Agoraphobia — VA Disability Rating & Claim Guide
This is not legal or medical advice. Always consult with a VSO or accredited claims agent.
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The DBQ for Agoraphobia
Your C&P examiner fills out DBQ 21-0960P-2 (Mental Disorders (Other Than PTSD and Eating Disorders)) — the form that decides your rating. You can have your own doctor complete the same DBQ and submit it as evidence.
Have a C&P exam coming up? See exactly what the examiner will ask about Agoraphobia — and how to describe it.
Prep →2026 Compensation Rates
Monthly compensation for Agoraphobia, based on your overall combined VA disability rating.
| Rating | Monthly (Alone) | Monthly (w/ Spouse) | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | — | $2,165.04 |
| 20% | $356.66 | — | $4,279.92 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 | $6,629.64 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $882.84 | $9,550.08 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 | $13,594.80 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,566.02 | $17,220.24 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 | $21,701.40 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 | $25,225.80 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,559.30 | $28,347.60 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 | $47,262.96 |
Common Symptoms
Document these symptoms in your claim. The more thoroughly you describe how they affect your daily life, the stronger your claim.
Functional Limitations
VA rates disabilities based on how they limit your ability to function. Describe these limitations in your personal statement.
Rating Criteria for Agoraphobia
Rating schedule under 38 CFR 4.130, General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders (DC 9412, panic disorder and/or agoraphobia). Criteria are simplified summaries; your specific rating depends on severity documented in your C&P exam.
A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication.
Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or symptoms controlled by continuous medication.
Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, and mild memory loss.
Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty understanding complex commands; impairment of short and long-term memory; impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; and difficulty establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.
Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently; impaired impulse control; spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances; and inability to establish and maintain effective relationships.
Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; and memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.
Verified against 38 CFR Part 4, the official VA rating schedule. Reviewed July 2026.
Will adding Agoraphobia raise your rating?
Enter your current combined rating and the level this condition would rate at. We'll do the VA math.
New combined
10%
New monthly
$180
Change
+$180
Rates shown are the 2026 veteran-alone amounts (no dependents). VA combines ratings with "whole-person" math and rounds to the nearest 10, so adding a condition does not simply add its percentage. Full combined-rating calculator with dependents →
Peer-Reviewed Medical Evidence
Real, verified studies from PubMed/NIH that support a Agoraphobia claim. Bring these citations to your accredited VSO or C&P exam — they help show your condition is recognized in the medical literature and, where noted, linked to other service-connected conditions.
Psychological Medicine, 2023 · PMID 35039095
Finding: In a cohort of 978 Dutch ISAF combat veterans followed from before deployment to 10 years after homecoming, the probable prevalence of agoraphobia symptoms rose significantly to 6.5% at 10 years, the highest of any assessment point; lower perceived social support after returning was a risk factor for all measured mental health symptoms.
Why it helps: Supports an association between military deployment and the later development of agoraphobia symptoms in veterans, including symptoms that emerge or worsen years after service ends.
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 1998 · nexus to PTSD · PMID 9565181
Finding: In a national random sample of male Australian Vietnam Army veterans, agoraphobia was among the psychiatric diagnoses clustering with combat-related PTSD, and PTSD remained strongly associated with several comorbid conditions after controlling for combat exposure.
Why it helps: Supports an association between combat-related PTSD and co-occurring agoraphobia in veterans, helpful when arguing agoraphobia as part of a service-connected PTSD picture.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2008 · nexus to PTSD · PMID 18665698
Finding: Among 35 veterans whose primary diagnosis was chronic PTSD, panic disorder (which includes agoraphobic avoidance) was a treatable comorbid condition; panic control treatment left 63% panic-free at follow-up versus 19% with supportive treatment.
Why it helps: Supports an association between service-connected PTSD and comorbid panic/agoraphobia in a veteran population, and documents that such conditions are clinically recognized and treated together.
American Journal of Psychiatry, 2010 · nexus to traumatic brain injury (TBI), traumatic injury · PMID 20048022
Finding: In a prospective cohort of 1,084 traumatically injured patients, agoraphobia was one of the most common new psychiatric disorders at 12 months (6%), and sustaining a mild TBI raised the odds of developing agoraphobia (odds ratio 1.94, 95% CI 1.11-3.39).
Why it helps: Supports an association between traumatic injury and mild TBI and the new onset of agoraphobia, relevant to claiming agoraphobia as secondary to a service-connected injury or TBI.
Advances in Rheumatology, 2024 · nexus to chronic musculoskeletal pain · PMID 38730423
Finding: Patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain had far more psychiatric disorders than pain-free controls (88% vs 48%, p<0.001), and agoraphobia was present in 29% of the chronic pain group.
Why it helps: Supports an association between chronic musculoskeletal pain and agoraphobia, useful when arguing agoraphobia as secondary to a service-connected orthopedic or chronic pain condition.
Hearing Research, 2016 · nexus to tinnitus · PMID 26342399
Finding: This review of 117 papers reported a 45% lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders (including agoraphobia) in tinnitus populations, with overlapping brain networks and shared HPA-axis dysfunction, and recommended screening for and treating anxiety disorders in moderate-to-severe tinnitus.
Why it helps: Supports an association between tinnitus and anxiety disorders such as agoraphobia, relevant given tinnitus is among the most common service-connected disabilities.
Psychiatry Research, 2018 · nexus to PTSD · PMID 29879599
Finding: Among adult-onset PTSD patients, those with a childhood-abuse history had markedly higher current panic disorder/agoraphobia (79.2% vs 46.7%) and more comorbid disorders overall, with medium-to-large effect sizes.
Why it helps: Supports an association between PTSD and comorbid agoraphobia and indicates that a more severe PTSD presentation carries a higher burden of agoraphobia, useful for a secondary-to-PTSD nexus.
Every citation is real and verified against PubMed. This is general information, not medical or legal advice — your accredited VSO or representative can advise on your specific claim.
Evidence Checklist
Gather these types of evidence before filing your claim. The strongest claims include multiple evidence types.
Common Treatments
Documenting ongoing treatment strengthens your claim and supports higher ratings.
Secondary Conditions Linked to Agoraphobia
These conditions are commonly claimed as secondary to Agoraphobia. A secondary condition can increase your overall combined rating and monthly compensation.
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Agoraphobia as a Secondary Condition
Agoraphobia is commonly claimed secondary to these primary conditions:
Filing a Agoraphobiaclaim? Don't skip these.
Most veterans filing for Agoraphobia should also be looking at:
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Draft your Agoraphobia personal statement
7-step wizard that builds your VA claim personal statement using your own words. Detects presumptive eligibility, cites 38 CFR + DBQ, includes federal-crime disclosure. You review and edit before filing.
Start draftingNot legal or medical advice. Always have a VSO or accredited rep review before filing.
Start Your Agoraphobia VA Claim
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Secondary Condition Claim Guides
Detailed guides on claiming each secondary condition linked to Agoraphobia.
Agoraphobia Claim Guide by State
Find state-specific VA facilities, veteran benefits, and filing resources.
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Educational content, not professional advice
This article is published by Military Transition Toolkit for educational and planning purposes. It is not legal, medical, or financial advice. VA rating criteria, benefits, and regulations change — verify anything benefits-affecting against VA.gov, 38 CFR Part 4, or a VA-accredited representative (VSO, agent, or attorney) before filing.
MTT is a veteran-owned planning tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, or any military branch.