Reference: 38 CFR 4.117

Sources & Related Guides

What is the VA rating for Hemic and Lymphatic Systems?

Review Hemic and Lymphatic Systems guidance covering all 21 live diagnostic codes under DC 7702-7725, including leukemias, lymphomas, plasma-cell and marrow neoplasms, platelet and white-cell disorders, spleen conditions, and 6 anemia codes.

Condition Overview & Clinical Scope

VA rates blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic system conditions under 38 CFR 4.117, DC 7702-7725 -- 21 live diagnostic codes covering leukemias, lymphomas, plasma-cell and marrow neoplasms, platelet and white-cell disorders, a myeloproliferative disorder, spleen conditions, tuberculous adenitis, and 6 anemia codes. This is the full scope of the section, not the narrower 'anemia/blood disorders' framing sometimes used to describe it.

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Explore Hemic and Lymphatic Systems Criteria & Tools

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Common Questions & FAQs

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Overview

About this condition

VA rates blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic system conditions under 38 CFR 4.117, DC 7702-7725 -- 21 live diagnostic codes covering leukemias, lymphomas, plasma-cell and marrow neoplasms, platelet and white-cell disorders, a myeloproliferative disorder, spleen conditions, tuberculous adenitis, and 6 anemia codes. This is the full scope of the section, not the narrower 'anemia/blood disorders' framing sometimes used to describe it.

Regulatory authority: 38 CFR 4.117, Diagnostic Codes 7702-7725

This hub explains the published DC 7702-7725 schedule and common record language. It does not diagnose a condition, determine service connection, infer undocumented findings, estimate an outcome, or replace medical care or accredited representation. IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES: (1) DC 7717 (AL amyloidosis) is rated at a single flat 100 percent tier with NO Note, no lower tier, and no stated mechanism for ever stepping down -- confirmed via fresh verbatim fetch as the only code in this entire range with no exit path of any kind, in direct contrast to this range's other 100-percent-active codes (DC 7709, 7712, 7715, 7724), each of which carries its own mandatory-reexamination Note. This is disclosed prominently, not as a footnote, given that it affects real people carrying a serious diagnosis. (2) DC 7718 (essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis)'s 70 percent ('platelet count below 500,000/uL') and 30 percent ('200,000-400,000') tiers fully overlap with no stated tiebreaker -- confirmed via two independent primary sources as a possible drafting error or published typo, not a normal ambiguity. (3) DC 7711 has an Appendix A entry ('Criterion October 23, 1995') with no removal entry, yet does not appear anywhere in the current schedule -- this is left genuinely open, not assumed to be either a stale editorial artifact or a live code, per RSCH-043's own sign-off. (4) DC 7710 (tuberculous adenitis) redirects BOTH active and inactive phases to 38 CFR 4.88c or 4.89, whichever is appropriate -- unlike similar tuberculosis dispatches elsewhere in this project, DC 7710 carries no percentage of its own for either phase; RatingScope does not compute a result here. (5) DC 7706 (splenectomy)'s own Note directs separately rating complications such as systemic infections with encapsulated bacteria; DC 7707 (healed spleen injury) is rated entirely on residuals with no percentage of its own; DC 7703/7709/7715/7724's 'rate on residuals' fallback beyond active treatment names no destination code. All of these are disclosed for separate review, never auto-computed.

Percentage Guides

Understanding Your Percentage

Select a pathway to see what the published criteria ask about, what records may clarify it, and what should not be assumed.

100% (multiple codes, active disease/treatment)

Highest listed pathway

Most codes in this range reach 100 percent through active disease, an ongoing treatment phase, or a defined intensive-treatment requirement (stem cell transplant, chemotherapy, or similar).

What separates the next level: Several of these codes (DC 7709, 7712, 7715, 7724) continue the 100 percent evaluation for a stated period after treatment ends, then require a mandatory VA reexamination before any reduction, subject to 38 CFR 3.105(e). DC 7717 (AL amyloidosis) is the sole exception -- see its own disclosure below.

