Cheatsheet
What each rating level actually requires
VA rating thresholds describe severity, not diagnosis. Each level in the rating schedule states how bad, how often, and how much a condition limits someone, and the level assigned turns on what a clinician wrote down. This tool shows every threshold for a condition beside the regulation it comes from.
Pick a condition
Nothing you pick leaves your browser. There is no severity question here and no symptom checklist, because this sheet describes what the levels require rather than which one anybody meets.
Start typing and pick from the list, or open the full list below. Spelling does not have to be exact.
Or browse every condition in the list
Cardiovascular system
Digestive system
Ear
Endocrine system
Mental disorders
Musculoskeletal system
Neurological conditions and seizures
Respiratory system
The one part you cannot do alone
Severity is not argued. It is documented, by a clinician, in a record.
Talk to our case management team. They will show where the documentation sits against these thresholds and introduce you to accredited representatives we have vetted.
That happens whether or not you ever become a member of our direct primary care network.
Veterans
Connect with your case manager for a read on where your documentation sits against these thresholds.
Submitting this form asks VHN to contact you. Your private tool entries are not included.
Sources
- 38 CFR Part 4, Schedule for Rating Disabilities (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations)
- 38 CFR 4.20, Analogous ratings (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations)
- 38 CFR 4.7, Higher of two evaluations (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations)
Accuracy
Last checked 2026-08-23. Reviewed on a on-regulation-change cycle and maintained by Veteran Health Network's compliance team, who are accountable for what is on this page. Written and reviewed under Veteran Health Network's institutional review process.