Epilepsy, psychomotor (DC 8914)

Rating levels

• -1% — A psychomotor seizure counts as a MAJOR seizure (for purposes of the 6-tier ladder) when the episode involves automatic states (purposeless complex behaviors like lip-smacking, picking at clothing, wandering, or fugue-like activity carried out without conscious awareness) and/or generalized convulsions with full unconsciousness. These episodes meet the same threshold as grand mal events under DC 8910 for ladder purposes: each one counts as a major seizure when tallying the rate-determining frequency at the 100% / 80% / 60% / 40% / 20% tiers.
• -1% — A psychomotor seizure counts as a MINOR seizure (for purposes of the 6-tier ladder) when the episode is a brief transient event that involves any of: random motor movements (twitches, fidgeting, simple gestures), hallucinations (visual, auditory, olfactory, or gustatory), perceptual illusions (deja vu, jamais vu, distortions of size/distance/familiarity), abnormalities of thinking, memory, or mood (sudden fear, sudden euphoria, sudden lapse of memory, an out-of-body or dreamlike state), or autonomic disturbances (flushing, sweating, nausea, palpitations, epigastric rising sensation). These episodes count as minor seizures when tallying the ladder thresholds (>10 / 9-10 / 5-8 minor per week, or 2 in the last 6 months).
• 100% — You qualify for 100% if you average at least 1 major psychomotor seizure (automatic state or generalized convulsion with unconsciousness) per month over the last year. The frequency is averaged across the full 12-month look-back window.
• 80% — You qualify for 80% if you average at least 1 major psychomotor seizure every 3 months over the last year (roughly 4+ major events per year), or if you have more than 10 minor psychomotor seizures weekly. The two criteria are alternatives, the rater applies whichever matches.
• 60% — You qualify for 60% if you average at least 1 major psychomotor seizure every 4 months over the last year (roughly 3+ major events per year), or if you have 9 to 10 minor psychomotor seizures per week.
• 40% — You qualify for 40% if you have had at least 1 major psychomotor seizure in the last 6 months OR at least 2 major psychomotor seizures in the last year, or if you average 5 to 8 minor psychomotor seizures weekly.
• 20% — You qualify for 20% if you have had at least 1 major psychomotor seizure in the last 2 years, or at least 2 minor psychomotor seizures in the last 6 months. This tier covers partially-controlled psychomotor epilepsy where breakthrough events continue despite medication.
• 10% — You qualify for 10% (the floor) if you have a confirmed diagnosis of psychomotor epilepsy with a history of seizures, even if your seizures are currently controlled by medication and you have not had a recent event. The diagnosis itself + documented seizure history is enough; current ongoing seizures are NOT required. Medication-controlled remission still rates 10%.