It’s no secret that the Veteran community struggles with depression. According to the VA, roughly a third of all Veterans have symptoms of depression, and Veterans are nearly 60% more likely than non-Veterans to take their own lives.

No two Veterans’ experiences in the military are identical, and their lives with depression can vary significantly. Some Veterans’ depression is manageable, having a minimal impact on their daily life of being managed with medications. For others, it’s a burden that hangs heavy at all hours, pushing them from friends, family, work, and their community.

Regardless of how a Veteran experiences depression, it can significantly impact their life and livelihood. The VA compensates Veterans for service-related conditions, both physical and mental. Here, I’ll explain the 2024 VA ratings for depression, how you can prove your service connection for a depression claim, and what you can do if your depression claim is denied or receives an inaccurate rating.

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Let’s start with the VA ratings for depression:

The VA Rating Schedule for Depression in 2024

VA ratings for depression range from 0 to 100 percent depending on your depression’s severity and impact on your daily life. The 2024 VA ratings for depression (based on a single Veteran with no dependents) are as follows:

0% rating, $0.00 per month: At this rating, you have a formal depression diagnosis, but your condition doesn’t impact on your daily life and you don’t need medication to manage your symptoms.

10% rating, $171.23 per month:* At the 10% rating level, your depression may impair your ability to socialize and work during times of stress, or cause symptoms that you’re controlling with medication.

30% rating, $524.31 per month: At the 30% rating level, your depression impairs your ability to socialize and perform work tasks due to symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, and a depressed mood.

50% rating, $1,075.16 per month: At the 50% rating level, your depression impairs your ability to socialize, work, and be reliable. You may show or experience symptoms like a flattened affect, evasive speech, and regular (weekly) panic attacks.

70% rating, $1,716.28 per month: At the 70% rating level, you’re consistently struggling to work and socialize due to thoughts of suicide, obsessive rituals, and nearly-constant panic attacks.

100% rating, $3,737.85 per month: At the 100% rating level, your depression completely impairs your ability to work or socialize. You may be a danger to yourself or others, be unable to maintain personal hygiene, and struggle to remember the people you know.

*Note that for disability ratings 20% or lower, the monthly compensation rate doesn’t change if you have dependents.

How to Prove a Service Connection for Depression

If you’re going to apply for VA disability benefits for depression, you’ll need to demonstrate a service connection to your condition. Three essential elements create a service connection:

1. A Current Diagnosis:

To receive any VA disability compensation, your condition needs to be diagnosed. If you’re applying for benefits for depression, make sure you have a diagnosis for depression specifically. Although many of depression’s symptoms are similar to PTSD, you’ll need a separate diagnosis if you have both. Your diagnosis can be from either a VA or private physician.

2. A Service-Related Stressor

To receive VA compensation for depression, the depression needs to be caused by something that occurred in your service. Due to depression’s nature, there may be multiple stressors or contributing factors that led to your depression. Being separated from your loved ones, experiencing trauma during combat, and being exposed to danger can catalyze depression’s development.

Many Veterans experience depression secondary to other conditions or disorders connected to their time in the service. For example, depression is often present in Veterans with PTSD — which nearly a quarter of all Veterans experience. Likewise, many Veterans develop depression after their service-connected injuries or disabilities restrict their ability to participate in activities they used to enjoy.

Take the time to carefully document your exposure to these stressors when building your claim. Using evidence from your service records to prove your presence in a conflict or using buddy letters to verify the start of your symptoms is crucial for making this connection.

3 A Link Between Your Condition and Your Service

Finally, you’ll need to prove that there’s a link between your depression diagnosis and your in-service injury or stressor. You may be able to make the link clear through your military service or medical records, but the best way to make the connection is with a medical nexus letter. This document states that your service was “more likely than not” to have caused your depression.

What to Do If Your Depression Claim is Denied or Your Rating is Wrong

If your claim for VA benefits for depression is denied, you may be losing out on vital support. Similarly, if your symptoms are consistent with a 50% rating but you’re rated at 20%, you may not be receiving the compensation your service entitled you to.

A denied claim isn’t the end of the road. Appealing your claim decision can give you the benefits that allow you to maintain your quality of life and help compensate for your depression’s impact on your life.

When you file an appeal, there are several different routes* you can take:

• Board Appeal: With a Board Appeal, you’re appealing directly to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. There are three paths you can take with a Board Appeal: a direct review, evidence submission, or a hearing review.

• Higher-Level Review: With a Higher-Level Review, a senior reviewer will take a closer look at the evidence you submitted with your original claim. However, you can’t submit additional evidence.

• Supplemental Claim: With a Supplemental Claim, you can submit evidence that wasn’t in your original claim to the VA for review.

*Note: These are the options under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA). Some claims may already be processed under the Legacy system that have a different path than the AMA.  If you want to learn more about the AMA, check out my article on filing a Notice of Disagreement. 

Depending on the result of your initial claim and your condition, it’s not always easy to know which route your appeal should take. Fortunately, I’ve spent over 16 years navigating the appeals process and helping Veterans like you craft winning appeals strategies.

If you want to learn more about which approach might be the best for your appeal, contact me to schedule your free consultation today.

Note: Consultations for Veterans’ Benefits Appeals Matters are free; however, consultations for Military Records Correction Issues and Medical/Physical Evaluation Boards are paid.