A veteran’s life involves countless major changes – from leaving civilian life for basic training, to experiencing combat, getting injured while on duty, or even returning home after years of service. Sometimes, it can be difficult to cope with these changes. As a result, the overwhelming stress of such events could lead to intense feelings of sadness, anxiety, or even rage.
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These kinds of reactions to stressors are known as adjustment disorders, and they commonly affect veterans. If you developed an adjustment disorder as a result of your military service, read on to find out how an adjustment disorder VA rating can help you get the benefits you deserve.
In this article about the VA rating for adjustment disorder:
What is adjustment disorder?
An adjustment disorder, sometimes called situational depression, is an emotional response to a stressful event. People with adjustment disorders have significant reactions to stressors, and experience the negative physical and mental effects of these reactions for a prolonged period of time.
Adjustment disorders are brought on by significant life changes such as marriage or divorce, financial difficulties, the death of a loved one, serious health issues, or unexpected tragedies. They have symptoms common to other mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. These symptoms may include feelings of hopelessness, trouble sleeping, and irritability.
Most adjustment disorders develop within three months of a stressful event, and go away within six months. However, if the stressor is an ongoing event, such as unemployment, an adjustment disorder could linger for even longer. Adjustment disorders with disruptive symptoms that last longer than six months are known as chronic adjustment disorders.
Although adjustment disorders can sometimes be the result of trauma and may mimic many of the symptoms of PTSD, it’s important to remember that adjustment disorders and PTSD are not the same. PTSD develops after a traumatic event, whereas adjustment disorders can develop after exposure to stressors that have a different impact on someone’s mental state.
Types of adjustment disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) identifies six types of adjustment disorders and the predominant symptoms associated with each.
- Adjustment disorder with depressed mood is characterized by common symptoms of depression such as low mood, tearfulness, and feelings of hopelessness.
- Adjustment disorder with anxiety includes symptoms like nervousness, excessive worrying, jitteriness, or separation anxiety.
- Adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood causes symptoms of both anxiety and depression.
- Adjustment disorder with disturbance of conduct is characterized by behavioral issues like acting rebellious, destructive, reckless, or impulsive.
- Adjustment disorder with mixed disturbance of emotions and conduct causes anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues.
- Adjustment disorder unspecified is characterized by maladaptive reactions that are not classified as one of the specific subtypes of adjustment disorder.
Adjustment disorder in veterans
Because adjustment disorders have not been included in national mental health surveys, its prevalence among both civilians and veterans is largely unknown.
However, in a study conducted in 2001 among trainees in the Air Force, severe adjustment disorders were found to be a common reason for discharge in the first year of service. These diagnoses were usually triggered by the stress of military training and the inability to adapt to military life.
Veterans can develop adjustment disorders for a number of reasons. An injury or illness brought on by service can affect your ability to enjoy the activities you used to love, resulting in an adjustment disorder. A service-connected condition might also cause you to no longer be able to take care of yourself, your family, or other parts of your life the way you once could, which may lead to an adjustment disorder. Adapting to civilian life after years of service could also trigger the condition.
The causes and severity of each case depend on both the stressful event and the individual veteran. Additionally, the limited amount of information on the condition makes it difficult to fully define. Some psychiatrists rank the severity of adjustment disorder below major depression, while others believe it to be a serious contributor to suicidal behavior.
Adjustment disorder VA rating
Veterans can receive an adjustment disorder VA rating if their condition was caused or worsened by military service.
The VA rates adjustment disorder using diagnostic code 9440, which rates using the criteria in the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. Ratings will be assigned at 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100% depending on the frequency and severity of symptoms, and how much they interfere with your life.
How to service connect adjustment disorder
Adjustment disorders may develop simply because of a stressor during service, or they might be the result of another service-connected condition.
If you injure your back while on duty, the pain might make it hard to maintain a job, play with your children, or do active hobbies you used to love. Additionally, a severe service-connected injury could even leave you bedridden, which could cause adjustment disorder with symptoms of sadness, fatigue, and hopelessness. Any major life change you find difficult to cope with could cause an adjustment disorder. If those changes are service-related, you could be owed VA compensation.
“Secondary service connection is where you had a really bad back injury in service that is related to your time in service, and because of the way that changed your life, your ability to provide for your family, and the things you normally like to do, you experience a downturn in your mental health. You get a bit depressed over your physical ailment, and your mental health condition as a result of that can be connected on a secondary basis,” said VA disability lawyer Zack Evans.
TDIU for adjustment disorder
Due to the extreme emotional response an adjustment disorder can elicit, veterans may have a hard time at work or difficulty keeping a job. You may experience trouble in their relationships, both at work and at home. Your inability to work, perform the job you once held, or financially support yourself or family because of another service-connected condition may also contribute to you developing an adjustment disorder.
Veterans with an adjustment disorder may qualify for TDIU if their rating for the condition is at least 60% and they cannot maintain employment because of their service-connected disorder.
If the veteran has multiple diagnoses, they may still qualify for TDIU if their combined rating is 70% and another condition is rated at 40% or higher.
How Woods & Woods can help
If you need help applying for VA disability benefits or filing an appeal, contact the VA-accredited attorneys at Woods & Woods to help get you the compensation you deserve. Our team of lawyers, case managers, and legal analysts has helped thousands of veterans across the country with their benefits claims. Call us for a free evaluation to see how we can help. You won’t pay us a percentage of your back pay unless we win, and we never touch your future monthly checks.
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Frequently asked questions
The VA uses the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders to determine a rating for chronic adjustment disorder. The condition can be rated at 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100% rating depending on the severity and frequency of the symptoms.
The VA won’t assign you two ratings for both adjustment disorder and anxiety disorder, but you may be given a diagnosis of adjustment disorder with anxiety. It’s also important to note that the DSM-5 maintains that adjustment disorder can only be diagnosed in the absence of another disorder. This means you might receive a diagnosis of anxiety disorder or a diagnosis of adjustment disorder, but not both. Both conditions are rated by the VA using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders and could warrant a rating of 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100%.
Neil Woods
Neil Woods is a VA disability attorney and the owner and president of Woods & Woods. He received his law degree from Western Michigan University.
