38 CFR § 4.130 · Mental Disorders · Relaxed Evidence Rules

MST (Military Sexual Trauma) VA Rating

MST is an experience, not a diagnosis, so it has no diagnostic code of its own. The VA rates the condition it caused, most often PTSD, depression, or an anxiety disorder, on the general mental disorders formula. A 70% rating pays $1,808.45/month in 2026, and personal assault claims get a relaxed evidence standard that no other claim type receives.

0%Diagnosed, Symptoms Not Severe Enough to InterfereNo pay

10%Mild or Transient Symptoms$180.42/mo

30%Occasional Decrease in Work Efficiency$552.47/mo

50%Reduced Reliability and Productivity$1,132.90/mo

70%Deficiencies in Most Areas$1,808.45/mo

100%Total Occupational and Social Impairment$3,938.58/mo

Rating Criteria by Level

Conditions resulting from military sexual trauma are evaluated under the general rating formula for mental disorders at 38 CFR § 4.130. The percentage does not depend on which diagnosis is assigned. It depends entirely on how severely the symptoms impair your ability to work and maintain relationships. The same scale governs PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders.

0%Diagnosed, Symptoms Not Severe Enough to Interfere

Non-compensable

Criteria: A mental health condition is formally diagnosed and linked to the MST stressor, but the symptoms are not severe enough to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication.

A 0% rating pays nothing but still establishes service connection. That matters more than most veterans realize: it locks in the effective date, preserves your right to file for an increase when symptoms worsen, and opens the door to secondary claims for conditions such as sleep disturbance, migraines, or GERD.

10%Mild or Transient Symptoms

$180.42/mo

Criteria: Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms that decrease work efficiency only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication.

If you take a daily antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication and it keeps your symptoms largely controlled, that alone meets the 10% standard. Many MST survivors are underrated here because they minimize symptoms at the exam. Describe your worst weeks, not your best days.

30%Occasional Decrease in Work Efficiency

$552.47/mo

Criteria: Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, with symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, weekly panic attacks, chronic sleep impairment, and mild memory loss.

The 30% level is where most MST claims land on an initial rating. Chronic sleep impairment, hypervigilance around a specific gender, and avoidance of crowded or enclosed spaces are hallmark symptoms. If those symptoms show up more than occasionally, you likely belong at 50% or above.

50%Reduced Reliability and Productivity

$1,132.90/mo

Criteria: Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as flattened affect, panic attacks more than once a week, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.

The phrase that carries the most weight at 50% is difficulty establishing and maintaining relationships. MST frequently damages trust in authority figures and coworkers. If you have changed jobs repeatedly, avoid supervisors, or cannot maintain close relationships, say so plainly at the exam and document specific examples.

70%Deficiencies in Most Areas

$1,808.45/mo

Criteria: Occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas (work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood) with symptoms such as suicidal ideation, obsessional rituals, near-continuous panic or depression, impaired impulse control, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene, and inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.

A 70% rating is the most common outcome for severe MST-related PTSD, and it is also the level that opens the door to TDIU. Suicidal ideation alone, even passive ideation with no plan, is explicitly listed in the 70% criteria. Do not downplay it at your C&P exam.

Most common outcome for severe MST-related PTSD, and the gateway to TDIU

100%Total Occupational and Social Impairment

$3,938.58/mo

Criteria: Total occupational and social impairment due to symptoms such as gross impairment in thought processes or communication, persistent delusions or hallucinations, grossly inappropriate behavior, persistent danger of hurting self or others, disorientation to time or place, and memory loss for names of close relatives or the veteran own name.

The 100% schedular criteria are demanding and rarely met by MST-related conditions alone. Veterans whose MST-related PTSD prevents them from holding substantially gainful employment more often reach the 100% pay rate through TDIU, which pays at the 100% rate while the schedular rating stays at 70%.

How to Service-Connect an MST Claim

MST claims follow a different evidence path than any other claim type. Under 38 CFR § 3.304(f)(5), the VA accepts evidence from outside your service records to corroborate the stressor, because Congress and the VA both recognized that most assaults are never formally reported.

Documented Report in Service

A restricted or unrestricted report filed with a SARC, a military police report, an Article 32 record, or a documented visit to a military treatment facility after the incident. This is the strongest evidence, and it removes any dispute over whether the stressor occurred. Request your full personnel file and any DoD SAPRO records if you filed a report.

Markers (No Report Required)

When no report exists, markers carry the claim. A sharp drop in performance evaluations, a sudden request for transfer, out-of-character discipline, a pregnancy or STD test, or the onset of substance use immediately after the incident all serve as corroborating evidence. The VA is required to consider them, and a VA examiner can opine that the behavior changes are consistent with the reported assault.

