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VASRD reference

VA Diagnostic Codes

Search source-verified VA diagnostic-code identities, body systems, historical status, and regulatory provenance.
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This reference uses VA rating codes. For a code from a medical record, check ICD-10-CM and the service date. A clinical code alone does not establish a VA rating or a matching VA diagnostic code.

DC 9433ACTIVESource verified

Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)

Mental disorders · 38 CFR § 4.130

Diagnostic Code 9433 is the VASRD entry for Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia). VA applies the controlling criteria, shared formulas, and special instructions shown in 38 CFR Part 4. VMC presents this material for education and reference; it does not determine a Veteran's diagnosis, service connection, or evaluation.

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Source-verified VASRD criteria

How VA rates this — General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders

These percentages summarize the regulatory criteria already mapped to this diagnostic code. They do not predict a Veteran's individual evaluation or establish service connection.

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.

Body system and anatomy metadata

Body system: Mental disorders

Anatomy / region tags: mental health

These tags support discovery and body-map compatibility. They do not establish Veteran-specific laterality or entitlement.

Official VA DBQ references

DBQ catalog: va-dbq-2026.09.16 · Retrieved 2026-09-16. Official VA inventory ↗

  • Eating Disorders ↗ Related resourceCatalog category: Psychological

    This form addresses eating disorders. A clinician must determine whether that scope applies; sharing the mental-health body system alone does not establish applicability.

    Form revision 2024-07-31; source checked 2026-09-28. Follow the qualifications and instructions in the linked form.

  • Mental Disorders ↗ Applies only if its conditions are metCatalog category: Psychological

    For mental disorders other than PTSD and eating disorders. The examining clinician must confirm the diagnosis, examination purpose and qualifications stated on the form.

    Form revision 2025-10-14; source checked 2026-09-28. Follow the qualifications and instructions in the linked form.

  • PTSD Review ↗ Applies only if its conditions are metCatalog category: Psychological

    For a PTSD review examination when that pathway applies. It is not a substitute for the Initial PTSD examination. The clinician must follow the form’s diagnostic and qualification instructions.

    Form revision 2025-10-03; source checked 2026-09-28. Follow the qualifications and instructions in the linked form.

Initial Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): not available for public use in the official VA inventory. The public review form does not replace it.

VA maintains some examination forms that are not available for public use. VMC does not infer a one-code-to-one-DBQ relationship.

Evidence information

When reviewing the criteria, useful evidence categories can include diagnosis and treatment records, objective testing identified by the schedule, documented frequency/duration/severity when the criteria use those concepts, and functional effects described in medical or lay evidence. The relevant evidence depends on the actual claim and medical facts.

VMC does not diagnose conditions, guarantee a percentage, or advise anyone to exaggerate symptoms.

Legal basis and source identification

38 CFR § 4.130 · Source current through 2026-08-06 · Verified 2026-08-10

Registry content release: vasrd-registry-2026.08.1