The 10 Most Common First-Time VA Disability Claims (FY 2025)

CCK Law: Our Vital Role in Veterans Law

The 10 most common first-time VA disability claims in fiscal year 2025 were tinnitus, limitation of knee flexion, back or neck strain, limited arm motion, hearing loss, second-degree burn scars, migraine, sciatic nerve paralysis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and limited ankle motion.

These conditions reflect the everyday toll of military service, not only catastrophic injury, and many veterans do not realize they qualify for them.

Other CCK Law observations from VA’s Annual Benefits Report:

• A total of 476,802 veterans began receiving VA disability compensation in fiscal year 2025, with an average of 6.15 service-connected conditions each.
• Tinnitus remained the single most common first-time claim, with 287,138 new recipients.
• Most of these conditions rarely stand alone, so secondary conditions often drive the final rating.
• VA combines ratings rather than adding them, which changes how much a new condition is worth.

This guide explains what each condition is, how VA rates it, and some ways to maximize compensation and increase the chances that veterans are compensated fairly.

One caveat applies throughout: Rankings shift slightly each year, and two proposed rules could change how two of these conditions are rated in the future.

Watch CCK Law Partner Michael Lostritto discuss the 10 most common first-time claims approved for veterans in FY 2025:

Play

What Are VA Disability Ratings?

VA rates each service-connected condition from 0 to 100 percent, in 10 percent steps, based on how much the condition limits earning capacity and daily function. The rating turns on impairment, not on the diagnosis alone.

Compensation rests on two statutes, 38 USC §§ 1110 and 1131, which authorize payment for disabilities incurred or aggravated in active service. Severity is measured under the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities at 38 CFR Part 4.

Because the schedule focuses on level of impairment, conditions a veteran might not think of as disabilities — ringing in the ears, a worn knee, or chronic headaches — can still carry meaningful ratings.

To be service connected, a condition generally needs three things:

• A current diagnosis
• An in-service event or injury
• A medical link (“nexus”) between the two

When those elements are present, the condition can be service connected and rated by VA.

How Difficult Are VA Disability Claims?

While the VA disability system is meant to be non-adversarial, the complexity of the system means that many initial claims are denied. VA has an internal appeals process, and veterans can also appeal VA decisions to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC).

Because appeals can be even more complex — especially if they advance to federal court — Congress allows veterans to hire attorneys after an initial decision of some kind has been made on a claim. Contact CCK Law for a free case evaluation.

Play

What Were the Most Common First-Time VA Disability Claims in VA’s 2025 Annual Benefits Report?

VA’s Annual Benefits Report for fiscal year 2025 includes various rankings. This article focuses on the conditions most often awarded to veterans who received VA compensation for the first time. This table lists all 10, along with the diagnostic code and rating range VA uses for each.

How Does VA Rate the Most Common VA Disabilities? Tips for Maximizing Compensation

1. Tinnitus (Diagnostic Code 6260)

Tinnitus is the perception of ringing, buzzing, or hissing with no outside source, and it is the most common service-connected disability. VA assigns a single 10 percent rating under 38 CFR § 4.87, Diagnostic Code 6260, whether one ear or both are affected. Credible testimony about onset in service and ongoing symptoms can often establish service connection without a hearing test.

The trade-off is a hard ceiling: 10 percent is the most that tinnitus alone can earn. Because it is straightforward to establish, tinnitus is frequently a veteran’s entry point into VA disability status and health care.

2. Limitation of Flexion of the Knee (Diagnostic Code 5260)

Limitation of knee flexion measures how far a veteran can bend their knee. VA rates it at 0, 10, 20, or 30 percent under 38 CFR § 4.71a, Diagnostic Code 5260, based on range of motion measured at the compensation and pension (C&P) exam.

Because the score turns on measured motion rather than pain, the timing of the exam and a complete account of symptoms often decide the outcome.

3. Lumbosacral or Cervical Strain (Diagnostic Code 5237)

Lumbosacral or cervical strain means lower back or neck strain, which is common after years of carrying heavy gear. VA rates it from 10 to 100 percent under the General Rating Formula for the spine, although the higher levels require ankylosis or severely restricted motion and are hard to reach.

