Get the VA Rating You Deserve for Your Mental Health & Insomnia
Your service took a toll on your mind. We provide the independent medical evaluations, DBQs, and nexus letters you need to connect your mental health struggles to your military service.
Mental Health & Insomnia & VA Disability Claims
Mental health conditions and insomnia are some of the most common — and most debilitating — invisible wounds of military service. Whether you are dealing with anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, or PTSD, the impact on your daily life, your career, and your family is real. Unfortunately, proving that connection to the VA can feel like an uphill battle.
At AIDE, we understand the complex pathways that link military service to mental health disorders. Our physicians provide thorough, independent evaluations to help establish the crucial medical nexus needed for your claim. Unlike other services that cut corners on licensing or rush through evaluations, AIDE ensures every provider is properly licensed in your state and conducts a comprehensive assessment that the VA will take seriously — protecting your rating from future challenges.
The VA rates mental health conditions based on the level of occupational and social impairment. Depending on the severity of your symptoms — ranging from mild sleep disturbances to severe anxiety or depression that impacts your ability to work — our evaluations focus on providing an accurate, medically sound assessment of your current impairment level based on realistic DBQ outcomes.
Commonly Secondary To
- Combat Exposure and Deployment Stress
- Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Chronic Pain from Service-Connected Orthopedic Injuries
VA Rating Scale
Mental Health Diagnosis & Stressor Documentation
Current DSM-5 Diagnosis from a Qualified Mental Health Professional
Per 38 CFR § 4.125, a mental health diagnosis must be made using DSM-5 criteria by a qualified mental health professional — psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, or qualified mental health nurse practitioner. The diagnosis must specify the condition: PTSD (DC 9411), major depressive disorder (DC 9434), generalized anxiety disorder (DC 9400), panic disorder (DC 9412), adjustment disorder, or others under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. A self-reported belief of having PTSD is not sufficient without a clinical diagnosis.
In-Service Stressor Documentation
For PTSD specifically (38 CFR § 3.304(f)), evidence of an in-service stressor is required. This can include: combat service indicators (CIB, CAR, Purple Heart, combat-zone deployment records) which trigger relaxed stressor requirements; documented incidents from service records (line of duty investigations, after-action reports, casualty reports); fear of hostile military or terrorist activity (relaxed standard for many post-9/11 veterans); or for military sexual trauma (MST) claims, the broader markers-based evidentiary standard under 38 CFR § 3.304(f)(5) that does not require contemporaneous reporting. Buddy statements, unit records, and personal statements all contribute.
Medical Nexus Linking Stressor to Current Symptoms
A medical opinion from a qualified mental health professional connecting your current PTSD or mental health condition to the documented in-service stressor. The nexus statement must address the medical reasoning — how the specific traumatic exposure or service experience caused or contributed to the current diagnosis. This is where most PTSD and mental health claims stall; a properly written nexus letter is often the difference between approval and denial.
Documentation of Occupational and Social Impairment
Mental health ratings under 38 CFR § 4.130 are based on the degree of occupational and social impairment, not on a checklist of symptoms. Treatment records, work history (terminations, missed work, accommodations), relationship history (divorces, isolation, conflict), statements from spouses/family describing day-to-day functioning, and your own dated account of symptom impact all matter. Per Vazquez-Claudio v. Shinseki (Fed. Cir. 2013), the rating depends on whether symptoms cause impairment 'in most of the referenced areas' — a holistic assessment, not symptom checking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's Included in Your Mental Health & Insomnia Evaluation
Comprehensive Mental Health Evaluation
A thorough telehealth evaluation with a licensed provider covering your mental health history, current symptoms, sleep patterns, and the connection to your service-connected conditions.
Expert Nexus Letter
A detailed, professionally written medical opinion establishing the relationship between your mental health condition and your military service, with supporting medical rationale the VA requires.
Disability Benefits Questionnaire
A completed mental disorders DBQ documenting your diagnosis, symptom severity, occupational and social impairment level, and functional impact — formatted and ready for VA submission.
Three Simple Steps
Free Screening
Brief intake form so we can match you with the right provider.
Medical Evaluation
Telehealth visit with a board-certified provider licensed in your state.
Receive Documents
Evaluation report, Nexus letter, and DBQ delivered within 7 days.
Flat Fee Pricing
Veterans Keep 100% of Their Benefits — We Never Take a Percentage. One-time flat fee with no hidden costs.
Ask about pricing. We offer discounts and work with your budget.
Evaluation + DBQ
Medical records review and a completed Disability Benefits Questionnaire.
- Telehealth evaluation with licensed provider
- Medical records review
- Completed DBQ formatted for VA submission
Evaluation + DBQ + Nexus Letter
Medical records review, completed DBQ, plus a nexus letter connecting the condition to military service.
- Everything in the DBQ Service
- Expert nexus letter establishing service connection
- Detailed medical rationale using VA-standard language
Evaluation + Diagnostic Evaluation + DBQ + Nexus Letter
Medical records review, diagnostic evaluation for conditions not yet formally diagnosed, completed DBQ, and nexus letter.
*For veterans who do not yet have a formal diagnosis for this condition
- Everything in the Nexus Letter Service
- Diagnostic evaluation for veterans without a formal diagnosis
- Findings documented in nexus letter and DBQ
Ready to Get Started?
Important:
AIDE is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Department of Veterans Affairs. We are an independent, veteran-owned medical evaluation service. Free claims assistance is available through accredited Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs). Our evaluations do not guarantee a specific VA rating or claim outcome. See our full Disclosures for more information.