PTSD Secondary Conditions: VA Claims & Ratings List

If VA rates your PTSD, you may also get benefits for other health problems that PTSD caused or made worse. These are called secondary conditions. This page explains how these claims work and what evidence VA looks for. It also links to every PTSD secondary condition guide on this site.

Two terms you will see often:

• Service-connected means VA agrees a condition is linked to your military service.
• Secondary condition means a health problem caused or made worse by a condition VA already rates.

For how PTSD itself is rated, see our PTSD rating guide.

What Is Secondary Service Connection?

It is a way to get a new condition service-connected because of PTSD. It covers two cases (38 CFR § 3.310):

• PTSD caused it. A condition that developed because of your service-connected PTSD is also service connected. For example, a doctor finds that the condition came from your PTSD (§ 3.310(a)).
• PTSD made it worse. You may have a condition that is not service connected. If PTSD made it worse than it would have gotten on its own, VA can pay for that added worsening (§ 3.310(b)).

For the "made it worse" case:

• VA needs medical records showing how bad the condition was before PTSD made it worse, or the earliest records after it started getting worse. This is called the "baseline."
• VA subtracts that baseline. It also subtracts any worsening that would have happened anyway.
• VA pays only for what is left.

Your PTSD must be service connected, but its percentage does not matter. A 0% PTSD rating can still support a secondary claim. For a full walkthrough, see our guide to claiming secondary conditions.

Evidence for a PTSD Secondary Claim

A secondary claim usually needs three things:

1. A current disability, usually documented by a diagnosis from a qualified medical provider. Pain without an identified diagnosis may qualify when it functionally impairs earning capacity; condition-specific diagnosis rules still apply. See the secondary-conditions evidence guide.
2. Service-connected PTSD. Your VA rating decision letter shows this.
3. A link between the two. VA says it usually needs medical records or a doctor's opinion to show this link. In some cases, VA may also accept statements from people who know you, such as a buddy statement (VA Form 21-10210).

The link is often called a nexus. A nexus opinion is a doctor's opinion that connects the new condition to your PTSD. A helpful opinion:

• Says whether the condition is "at least as likely as not" caused or made worse by PTSD.
• Explains why.

If the evidence for and against you is about even, VA must decide in your favor (38 CFR § 3.102). Still, no single document guarantees a result. VA weighs all of the evidence.

PTSD Secondary Conditions List

These are the PTSD secondary conditions we cover now. Each guide explains the medical link, how VA rates the condition, and what evidence helps.

Physical conditions secondary to PTSD

If VA grants one of these, it is usually rated on its own. VA then combines it with your PTSD rating using VA math. Some guides explain when symptoms overlap with your PTSD rating.

Mental health conditions secondary to PTSD

These are mental health conditions. VA usually rates them together with PTSD as one mental health rating. It does not usually add a second percentage.

Mental Health Conditions Share One Rating

VA usually gives you one rating for PTSD and any other mental health conditions. This is the most important thing to know about PTSD secondary claims.

• VA rates PTSD (DC 9411), major depressive disorder (DC 9434), generalized anxiety disorder (DC 9400), and other mental health conditions with the same set of rules (38 CFR § 4.130). "DC" means diagnostic code, the number VA uses for each condition.
• VA rules say not to rate the same symptoms twice under different names (38 CFR § 4.14).
• So VA usually gives one mental health rating for overlapping service-connected symptoms. It reflects their overall effect on your work and social life. Separate ratings are possible only when medical evidence clearly separates non-overlapping symptoms, and the same impairment cannot be compensated twice (Amberman v. Shinseki, 570 F.3d 1377 (Fed. Cir. 2009)).

Adding depression, anxiety, insomnia, or a substance use disorder can raise that one rating if your overall symptoms support it. But it does not usually add a second percentage. For example, ongoing sleep problems are already listed in the 30% rating rules.

A new mental health diagnosis can still matter. It helps make sure your one rating covers all of your symptoms. Our depression secondary to PTSD guide explains when a diagnosis is worth documenting and how to ask for an increase.

How Separate Ratings Combine

VA does not simply add your ratings together. A physical condition secondary to PTSD can receive a separate rating when manifestations do not overlap and applicable rating rules permit. VA combines separate ratings with your PTSD rating using a combined ratings table (38 CFR § 4.25).

• Each rating applies only to the "healthy" part left over after the higher rating.
• Example: 50% and 30% combine to 65%. That rounds up to a 70% combined rating, not 80% (§ 4.25).

See VA math explained for more examples, or enter your ratings in the combined rating calculator.

Next Steps

• Learn how PTSD itself is rated in our PTSD rating guide.
• If you also want a higher PTSD rating, get ready for that C&P exam (Compensation and Pension exam — VA's medical exam for your claim) with the PTSD C&P exam checklist
• Open the guide for each condition you have from the list above. Gather the diagnosis, records, and medical opinion it describes.
• Read how to file a VA disability claim and what to expect at the C&P exam.

Correction — October 21, 2026: Clarified what counts as a current disability, and that overlapping mental health symptoms usually share one rating, and when separate ratings are possible.

For help with your own claim, talk to a VA-accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO), attorney, or claims agent.