Back and neck claims are fertile ground for secondary conditions, such as sciatic nerve pain or hip and knee problems caused by an altered walk.

4. Limitation of Motion of the Arm (Diagnostic Code 5201)

Limited arm motion covers shoulder and arm restrictions from repetitive overhead work, heavy lifting, or trauma. VA rates it at 20, 30, or 40 percent under 38 CFR § 4.71a, Diagnostic Code 5201, based on how high the arm can rise. The dominant arm is rated slightly higher than the non-dominant arm at the top levels.

5. Hearing Loss (Diagnostic Code 6100)

Hearing loss is one of the best-documented service-connected conditions, tied to gunfire, aircraft, and heavy equipment. VA rates it from 0 to 100 percent under 38 CFR § 4.85, using puretone thresholds and a speech-recognition score. In practice, most veterans receive low ratings because VA’s threshold for compensable hearing loss is stricter than an ordinary hearing test suggests.

6. Scars, Burns (Second Degree) (Diagnostic Codes 7800–7805)

Scars — from combat, training accidents, or surgery for another service-connected condition — are frequently overlooked. VA rates them under Diagnostic Codes 7800 through 7805, up to 80 percent, based on location, size, and whether a scar is painful, unstable, or disfiguring. Scars on the head, face, and neck are rated more favorably, and multiple scars may be rated separately.

7. Migraine (Diagnostic Code 8100)

Migraine ranks seventh among first-time claims and has been rising in recent years. VA rates it at 0, 10, 30, or 50 percent under 38 CFR § 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8100. The key concept is prostration — attacks severe enough that a veteran must stop activity and rest.

The top 50-percent rating requires very frequent, completely prostrating, and prolonged attacks, so records of how often attacks occur and how they affect work are essential.

8. Paralysis of the Sciatic Nerve (Diagnostic Code 8520)

Sciatic nerve paralysis causes weakness, numbness, and trouble walking, and it usually arises from a lower back condition.

VA rates incomplete paralysis as mild (10 percent), moderate (20 percent), moderately severe (40 percent), or severe (60 percent), and complete paralysis at 80 percent, under 38 CFR § 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8520. It can support a separate rating alongside the underlying spine condition when different functions are affected.

9. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Diagnostic Code 9411)

PTSD is among the most complex areas of veterans law, and it is deeply personal for many who live with it.

Service connection requires a current diagnosis, an in-service stressor, and a link between them, with relaxed proof rules for combat stressors and separate accommodations for claims based on military sexual trauma. VA rates PTSD at 0, 10, 30, 50, 70, or 100 percent under 38 CFR § 4.130, based on how much it impairs work and social life.

If you are struggling, support is available any time through the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and then pressing 1.

10. Limitation of Motion of the Ankle (Diagnostic Code 5271)

Limited ankle motion rounds out the list. VA rates it at 10 percent for moderate and 20 percent for marked limitation under 38 CFR § 4.71a, Diagnostic Code 5271. When both ankles are affected, the bilateral factor under 38 CFR § 4.26 raises the combined rating.

PTSD is one of the more common claims among CCK Law clients. Watch CCK Law Partner Emma Peterson talk about ways veterans may get the highest rating for post-traumatic stress disorder:

Play

Why Do Knee, Back, Arm, and Ankle VA Claims Often Get Underrated?

Orthopedic claims are often underrated because a single range-of-motion number does not capture the whole picture. VA is required to account for pain, weakness, fatigue, and flare-ups, but often does not.

Under 38 CFR §§ 4.40, 4.45, and 4.59, and the Court’s decision in DeLuca v. Brown, 8 Vet. App. 202 (1995), VA must weigh functional loss from pain, weakness, and repeated use, and painful motion alone can support at least the minimum compensable rating.

The practical effect is significant. Four of the 10 conditions on this list are orthopedic, and when a C&P exam captures a good day, a record that documents flare-ups and worst-case limitation can be decisive.

What Proposed Rules Could Change the Most Common Claims List?

As of mid-2026, VA has proposed but not yet enacted rules that would change how tinnitus, sleep apnea, and mental health conditions are rated. Neither rule is final, no effective date has been set, and existing ratings would likely be grandfathered in under the current rules.

