10 Common VA Disability Conditions (And What Veterans Should Know)
Navigating the VA disability conditions list and ratings can feel overwhelming. With ongoing discussions in Washington about updating the rating criteria, knowing where you stand is a great first step.
This guide breaks down 10 commonly pursued VA conditions, their common potential ratings, and the medical evidence that can help support your benefits pursuit.
The VA’s Top 10 Common Most Common Conditions:
- Tinnitus (Ringing in the Ears)
- Typical VA Rating Range: Tinnitus is commonly rated at 10% under current guidelines.
- What It Is: A persistent ringing, buzzing, or hissing sound in your ears. It is often linked to loud noises like engines or gunfire.
- Helpful Medical Evidence:
- A formal diagnosis from an audiologist or ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor.
- Service records showing you worked in loud environments (like flight decks or motor pools).
- A personal statement describing when the noise started and how it impacts your sleep and concentration.
- Note on Proposed Changes: The VA has proposed rating tinnitus as a symptom of another condition rather than on its own. While this is still just a proposal and not law, having thorough medical records of your symptoms remains highly important.
Learn more: Explore our Guide to Tinnitus VA disability claims, including ratings, evidence requirements, and common questions veterans have about this condition.
- Hearing Loss
- Typical VA Rating Range: Ratings can range from 0% to 100% based on the results of specific hearing tests.
- What It Is: Difficulty hearing speech or certain sounds, often caused by loud noises during active duty.
- Helpful Medical Evidence:
- A recent, official hearing test (audiogram) from a professional.
- Military records showing you were exposed to acoustic trauma or loud noises.
- A medical opinion showing that your hearing loss may be linked to your service rather than just getting older.
Learn more: Read our article on the essential medical documentation to support VA evaluations for hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Mental Health Conditions
- Typical VA Rating Range: These conditions are commonly rated at 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100% based on how they affect your daily life.
- What It Is: Emotional or mental health struggles following a traumatic event in the military.
- Helpful Medical Evidence:
- A diagnosis from a licensed therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist.
- Evidence of the stressful event (like combat awards, buddy letters, or incident reports).
- Doctor notes showing how your symptoms impact your work and social relationships.
Learn more: read about the proposed changes to the VA Mental Health Rating System and how these changes may affect your benefits.
- Back Pain (Strain or Arthritis)
- Typical VA Rating Range: Often rated between 10% and 100%, mostly based on how far you can safely bend your spine.
- What It Is: Persistent stiffness or aching in the lower back, often from heavy lifting or training injuries.
- Helpful Medical Evidence:
- Imaging results (like X-rays or MRIs) showing joint wear or injury.
- Service medical records showing when the back issues began.
- Range of motion measurements from a doctor showing how much your movement is limited.
- Scars
- Typical VA Rating Range: Scars can potentially be rated from 10% to 80%, depending on their size, location, and if they hurt.
- What It Is: Tissue marks left behind by wounds, surgeries, or burns during military service.
- Helpful Medical Evidence:
- A doctor’s record of the scar’s measurements and whether it causes pain or skin instability.
- Notes on the injury or surgery that caused the scar.
- Clear, high-quality photos of the scar.
Learn more: Explore our updated Guide to VA Rating for Surgery Scars to understand the process and the medical documentation needed to ensure your service-connected scars are correctly evaluated.
See your condition on this list?
Our medical team can review your records and help identify whether your medical evidence supports your VA disability claim. This review is free, with no obligation.
- Migraines and Severe Headaches
- Typical VA Rating Range: Commonly rated at 0%, 10%, 30%, or 50% based on how often they force you to stop normal activities.
- What It Is: Severe, throbbing head pain that can cause sensitivity to light and sound.
- Helpful Medical Evidence:
- A formal diagnosis from a doctor or neurologist.
- A personal headache log tracking how often they happen and if you must lie down in a dark room.
- Records connecting the headaches to an in-service injury or another service-connected issue.
Learn more: Migraines are much more than just headaches. Our VA Disability for Migraines Guide helps you understand secondary service connections, ratings, and more.
- Neck Pain (Strain or Joint Wear)
- Typical VA Rating Range: Often rated from 10% to 100% based on range of motion and nerve pain.
- What It Is: Ongoing stiffness or pain in the upper spine, sometimes radiating down into your arms.
- Helpful Medical Evidence:
- X-rays or MRIs showing joint damage or neck strain.
- Service medical logs documenting neck pain or an injury.
- Measurements showing how far you can move your head without severe pain.
- Knee Issues (Arthritis or Tears)
- Typical VA Rating Range: Commonly rated at 10%, 20%, or 30% per knee based on pain, stiffness, and joint stability.
- What It Is: Pain, clicking, or weakness in your knees from high-impact physical activities.
- Helpful Medical Evidence:
- Orthopedic exams or MRIs showing joint wear or ligament damage.
- Records of knee injuries during your active duty.
- Notes from a doctor about any daily joint instability or the need for a knee brace.
- Plantar Fasciitis and Foot Conditions
- Typical VA Rating Range: Commonly rated at 10%, 20%, or 30% depending on how much it affects your movement.
- What It Is: Severe heel or arch pain, often caused by marching in heavy, flat boots.
- Helpful Medical Evidence:
- A diagnosis from a podiatrist or orthopedic doctor.
- Service medical records showing you complained of foot pain during active duty.
- Documentation of custom shoe inserts, physical therapy, or other treatments.
Learn more: Read our Veteran’s Guide to Foot Pain to understand plantar fasciitis and its link to military service.
- Sleep Apnea
- Typical VA Rating Range: Currently rated at 0%, 30%, 50%, or 100% (a 50% rating is common if a breathing machine like a CPAP is medically necessary).
- What It Is: A condition where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts while you sleep.
- Helpful Medical Evidence:
- An official sleep study confirming the diagnosis.
- A doctor’s prescription for a CPAP machine or other sleep device.
- Medical notes showing how the condition might be linked to your service or triggered by another service-connected issue.
Our medical team can review your records and help identify gaps in your documentation that may affect your VA disability claim. Free, no obligation.Not sure if your medical evidence tells the full story?
Understanding Proposed VA Updates: What You Need to Know
The VA sometimes suggests updates to how it rates certain conditions to keep up with modern medicine. It is important to know that these are currently just proposals and have not become final rules as of mid-2026.
Sleep Apnea and Tinnitus Proposals
The VA has proposed changes that might alter how these are rated in the future. Under the draft rules, sleep apnea would focus more on how well treatment works rather than automatic ratings for using a CPAP. For tinnitus, they have proposed rating it as a symptom of another condition rather than as its own standalone issue.
Again, these changes are not yet law. Staying informed and keeping clear records helps you stay prepared.
Mental Health Evaluation Shifts
A proposed system could evaluate mental health conditions across five areas of daily life (like memory and relationships). If this becomes official, it would guarantee at least a 10% rating for any service-connected mental health diagnosis.
Until then, the VA continues to evaluate these based on how they affect your work and social life.
PACT Act Presumptions
If you served in certain locations and were exposed to toxins, the VA automatically presumes your service caused certain illnesses (such as respiratory conditions and specific cancers). This means you do not need to provide a separate medical letter connecting the condition to your service.
Prepare Your Medical Records Before You Proceed
The medical records you collect are the foundation of your benefits journey. Ensuring your files are complete and clear is a great way to support your pursuit.