Review CFR criteria, examples, and evidence
Official CFR language
For example, DC 7709 (Hodgkin's lymphoma): 'With active disease or during a treatment phase -- 100.'
What the published criteria say
Reached directly once active disease or the qualifying treatment intensity is documented.
Examples
Records document active Hodgkin's lymphoma currently undergoing chemotherapy.
Medical evidence
Hemic and Lymphatic Conditions DBQ; Oncology or hematology treatment records
Functional impact examples
Active malignancy or blood disorder requiring intensive ongoing treatment.
Common misconceptions
Not every 100 percent tier in this hub works the same way -- some have a stated reexamination path, and one (DC 7717) has none at all.
Related topics
7717-no-exit; residual-dispatch
Source context
38 CFR 4.117; 7709/7712/7715/7724; Current DC 7702-7725 educational pathway. No pending rulemaking touches 38 CFR 4.117 as of RSCH-043, though the section is flagged as an unusually high-exposure area for RIN 2900-AS49 (nearly every code states criteria as a treatment/medication requirement).

100% (DC 7717, AL amyloidosis -- no exit)

Highest listed pathway

AL amyloidosis is rated at a single flat 100 percent with no lower tier and no stated mechanism for ever stepping down.

What separates the next level: Unlike this range's other 100-percent-active codes, there is no lower tier and no reexamination Note of any kind under DC 7717.

Review CFR criteria, examples, and evidence
Official CFR language
7717 AL amyloidosis (primary amyloidosis) -- 100.
What the published criteria say
Reached directly once the diagnosis is confirmed -- there is no additional finding to document.
Examples
Records confirm a diagnosis of AL (primary) amyloidosis.
Medical evidence
Hemic and Lymphatic Conditions DBQ; Pathology records confirming the diagnosis
Functional impact examples
Confirmed AL amyloidosis diagnosis.
Common misconceptions
This is not an oversight in how RatingScope reads the rule -- it is a genuine, confirmed structural gap in the regulation itself.
Related topics
7717-no-exit
Source context
38 CFR 4.117; 7717; Current DC 7717 educational pathway.

20% (DC 7706, splenectomy)

Highest listed pathway

Splenectomy is rated at a single flat 20 percent.

What separates the next level: DC 7706's own Note directs separately rating any complications, such as infections with encapsulated bacteria -- disclosed here, never auto-computed into another code's facts. DC 7705's own Note (1) and DC 7723's own Note (2) each separately state: 'Separately evaluate splenectomy under diagnostic code 7706 and combine with an evaluation under this diagnostic code' -- a mandatory (not discretionary) cross-reference from those two codes back to this one, disclosed here for veterans documented with a splenectomy alongside immune thrombocytopenia (DC 7705) or acquired hemolytic anemia (DC 7723).

Review CFR criteria, examples, and evidence
Official CFR language
7706 Splenectomy -- 20. Note: Separately rate complications such as systemic infections with encapsulated bacteria.
What the published criteria say
Reached directly once a splenectomy is confirmed.
Examples
Records confirm a splenectomy.
Medical evidence
Hemic and Lymphatic Conditions DBQ; Surgical records
Functional impact examples
Confirmed splenectomy.
Common misconceptions
Complications from the splenectomy are a separate rating question, not folded into this 20 percent figure.
Related topics
residual-dispatch
Source context
38 CFR 4.117; 7706; Current DC 7706 educational pathway.

0% (multiple codes, real explicit tiers)

Next: 10% (varies by code)

Several codes in this range have a real, explicitly stated 0 percent tier for asymptomatic or fully controlled presentations -- for example, DC 7705 (immune thrombocytopenia), DC 7712 (multiple myeloma, asymptomatic/smoldering/MGUS), DC 7718, DC 7720, DC 7721, and DC 7723.

What separates the next level: Not every code in this range has a 0 percent tier -- DC 7716 (aplastic anemia) and DC 7725 (myelodysplastic syndromes) both bottom out at 30 percent with no lower tier stated.