Lay and Buddy Statements

A statement from a fellow service member, a family member, or a friend describing how you changed after a specific point in service is competent evidence. Contemporaneous letters, emails, or journals written at the time carry extra weight. Your own written statement describing the incident and its aftermath is also evidence, not just background.

What Happens at Your C&P Exam

MST claims are supposed to be assigned to specially trained examiners and raters. The exam uses the PTSD or mental disorders DBQ, and the examiner will typically:

Ask you to describe the stressor and confirm it meets the criterion for a traumatic event
Review your service personnel file for markers, including evaluation scores, transfers, and discipline
Screen for the full symptom list: intrusive memories, avoidance, hypervigilance, negative mood, and sleep disruption
Ask directly about suicidal ideation, panic frequency, and personal hygiene, which map to the 70% criteria
Assess how symptoms affect your work history, relationships, and daily functioning
Offer a nexus opinion connecting the current diagnosis to the in-service event

You can request an examiner of a specific gender, and you should make that request in writing when you file. Bring a list of your worst symptoms with dates and examples. Examiners rate what you describe, not what you endure quietly, and understating symptoms is the single most common reason MST claims come back underrated. You may bring a support person or VSO representative with you.

Secondary Conditions to MST-Related Mental Health Claims

Once the mental health condition is service-connected, physical conditions it caused or aggravated can be claimed as secondary. Each carries its own rating and adds to your combined percentage under VA math.

Sleep Apnea

Chronic sleep disruption and weight gain from psychiatric medication are recognized pathways. A CPAP prescription rates 50%.

Migraines

Stress-triggered prostrating headaches are a frequent secondary. Rated 0 to 50% on frequency of prostrating attacks.

Hypertension

Sustained hyperarousal and stress response elevate blood pressure over time. Rated 10 to 60%.

GERD

Anxiety and psychiatric medication both aggravate acid reflux. Commonly granted secondary to a mental health condition.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS is a well-documented secondary to anxiety and PTSD. Rated 0 to 30% on frequency of abdominal distress.

Substance Use Disorder

When alcohol or drug use is secondary to a service-connected mental health condition rather than willful misconduct, it can be service-connected and folded into the rating.

SourcesLast reviewed: July 2026

MST VA Rating FAQ

What VA rating can you get for military sexual trauma?

MST itself is an experience, not a diagnosis, so it does not carry its own diagnostic code. The VA rates the resulting condition: PTSD, major depressive disorder, or an anxiety disorder, on the general rating formula for mental disorders at 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100%. A 70% rating pays $1,808.45 per month for a veteran alone in 2026, and 100% pays $3,938.58.

Do I need to have reported the assault to file an MST claim?

No. Under 38 CFR 3.304(f)(5), the VA applies relaxed evidence rules to personal assault claims precisely because most assaults are never reported. Evidence from sources outside your service records, called markers, can corroborate the stressor: a sudden drop in performance evaluations, an unexplained request for transfer, a positive test for a sexually transmitted disease, letters written to family at the time, or treatment for anxiety or substance use after the incident.

What counts as a marker in an MST claim?

Markers are indirect evidence of a behavior change following the assault. Common markers include deterioration in work performance, disciplinary or legal infractions that were out of character, requests for a unit or duty station transfer, new episodes of depression or panic attacks, substance abuse beginning after the incident, unexplained economic or social changes, and pregnancy or STD tests around the time of the event.

Can a male veteran file an MST claim?

Yes. VA policy on MST is gender neutral, and because men make up the majority of the force, a large share of veterans who screen positive for MST at VA facilities are men. The same relaxed evidence standard applies regardless of gender, and MST-related care at VA facilities is free without a service-connected rating.

Can I request a same-gender examiner for my MST C&P exam?

Yes. VA policy allows MST claimants to request an examiner of a specific gender. Make the request in writing as early as possible, ideally when you file the claim. MST claims are also supposed to be routed to specially trained raters at the regional office rather than the general claims queue.

Is MST-related care free at the VA?

Yes. Treatment for conditions related to military sexual trauma is provided free at VA facilities, with no copay and no requirement that the condition already be service-connected. Every VA medical center has a designated MST Coordinator. Starting treatment also builds the medical record that supports the disability claim.

Can I claim more than one condition from MST?

The VA will not pay twice for the same symptoms (a rule called pyramiding), so PTSD, depression, and anxiety arising from MST are usually rated together under a single mental health evaluation. But physical conditions with distinct symptoms, such as migraines, GERD, or a gynecological condition, are rated separately and add to your combined percentage.

What if my MST claim was denied years ago?

File a supplemental claim with new and relevant evidence. Many older MST denials predate the relaxed marker rules and the 2022 changes to how VA handles these claims. A new nexus opinion, buddy statements, or newly located personnel records can be enough. If the denial contained a clear error, a higher-level review is the faster route.