A mental health condition that may cause disruptions in thinking, perception, emotions, and behavior.
Medical records documenting your formal diagnosis of schizophrenia are the foundation for any rating. Beyond that, the evidence that matters most is whatever shows how your symptoms affect your ability to work and participate in daily life at the level matching each rating criterion.
For a 50% rating, records showing flattened affect, circumstantial or stereotyped speech, panic attacks more than once a week, memory impairment, impaired judgment or abstract thinking, or trouble maintaining work and social relationships would be relevant. For a 70% rating, documentation of suicidal ideation, near-continuous panic or depression, impaired impulse control, spatial disorientation, neglect of personal hygiene, or inability to maintain effective relationships supports that level. For a 100% rating, evidence of gross impairment in thought or communication, persistent delusions or hallucinations, grossly inappropriate behavior, persistent danger of hurting yourself or others, or disorientation to time, place, or your own name would be significant.
Statements from you, family members, or coworkers describing how symptoms interfere with work tasks, relationships, and daily routines can help show the real-world impact of your condition at any rating level.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
