Article at a glance
- Chronic insomnia is a recognised condition, not just “bad sleep”, and it can be claimed.
- It is often a secondary condition, caused or worsened by PTSD, depression, anxiety or chronic pain.
- You can claim it in its own right, which can add to your impairment and support.
- Treatment is available through your Veteran Card, and via NLHC where it links to mental health.
Years of broken sleep is something a lot of veterans just learn to live with. But chronic insomnia is a recognised condition, and if it is connected to your service, or to another condition that is, you may be able to claim for it with DVA.
This guide explains what counts as insomnia, why it is so common after service, and how it is claimed, including the part many veterans miss: it can often be claimed as a secondary condition. For related conditions, see our articles on PTSD and sleep apnoea, and the DVA medical conditions hub.
What counts as insomnia
Everyone has the odd bad night. Insomnia is different. It is ongoing trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early and not being able to get back, and it leaves you unrefreshed. It becomes a chronic condition when it happens at least three nights a week for three months or more. The knock-on effects are what wear you down: daytime fatigue, poor concentration and memory, irritability, low mood, and reduced ability to function at work and at home. Left alone, it tends to feed into other conditions and be fed by them.
Why it is so common after service
Service does not make for good sleep. Shift work and irregular hours, broken routines on deployment, the habit of staying alert and ready, and exposure to trauma all disrupt the body’s natural sleep patterns, and those patterns do not always reset once you discharge. For many veterans the poor sleep is also tied to something else, the hypervigilance and nightmares of PTSD, the rumination of anxiety or depression, or pain that will not let them settle. That connection is exactly why insomnia is so often claimable.
How insomnia is claimed
Like any DVA claim, insomnia is assessed against the relevant Statement of Principles, the rulebook that sets out how a condition can be connected to service. There are two main ways it comes up.
- As a secondary condition. This is the most common path. If you already have an accepted condition like PTSD, depression, anxiety or chronic pain, and it has caused or worsened your insomnia, you can claim the insomnia in its own right. It is not “just a symptom”, it can be a separately recognised condition.
- As a primary condition. If your insomnia stands on its own and links to your service, it can be claimed directly, provided the evidence meets the Statement of Principles.
Once liability is accepted, the impact of your insomnia is factored into your impairment, often alongside the related mental health condition. The key evidence is a clear diagnosis and a documented history, your GP records, any sleep or psychology reports, and a clear account of how it affects your daily life. Our guide on getting the right diagnosis walks through what that looks like.
Getting treatment
You do not have to wait for a claim to be sorted before getting help. Start with your GP, who can look at what is driving the poor sleep and point you toward effective treatment, such as psychological approaches that are well proven for insomnia. Where your sleep problems are linked to a mental health condition, treatment can be fully funded through Non-Liability Health Care without proving your service caused it. Treating the insomnia and claiming for it are separate tracks, and you can do both.
Frequently asked questions
Losing sleep over a service-related condition?
If your insomnia is tied to your service or to a condition you’ve already had accepted, it may be claimable in its own right. Our expert team can check whether you’re missing out and help you lodge it.
Related from KSC Law
- PTSD and DVA claims
- Sleep apnoea and CPAP claims
- Mental health support for veterans
- DVA medical conditions hub
External resources
Frequently asked questions
Often, yes. If your PTSD (or another accepted condition) has caused or worsened your insomnia, the insomnia can be claimed as a secondary condition in its own right. Many veterans don’t realise this and leave it unclaimed. It’s worth getting it looked at.
It can be more than that. While poor sleep is a feature of many conditions, chronic insomnia can be recognised as a separate condition with its own impact. Whether it’s best claimed separately or considered as part of your existing condition depends on your circumstances, which is something our team can help you work through.
A clear diagnosis with lung function testing, and a record of your relevant service exposures. The more clearly your exposure history and your symptoms over time are documented, the stronger the claim.