What happens during a C&P exam for Somatic Symptom Disorder?

Do NOT stretch, warm up, or take pain medication before your exam. The VA needs your baseline limitation. Report your WORST day. DeLuca v. Brown requires documentation of functional loss during flare-ups.

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Somatic Symptom Disorder

Q: What are the VA rating percentages for Somatic Symptom Disorder?

Somatic Symptom Disorder (DC 9421) is rated at 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 100% under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421. 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 Somatic Symptom Disorder under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421 (DC 9421), a 0% rating for Somatic Symptom Disorder 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 Somatic Symptom Disorder under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421 (DC 9421), a 10% rating for Somatic Symptom Disorder 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 Somatic Symptom Disorder under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421 (DC 9421), a 30% rating for Somatic Symptom Disorder 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 Somatic Symptom Disorder under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421 (DC 9421), a 50% rating for Somatic Symptom Disorder 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 Somatic Symptom Disorder under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421 (DC 9421), a 70% rating for Somatic Symptom Disorder 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 Somatic Symptom Disorder under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421?

Under 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421 (DC 9421), a 100% rating for Somatic Symptom Disorder 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 Somatic Symptom Disorder VA claim?

Key evidence for a Somatic Symptom Disorder claim includes: Service treatment records showing injury or complaints; Imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT); Range of motion measurements; Flare-up documentation per Sharp v. Shulkin; Buddy statements describing limitations. All evidence should document both the condition and its impact on daily functioning.

DC 942138 C.F.R. § 4.130

Diagnostic Code

DC 9421

38 C.F.R. § 4.130

Rating Range

0–100%

6 severity tiers

Source

Verified

38 C.F.R. § 4.130

Somatic Symptom Disorder is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 9421 of 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9421 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

Somatic Symptom Disorder is a DSM-5 condition defined by one or more distressing physical symptoms (such as pain, fatigue, or gastrointestinal or neurological complaints) combined with disproportionate and persistent thoughts, anxiety, or behaviors devoted to those symptoms. The physical symptoms may or may not be explained by an identifiable medical cause, but the diagnosis turns on the excessive psychological response and the way preoccupation with health disrupts daily functioning. Symptoms are typically persistent, lasting more than six months, and often drive repeated medical visits, testing, and disability.

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

—Service treatment records showing injury or complaints

—Imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT)

—Range of motion measurements

—Flare-up documentation per Sharp v. Shulkin

—Buddy statements describing limitations

—Prescription history

—Physical therapy records

—Employment impact documentation

04C&P Exam Tips

1Do NOT stretch, warm up, or take pain medication before your exam. The VA needs your baseline limitation.

2Report your WORST day. DeLuca v. Brown requires documentation of functional loss during flare-ups.

3Tell the examiner about flare-ups: frequency, duration, estimated ROM loss. Sharp v. Shulkin (2017) requires estimates.

4Request active, passive, weight-bearing, and non-weight-bearing ROM testing per Correia v. McDonald (2016).

5If you use assistive devices (brace, cane), bring them.

6Describe daily activity impact: work, sleep, household tasks.

Tools

Rating Calculator →Secondaries Explorer →C&P Exam Prep →PACT Act Scanner →2026 Rates →

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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