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The VA orders this exam to verify your diagnosis and measure how severe it is right now. It can shape your rating and your monthly compensation — but it does not decide your claim. A rating specialist weighs it against your full record, and if the exam does not reflect your condition, you can say so and ask the VA to correct it.
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A complex disorder in which concussion symptoms — such as headaches, dizziness, cognitive difficulties, and mood changes — persist for weeks, months, or years after the initial head injury. Rated under the TBI criteria.
The percentages this diagnostic code can be rated at. Which one applies depends on the findings — no tool here can tell you in advance.
Rated under 38 CFR 4.124a, DC 8045. The examiner records findings on the DBQ; a rating specialist makes the decision.
| Rating | Rating criteria | What that means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | Assign a 100-percent evaluation if "total" is the level of evaluation for one or more facets. If no facet is evaluated as "total," assign the overall percentage evaluation based on the level of the highest facet as follows: 0 = 0 percent; 1 = 10 percent; 2 = 40 percent; and 3 = 70 percent. Memory, attention, concentration, executive functions, level 0: No complaints of impairment of memory, attention, concentration, or executive functions. | Every facet of the TBI evaluation table is at level 0 — no complaints of impaired memory, attention, concentration or executive function, and no other residual scoring above 0. The table itself assigns 0 percent at that level. A 0 percent evaluation still establishes service connection, which is what a later increase claim runs from. |
What supports this level
| ||
| 10% | Assign a 100-percent evaluation if "total" is the level of evaluation for one or more facets. If no facet is evaluated as "total," assign the overall percentage evaluation based on the level of the highest facet as follows: 0 = 0 percent; 1 = 10 percent; 2 = 40 percent; and 3 = 70 percent. Memory, attention, concentration, executive functions, level 1: A complaint of mild loss of memory (such as having difficulty following a conversation, recalling recent conversations, remembering names of new acquaintances, or finding words, or often misplacing items), attention, concentration, or executive functions, but without objective evidence on testing. | Mild persistent symptoms — you have ongoing headaches, mild dizziness, or slight memory and concentration problems that occasionally interfere with daily activities. |
What supports this level
| ||
| 40% | Assign a 100-percent evaluation if "total" is the level of evaluation for one or more facets. If no facet is evaluated as "total," assign the overall percentage evaluation based on the level of the highest facet as follows: 0 = 0 percent; 1 = 10 percent; 2 = 40 percent; and 3 = 70 percent. Memory, attention, concentration, executive functions, level 2: Objective evidence on testing of mild impairment of memory, attention, concentration, or executive functions resulting in mild functional impairment. | Moderate persistent symptoms — you have frequent headaches, noticeable cognitive problems, dizziness, irritability, and sleep disturbance that regularly interfere with work and relationships. |
What supports this level
| ||
| 70% | Assign a 100-percent evaluation if "total" is the level of evaluation for one or more facets. If no facet is evaluated as "total," assign the overall percentage evaluation based on the level of the highest facet as follows: 0 = 0 percent; 1 = 10 percent; 2 = 40 percent; and 3 = 70 percent. Memory, attention, concentration, executive functions, level 3: Objective evidence on testing of moderate impairment of memory, attention, concentration, or executive functions resulting in moderate functional impairment. | Severe persistent symptoms — you have daily debilitating symptoms including severe headaches, significant cognitive impairment, and marked behavioral changes that substantially limit daily functioning. |
What supports this level
| ||
| 100% | Assign a 100-percent evaluation if "total" is the level of evaluation for one or more facets. If no facet is evaluated as "total," assign the overall percentage evaluation based on the level of the highest facet as follows: 0 = 0 percent; 1 = 10 percent; 2 = 40 percent; and 3 = 70 percent. Memory, attention, concentration, executive functions, level Total: Objective evidence on testing of severe impairment of memory, attention, concentration, or executive functions resulting in severe functional impairment. | Completely disabling — your post-concussion symptoms are so severe that you cannot function independently and require constant supervision or care. |
What supports this level
| ||
The middle column is our transcription of the criteria at 38 CFR 4.124a, DC 8045, condensed for reading. Read the section itself on eCFR before relying on the exact wording. The items under each level are the kinds of evidence that document it — not a VA checklist, and not a prediction of which level applies to you.
Not connecting current symptoms to the original concussion — the VA requires a documented in-service concussion event and a medical nexus linking current symptoms to that event. Buddy statements can help establish the initial injury.
Failing to get neuropsychological testing — standard cognitive screenings are often too brief to capture the subtle deficits of post-concussion syndrome. Full neuropsychological evaluation is the gold standard.
Not filing separately for each residual condition — post-concussion syndrome can cause migraines, tinnitus, vestibular dysfunction, depression, and anxiety that each qualify for independent ratings.
Allowing symptoms to be attributed solely to a mental health condition — post-concussion cognitive symptoms are distinct from PTSD or depression and should be rated under the TBI criteria (DC 8045), not the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.
These apply to every C&P exam, whatever the condition.