What happens during a C&P exam for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)?

Be completely honest about your worst days, not your best. Describe specific examples of social and occupational impairment.

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Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)

Q: What are the VA rating percentages for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)?

Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) (DC 9433) is rated at 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 100% under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433. 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.

Q: What rates 0% for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433 (DC 9433), a 0% rating for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) requires: 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.

Q: What rates 10% for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433 (DC 9433), a 10% rating for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) requires: 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.

Q: What rates 30% for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433 (DC 9433), a 30% rating for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) requires: 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).

Q: What rates 50% for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433 (DC 9433), a 50% rating for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) requires: 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.

Q: What rates 70% for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433 (DC 9433), a 70% rating for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) requires: 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.

Q: What rates 100% for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433 (DC 9433), a 100% rating for Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) requires: 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.

Q: What evidence do I need for a Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) VA claim?

Key evidence for a Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) claim includes: Mental health treatment records; Service records documenting stressors; Buddy statements describing behavioral changes; Employment records showing work impact; Hospitalization records. All evidence should document both the condition and its impact on daily functioning.

DC 943338 C.F.R. § 4.130

Diagnostic Code

DC 9433

38 C.F.R. § 4.130

Rating Range

0–100%

6 severity tiers

Source

Verified

38 C.F.R. § 4.130

Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 9433 of 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9433 across 6 severity tiers (0% / 10% / 30% / 50% / 70%…). Service connection requires (1) a current diagnosis, (2) an in-service event, injury, or exposure, and (3) a medical nexus opinion linking the two under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303.

Educational tool only. Not legal or medical advice. Not affiliated with the VA.

Overview

Persistent Depressive Disorder (formerly dysthymia) is a chronic depressed mood lasting most of the day, more days than not, for at least two years (one year in adolescents), accompanied by at least two of the following: poor appetite or overeating, insomnia or hypersomnia, low energy, low self-esteem, poor concentration or difficulty making decisions, and feelings of hopelessness. Unlike a discrete major depressive episode, the defining feature is duration and persistence, with symptoms rarely absent for more than two months at a time, producing a grinding low-grade impairment that veterans often describe as just feeling down for years. DSM-5 allows a co-occurring major depressive episode to be layered on this baseline (the "double depression" pattern), which can intensify the disability picture.

Rating Criteria

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

03Key Evidence

—Mental health treatment records

—Service records documenting stressors

—Buddy statements describing behavioral changes

—Employment records showing work impact

—Hospitalization records

—Prescription history for psychiatric medications

04C&P Exam Tips

1Be completely honest about your worst days, not your best.

2Describe specific examples of social and occupational impairment.

3If you have suicidal ideation, even passively, report it.

4Document panic attacks: frequency, duration, functional impact.

5Mention any hospitalizations or crisis interventions.

6Keep a symptom journal with specific dates and incidents.

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Sources & Editorial

Rating criteria text quoted verbatim from 38 C.F.R. § 4.130 (Mental disorders). Source verified 2026-05-15 by ClaimRecon Editorial Team against the Cornell Law CFR mirror; eCFR.gov is the authoritative government source.

View § 4.130 on eCFR →Cornell Law mirror →Editorial Standards →Suggest a correction →

EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. NOT LEGAL OR MEDICAL ADVICE.
NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
CLAIM RECON 2026

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