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Small intestine cancer is rated at 100 percent under 38 CFR 4.114, DC 7343 during active disease and for 6 months after therapy ends. Listed as a radiation pres

Decided on Active malignancy status

Malignant neoplasms of the digestive system are rated under diagnostic code 7343 at 100 percent while active and during treatment, continued for 6 months after

Decided on Pathology and treatment residuals

Removal of one testis is rated under diagnostic code 7524 at 0 percent, and removal of both at 30 percent. Either way, loss of a creative organ qualifies for Sp

Decided on One testis or both removed

Testicular cancer is rated under diagnostic code 7528 (malignant neoplasms of the genitourinary system) at 100 percent while the cancer is active and for six mo

Decided on Diagnosis & treatment residuals

Testicular atrophy is rated under diagnostic code 7523 at 0 or 20 percent based on whether atrophy is partial or complete and bilateral.

Decided on Complete atrophy of both testes

Resection of the small intestine, including short bowel syndrome, is rated under diagnostic code 7328: 20 percent for four or more episodes of diarrhea daily af

Decided on Diarrhea and nutritional support

De Quervain's tenosynovitis is rated by analogy to limitation of wrist motion under diagnostic code 5215 at 10 percent.

Decided on Wrist range of motion, painful motion

Hypogonadism has no diagnostic code of its own. VA typically rates it by analogy under a built up code such as 7599-7523, borrowing the criteria for complete te

Decided on Symptoms despite testosterone therapy

Intestinal helminthiasis (worm infection) has no percentage ladder of its own. It falls under diagnostic code 6320 (parasitic diseases otherwise not specified),

Decided on Chronic residuals

Constrictive bronchiolitis does not yet have its own diagnostic code, so VA rates it by analogy, usually under the respiratory formula at diagnostic code 6600,

Decided on Pulmonary function testing results

Inactive pulmonary tuberculosis residuals are rated under diagnostic code 6731 by routing to the code that fits the damage: interstitial lung disease, restricti

Decided on Residual findings and PFT results

Active lung cancer is rated at 100 percent under diagnostic code 6819. After active treatment ends, residuals such as breathing impairment drive the rating.

Cardiomyopathy (diagnostic code 7020) is rated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart in 38 CFR 4.104: 100 percent when a workload of 3.0 ME

Decided on METs, CHF, or ejection fraction

Mitral stenosis is rated by analogy under 38 CFR 4.104 DC 7000 (valvular heart disease) at 10 to 100 percent based on METs achieved and ejection fraction.

Decided on Echocardiogram, stress test, METs

Brachial plexus injury is rated under 38 CFR 4.124a DC 8513 at 20 to 90 percent (major) or 20 to 80 percent (minor) based on severity (mild, moderate, severe, o

Decided on Severity of paralysis

High cholesterol, high triglycerides and hyperlipidemia are not ratable disabilities on their own. When VA rewrote the endocrine rating schedule in 1996 it said

Decided on Laboratory finding, not a disability: no diagnostic code exists

Chronic complications of surgery on the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, or small intestine, including dumping syndrome and postgastrectomy syndrome, are rated und

Decided on Post-op symptom severity

Major neurocognitive disorder due to another medical condition or substance or medication induced (diagnostic code 9326) is rated under the General Rating Formu

Decided on Occupational and social impairment

Narcolepsy is rated by analogy to epilepsy (petit mal) at 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100 percent based on the frequency of sleep attacks per week or month.

Decided on Petit mal seizure rating

Brucellosis is rated under diagnostic code 6316 using the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases: 100 percent for active disease confirmed by culture or

Decided on Residuals of joint and organ effects

Gastroparesis is rated under DC 7356 (gastrointestinal dysmotility syndrome) at 10, 30, 50, or 80 percent based on symptoms and the level of nutritional support

Decided on Symptoms and nutrition support needs

Male infertility from a service connected condition may qualify for Special Monthly Compensation (SMC-K) for loss of use of a creative organ, in addition to any

Decided on Symptoms and continuous treatment

Myasthenia gravis carries a 30 percent minimum rating under diagnostic code 8025 when there are ascertainable residuals. The code has no fixed 60 or 100 percent

