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Post-phlebitic syndrome of any etiology
Diagnostic code 7121 · 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 |
|---|---|
| 7121 Post-phlebitic syndrome of any etiology: | |
| With the following findings attributed to venous disease: | |
| Massive board-like edema with constant pain at rest | 100 |
| Persistent edema or subcutaneous induration, stasis pigmentation or eczema, and persistent ulceration | 60 |
| Persistent edema and stasis pigmentation or eczema, with or without intermittent ulceration | 40 |
| Persistent edema, incompletely relieved by elevation of extremity, with or without beginning stasis pigmentation or eczema | 20 |
| Intermittent edema of extremity or aching and fatigue in leg after prolonged standing or walking, with symptoms relieved by elevation of extremity or compression hosiery | 10 |
| Asymptomatic palpable or visible varicose veins | 0 |
| Note: These evaluations are for involvement of a single extremity. If more than one extremity is involved, evaluate each extremity separately and combine (under § 4.25), using the bilateral factor (§ 4.26), if applicable. |
Where else the regulation mentions this code
These lines appear under other codes or headings in the schedule and name this code.
Evaluate under diagnostic code 7121.
Related codes in the regulation
- 7120 Varicose veinsMentioned together
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): Criterion July 6, 1950; evaluation March 10, 1976; evaluation January 12, 1998.
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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