38 CFR Part 4, Rating Schedule

38 CFR § 4.100

Application of the general rating formula for diseases of the heart

Comes up whenever VA rates a heart condition under the general rating formula for diseases of the heart in § 4.104.

How the Board actually uses this section

Original RateMyVSO research, catalogued from the full archive of published Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions. No other source measures how each regulation plays out at the Board.

53.1%

granted at least one issue

2,429

published decisions citing it

The grant figure reflects the mix of claims where this section comes up, not the legal merit of any single claim.

Read the 2,429 decisions citing § 4.100

The conditions it decides

Decision counts per diagnostic code. Select a bar to read those exact Board decisions.

Arteriosclerotic heart disease (coronary artery disease) (DC 7005)728about this conditionPeripheral arterial disease (DC 7114)572about this conditionHypertensive vascular disease (hypertension and isolated systolic hypertension) (DC 7101)350about this conditionDiabetes mellitus (DC 7913)200about this conditionMyocardial infarction (DC 7006)148about this conditionCoronary bypass surgery (DC 7017)147about this conditionParalysis of sciatic nerve (DC 8520)147about this conditionValvular heart disease (including rheumatic heart disease), (DC 7000)102about this condition

What this regulation says, in plain English

This section requires VA to check for cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation (an enlarged or thickened heart shown on imaging) and whether the veteran needs continuous heart medication in every heart-disease rating, and generally requires METs testing, a measure of how much exertion triggers symptoms, unless it is medically unsafe or a 100 percent rating already applies on another basis.

METs testing: A measured or estimated workload level (metabolic equivalents) at which heart symptoms like breathlessness or chest pain appear.

Read the full text of 38 CFR § 4.100

This text was last amended by VA on November 29, 2021. We check it against eCFR every week.

(a) Whether or not cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation (documented by electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, or X-ray) is present and whether or not there is a need for continuous medication must be ascertained in all cases. #

(b) Even if the requirement for a 10% (based on the need for continuous medication) or 30% (based on the presence of cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation) evaluation is met, METs testing is required in all cases except: #

(1) When there is a medical contraindication.

(2) When a 100% evaluation can be assigned on another basis.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 1155)

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Read this section on eCFR ↗ · All rating regulations

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