Whether working affects a 100% rating depends on how that 100% was assigned. There are two paths to 100% for a mental health condition, and they are treated differently.
If you have a schedular 100% rating under 38 CFR 4.130 (the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders), that rating is based on the severity of your symptoms, not your income. There is no income limit or work restriction tied to a schedular 100% rating. You can work full-time, part-time, be self-employed, or not work at all, and the rating itself does not change simply because you are employed. What can change it is a future VA examination showing sustained improvement in your symptoms, which could lead to a proposed reduction — but employment alone is not evidence of improvement, and the VA is required to show actual, sustained improvement in occupational and social functioning before reducing a mental health rating that has been in place, especially if it has been continuous for five years or more (see 38 CFR 3.344, which imposes stricter reduction standards for stabilized ratings).
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →If instead your 100% comes from Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU), the rules are different. TDIU is specifically meant for veterans who cannot maintain substantially gainful employment because of service-connected conditions. Under 38 CFR 4.16(a), engaging in more than marginal employment (generally work that earns more than the poverty threshold for one person, with some exceptions for sheltered or protected work environments) can put your TDIU award at risk, because it may indicate you are capable of substantially gainful employment. Schedular 100% and TDIU are not the same thing, so it matters which one applies to you.
As for treatment, the VA does not require ongoing therapy attendance to maintain a rating, but consistent treatment records, or the lack of them, can factor into future exams if a re-evaluation is scheduled. Whether someone uses VA mental health services, a private therapist, or no formal therapy is a personal treatment decision and does not by itself increase or decrease a rating.
Because outcomes depend heavily on which basis your 100% rests on, the concrete next step is to check your VA decision letter or eBenefits/VA.gov rating decision to confirm whether your 100% is schedular or TDIU-based, since that distinction determines how work income and hours could affect your benefits going forward.
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