceeding scale during the VA claims process, the appropriate amount of VA compensation claims can be accurately determined for any veteran who suffers from a service-induced mental disorder, but it still may be in your best interests to use a qualified VA disability lawyer to ensure that the scale truly reflects your condition.
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