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Thrombo-angiitis obliterans (Buerger's Disease)
Diagnostic code 7115 · Cardiovascular system · 38 CFR 4.104
Rating criteria: the exact regulation text
Quoted from 38 CFR 4.104. The "Rating" column is the percentage VA assigns for that level.
Printed at the start of this table in the regulation:
| Criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Note (1): Evaluate cor pulmonale, which is a form of secondary heart disease, as part of the pulmonary condition that causes it. | |
| Note (2): One MET (metabolic equivalent) is the energy cost of standing quietly at rest and represents an oxygen uptake of 3.5 milliliters per kilogram of body weight per minute. When the level of METs at which breathlessness, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope develops is required for evaluation, and a laboratory determination of METs by exercise testing cannot be done for medical reasons, a medical examiner may estimate the level of activity (expressed in METs and supported by specific examples, such as slow stair climbing or shoveling snow) that results in those symptoms. | |
| Note (3): For this general formula, heart failure symptoms include, but are not limited to, breathlessness, fatigue, angina, dizziness, arrhythmia, palpitations, or syncope. |
| Criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| 7115 Thrombo-angiitis obliterans (Buerger's Disease): | |
| Lower extremity: Rate under DC 7114. | |
| Upper extremity: | |
| Deep ischemic ulcers and necrosis of the fingers with persistent coldness of the extremity, trophic changes with pains in the hand during physical activity, and diminished upper extremity pulses | 100 |
| Persistent coldness of the extremity, trophic changes with pains in the hands during physical activity, and diminished upper extremity pulses | 60 |
| Trophic changes with numbness and paresthesia at the tips of the fingers, and diminished upper extremity pulses | 40 |
| Diminished upper extremity pulses | 20 |
| Note (1): These evaluations involve a single extremity. If more than one extremity is affected, evaluate each extremity separately and combine (under § 4.25), using the bilateral factor (§ 4.26), if applicable. | |
| Note (2): Trophic changes include, but are not limited to, skin changes (thinning, atrophy, fissuring, ulceration, scarring, absence of hair) as well as nail changes (clubbing, deformities). |
Related codes in the regulation
- 7114 Peripheral arterial diseaseRated using
The VA exam form for this condition
VA examiners record their findings on a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ). Reading it shows you what the exam will measure and ask.
Rules that apply to this body system
Where this comes from
38 CFR 4.104, VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities, from the official eCFR.
Regulation text current as of October 16, 2026.
Change history for this code (38 CFR Part 4, Appendix A): Added June 9, 1952; evaluation January 12, 1998; note, criterion, evaluation November 14, 2021.
Read it on eCFR.govInformation, not advice
This page shows the text of VA's rating regulation for information. It is not a rating estimate, and it is not legal or medical advice. VA decides every rating on the evidence in your file.
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