If enacted, the impact of VA’s proposed rules includes:

• Changing the rating criteria for sleep apnea to now be based on responsiveness to treatment.
• No longer rating tinnitus as its own condition, but rather evaluating it as a symptom of the underlying disease that causes it.
• Changing the way mental health conditions are evaluated by focusing on how the condition impacts cognition, interpersonal relationships, task completion, life activities, and self-care.
• VA also proposed to include a 10 percent minimum evaluation for having one or more service-connected mental health conditions, as well as no longer requiring that the veteran experience “total occupational and social impairment” to be rated at 100 percent.

How Can Veterans Maximize First-Time Claims?

Here are several ways that veterans often overlook VA compensation and benefits, based on CCK Law’s experience.

1. Secondary service connection — For many common service-connected disabilities, much of the value lies in the secondary conditions that surround it. A condition caused or worsened by a service-connected condition can itself be service connected. In fiscal year 2025, veterans who began receiving compensation had an average of 6.15 service-connected conditions each. Hearing loss travels with tinnitus; sciatic pain with a back condition; and sleep problems, anxiety, or depression with chronic pain or PTSD. (Caveat: VA combines ratings under 38 CFR § 4.25 rather than adding them, so a 50 percent condition and a 30 percent condition do not total 80 percent. Use the CCK Law VA Disability Calculator to estimate your rating.)
2. TDIU — Where service-connected conditions prevent steady, gainful work, total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) under 38 CFR § 4.16 can pay at the 100 percent rate without a 100 percent schedular rating.
3. Special Monthly Compensation — A variety of conditions and situations (e.g., requiring assistance with activities of daily living, being housebound, having multiple highly rated disabilities, etc.) can lead to compensation even above the regular VA compensation amount.

Play

What Can You Do if VA Denies or Underrates a Claim?

If VA denies or underrates a claim, the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 (AMA) provides three review options. Each has its own deadlines, so acting promptly matters.

• Supplemental Claim — Submit new and relevant evidence for a fresh look.
• Higher-Level Review — A senior reviewer re-examines the same evidence, with no new evidence added.
• Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA) — A Veterans Law Judge reviews the appeal, with options for a hearing or additional evidence.

Appeals can be complex and time-consuming. Veterans are encouraged to hire VA-accredited representation to help identify all their legal options, useful evidence, and available benefits. Contact CCK Law for a free case evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Common VA Claims

How many disability conditions does the average veteran claim?

In fiscal year 2025, veterans who began receiving compensation had an average of 6.15 service-connected conditions each. Across all 6.3 million veterans receiving compensation, the average rises to 7.34. Most claims involve several related conditions rather than just one.

Can a veteran receive more than 10 percent for tinnitus?

No. Under Diagnostic Code 6260, tinnitus receives a single 10 percent rating, whether it affects one ear or both. Veterans seeking more compensation usually file for related conditions, such as hearing loss, sleep problems, or anxiety, which can raise the combined rating.

Exception: It is technically possible to argue for an extraschedular rating that exceeds 10 percent. Skilled representation is recommended if you feel this situation applies to you.

Does claiming more conditions always increase a rating?

Not necessarily. VA combines ratings using a special formula under 38 CFR § 4.25 — as opposed to simply adding them — so, e.g., a 50 percent and a 30 percent condition do not total 80 percent.

Also, ratings are rounded to the nearest 10-percent interval (e.g., 94 percent rounds down to 90 percent). But additional conditions can still gradually increase a rating and may qualify a veteran for TDIU.

Are the most common first-time VA claims the same as the most common overall?

No. Tinnitus leads both lists, but the order differs. Among all veterans receiving compensation, sciatic nerve paralysis and PTSD rank higher than they do among first-time recipients. The most common new claims are not always the most common overall.

Will the proposed tinnitus and mental health rules affect current ratings?

Not necessarily. As of mid-2026, both proposals remain unfinalized, with no effective date. VA has indicated that existing ratings would be protected if the rules take effect. Current rating criteria still control, so it is best to confirm the status before relying on either.

Learn More About VA Claims and Appeals