Decided on Minimum 30% plus residuals

Pemphigus vulgaris is rated under diagnostic code 7815 (bullous disorders) using the General Rating Formula for the Skin, at 0 to 60 percent based on the body a

Decided on Body area involved and treatment frequency

Pleurisy residuals (chronic pleural disease) are rated under 38 CFR 4.97 DC 6845 (chronic pleural effusion or fibrosis) at 30 to 100 percent based on FEV-1, FVC

Decided on PFT values and exercise capacity

Priority Group 5 covers veterans with no compensable service-connected rating whose income falls under VA's limits, veterans receiving VA pension, and veterans

… ense of injustice can carry a CUE motion. The three-pronged test from Russell v. Principi is colder than that: the error must be undebatable, judged only on the

Survivors Pension is needs-based. The Aid and Attendance and Housebound additions boost the maximum annual rate when the surviving spouse needs help with daily

There is no asbestos presumption: these claims are won by proving exposure and connecting a lung disease that surfaces decades later. Here is the development VA

Many Gulf War veterans live with real symptoms no test fully explains. Under 38 CFR 3.317, certain chronic disabilities in Persian Gulf veterans can be presumed

Asthma is rated under DC 6602 (38 CFR 4.97) on the higher of your pulmonary function numbers or your daily medication needs, so daily inhaled medication alone c

COPD is rated under DC 6604 almost entirely on pulmonary function test numbers: FEV-1, FEV-1/FVC, and DLCO. Here is the 10 to 100 percent scale, why post-bronch

Hearing loss is rated by a table from two measurements: the puretone threshold average and the Maryland CNC speech test. Here is how Tables VI and VII produce y

TBI residuals are rated under DC 8045 through ten facets, with the single highest facet setting the rating from 0 to 100 percent. Here is the facet table, the t

Vertigo and balance disorders are rated under DC 6204 at 10 or 30 percent, and the code hides three traps: a rating requires objective vestibular testing, the w

Two tools for when one flat percentage does not fit: staged ratings, for when severity changed over time (Fenderson, Hart), and extra-schedular ratings under 38

A tinnitus claim usually rests on your own account, because there is no test that proves the ringing. Under Fountain v. McDonald, tinnitus tied to acoustic trau

VA plans to cut Form 21-526EZ, the application for disability compensation, from 15 pages to 5. We filed a public comment supporting the goal and asking VA to p

There is no medical test that proves Agent Orange exposure, and there never will be: the herbicide components leave the body quickly, and dioxin is too widespre

… paid above the 100 percent rate through SMC, with no income test involved. ## Two programs, one shared name The phrases **Aid and Attendance** and **Houseboun

… - **Direct Review docket**, No new evidence, no hearing. Fastest of the three Board dockets. Best when the record already supports the claim and you want a judg

… dge decides the case on the existing record. - **Wait:** Fastest of the three. VA's published goal is roughly 365 days, though real-world averages have run some

… How the apportionment process works Apportionment is a contested process. The person seeking it files a claim, usually with VA Form 21-0788, Information Regar

… ongenital talipes equinovarus (clubfoot) - Esophageal and intestinal atresia - Hallerman-Streiff syndrome - Hip dysplasia - Hirschsprung's disease (congenital m

… and you cannot change it after filing. Direct Review is fastest but closes the record. Evidence Submission buys a 90 day window. The Hearing docket adds testim

… nds of evidence - **Medical evidence.** Treatment records, test results, C&P exam reports, and medical opinions (a nexus letter). This proves the diagnosis and

… ## How to apply in advance (pre-need eligibility) The smartest move for any family planning is to pre-apply for eligibility, well before the death. This elimi

A normal breathing test does not end a burn pit claim. The signature burn pit disease, constrictive bronchiolitis, is notorious for hiding from standard spirome

… r 1987. - Ionizing radiation, including atmospheric nuclear testing and certain occupational exposures. - Gulf War service connected to undiagnosed and chronic

… moderate level, and without asking about electrodiagnostic testing. - Claiming one wrist when both are involved, and losing the bilateral factor under 38 CFR 4