Can You Claim Insomnia Secondary to PTSD with DVA?

Chronic insomnia is almost universal among veterans with PTSD. It’s also almost universally unclaimed as a separate DVA condition. If you have accepted PTSD and you have difficulty sleeping, you may have an additional claim sitting unused.

Insomnia is not just a PTSD symptom for DVA purposes. It is a separate, claimable condition under its own Statement of Principles, with its own GARP M assessment and its own impairment points.

The SoP factor

The Chronic Insomnia Disorder SoP No. 37 of 2019 (Reasonable Hypothesis) and No. 38 of 2019 (Balance of Probabilities) both contain a factor linking insomnia to mental health conditions.

Under the BoP version (SoP No. 38 of 2019), factor 8(1) requires:

“Having a clinically significant disorder of mental health as specified in the Schedule, within one year before the clinical onset of chronic insomnia disorder.”

The Schedule to the SoP explicitly lists posttraumatic stress disorder. It also lists major depressive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, and other mental health conditions. The RH version (SoP No. 37 of 2019) contains the equivalent factor with the same Schedule.

The factor requires only two things: an accepted PTSD diagnosis, and that the PTSD was present within one year before the clinical onset of chronic insomnia.

What counts as chronic insomnia disorder

DVA doesn’t accept insomnia as a vague complaint about poor sleep. The condition must meet the clinical definition of Chronic Insomnia Disorder under the DSM-5-TR or ICSD-3.

Most veterans with PTSD who have had ongoing sleep problems for more than three months will meet this definition. The issue is documentation, not the clinical reality.

Why this claim is separate from PTSD

Veterans often assume their insomnia is captured within their PTSD rating. It isn’t, and this is the most important thing to understand about this claim.

Under GARP M Chapter 5 (Psychiatric Impairment), PTSD is rated based on how it affects six functional areas. Sleep disturbance is one of the symptoms considered within that assessment, but it contributes to the overall functional rating rather than producing a separate impairment score.

Insomnia as a separately accepted condition is assessed under GARP M Chapter 6 (Sleep Disorders). The Chapter 6 assessment produces its own impairment rating, which then combines with the PTSD rating through the GARP M Chapter 23 combining formula. The combined impairment score will always be higher with both conditions accepted than with PTSD alone.

The onset timeline

The SoP factor requires that PTSD was present within one year before the clinical onset of chronic insomnia disorder. Clinical onset is the date the diagnostic criteria for chronic insomnia were first met, not the date of diagnosis or the date you first reported sleep problems to a doctor.

For many veterans, PTSD and chronic insomnia developed together or in close sequence. If PTSD was accepted and present before the insomnia developed, the factor is clearly satisfied. If PTSD and insomnia appear to have onset at the same time, a treating psychiatrist or sleep physician can provide a clinical opinion on the timeline.

If your medical records suggest insomnia predated the PTSD diagnosis by more than a year, the PTSD factor may not apply. In that case, look at other SoP factors for chronic insomnia, including the tinnitus factor (factor 8(9)) or the chronic pain factor (factor 8(8)).

Other SoP factors worth knowing

If you have PTSD, tinnitus, and chronic pain, you potentially have three separate SoP factors for insomnia, each independently capable of establishing the link to service.

What evidence you need

The broader secondary claim picture for PTSD veterans

Insomnia is one of several secondary conditions commonly associated with accepted PTSD. Veterans with PTSD should also consider:

• Depression secondary to PTSD: The depressive disorder SoP contains a factor for having a clinically significant disorder of mental health, including PTSD, within the required period before clinical onset.
• Alcohol use disorder secondary to PTSD: The alcohol use disorder SoP (No. 85 of 2025) explicitly lists PTSD as a qualifying condition in factor 9(1). If PTSD has contributed to problematic alcohol use, this is a direct, single-factor claim.
• Hypertension secondary to PTSD: The hypertension SoP (No. 21 of 2022, RH) contains factor 9(12), which references clinically significant mental health disorders. Accepted PTSD can link directly to hypertension through this pathway.

Each of these conditions, if accepted, contributes its own impairment points to the combined score.

Frequently asked questions

My PTSD is accepted but insomnia was never lodged. Can I still claim it?

Yes. There is no time limit on lodging a secondary claim. As long as the PTSD was present within one year before the clinical onset of your chronic insomnia, the SoP factor is available regardless of how long ago your PTSD was accepted.

DVA already knows about my sleep problems from my PTSD claim. Doesn't that mean it's covered?

No. DVA considers insomnia as part of the PTSD functional assessment but does not automatically accept chronic insomnia as a separate condition on the basis of your PTSD claim. You need to lodge a separate claim for insomnia as a distinct condition.

Do I need a sleep study to claim insomnia?

Not necessarily. The diagnosis can be made clinically by a psychiatrist, sleep physician, or clinical psychologist without a polysomnography. A sleep study can support the claim and is useful if sleep apnoea is also suspected, but it is not a mandatory requirement.

Can I claim insomnia if my sleep problems are managed by medication?

Yes. The fact that you’re using medication to manage insomnia is evidence that the condition exists and requires treatment. It doesn’t prevent a DVA claim.

What if I have tinnitus as well as PTSD? Which factor should I use?

Both may be available. PTSD satisfies factor 8(1), and tinnitus (if accepted for three or more months) satisfies factor 8(9). You can reference both in a single claim. DVA only needs to be satisfied that at least one factor is met.

How much do insomnia impairment points add to my total?

Any addition to the CIS increases your total compensation and may push you toward the 60-point Gold Card or 50-point SRDP thresholds. For an estimate based on your current and projected ratings, use the CPV PI calculator.