Review CFR criteria, examples, and evidence
Official CFR language
For example, DC 7723 (acquired hemolytic anemia): 'Asymptomatic -- 0.'
What the published criteria say
These are genuine, stated regulatory outcomes for a documented asymptomatic or well-controlled presentation.
Examples
Records document asymptomatic acquired hemolytic anemia requiring no active treatment.
Medical evidence
Hemic and Lymphatic Conditions DBQ
Functional impact examples
Findings within the code's own explicitly stated non-compensable range.
Common misconceptions
A 0 percent result here is a real, stated regulatory outcome for these codes, distinct from DC 7717's genuine absence of any lower tier or exit mechanism.
Related topics
7717-no-exit
Source context
38 CFR 4.117; 7705/7712/7718/7720/7721/7723; Current DC 7702-7725 educational pathway.

Learn

Understand the details behind the criteria

Use these short guides to connect published terms with the records and observations that may clarify them.

DC 7717's missing exit mechanism

AL amyloidosis is rated at a single flat 100 percent tier with no Note, no lower tier, and no stated mechanism for ever stepping down -- confirmed via fresh verbatim fetch as the only code in this range with no exit path of any kind.

  • By contrast, this range's other 100-percent-active codes -- DC 7709 (Hodgkin's lymphoma), DC 7712 (multiple myeloma), DC 7715 (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), and DC 7724 (solitary plasmacytoma) -- each carry a mandatory-reexamination Note (6 months, 5 years, 2 years, and 6 months respectively) that eventually moves to a residual rating, subject to 38 CFR 3.105(e).
  • DC 7717 has none of this -- no stated reexamination period, no residual scale, and no lower tier to move to.
  • This is disclosed prominently here, not buried as a footnote, because it is a genuine, unresolved structural gap in the regulation itself that directly affects veterans carrying this specific diagnosis.

Records to review: Pathology records confirming an AL amyloidosis diagnosis.

DC 7718's overlapping platelet thresholds

DC 7718 (essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis)'s 70 percent tier ('platelet count below 500,000/uL') and 30 percent tier ('200,000-400,000') fully overlap, with no stated tiebreaker.

  • Any documented platelet count between 200,000 and 400,000 technically satisfies BOTH the 30 percent range and the 70 percent 'below 500,000' threshold.
  • This is confirmed via two independent primary sources as a possible drafting error or published typo, not a normal ambiguity.
  • RatingScope presents both the 70 percent and 30 percent findings as distinct selectable options and discloses the conflict explicitly here, rather than silently resolving which the regulation 'really' meant.

Records to review: Documented platelet count and treatment records.

DC 7711's unreconciled Appendix A entry

DC 7711 has an Appendix A entry ('Criterion October 23, 1995') with no corresponding removal entry, yet the code does not appear anywhere in the current 38 CFR 4.117 text.

  • This is likely stale editorial residue from the section's substantial December 9, 2018 rebuild, but this is not confirmed.
  • Per RSCH-043's own sign-off, this is left genuinely open -- no assumption is made in either direction, and DC 7711 is not offered as an intake option since it is not a live code in the current schedule.
  • This differs from DC 7708 and DC 7713, which are also absent from the current text but do not carry this same unreconciled archival flag.

Records to review: Appendix A to 38 CFR Part 4, Table of Amendments and Effective Dates Since 1946.

DC 7710: a dual-phase redirect with no percentage of its own

DC 7710 (tuberculous adenitis) directs BOTH active and inactive phases to be rated under 38 CFR 4.88c or 4.89, whichever is appropriate -- carrying no percentage of its own for either phase.

  • This is confirmed distinct from similar tuberculosis-adjacent dispatches elsewhere (which state active disease as a flat 100 percent directly in their own text and redirect only the inactive phase) -- DC 7710's own text redirects both phases entirely.
  • Which of 38 CFR 4.88c or 4.89 applies depends on the 4.88c or 4.89 category the regulation describes, a determinable fact rather than a clinical judgment call.
  • RatingScope discloses this redirect for both phases rather than computing a result from either destination section.

Records to review: Records establishing active/inactive status and records that show the dates the regulation refers to.

When a diagnosis is disclosed for separate residual review

Several codes in this range (DC 7703, 7707, 7709, 7715, 7724) direct evaluation 'on residuals under the appropriate diagnostic code(s)' once outside active treatment or after healing, with no specific destination code named.

  • This applies to leukemia (DC 7703) beyond active treatment and the asymptomatic Rai Stage 0 exception, Hodgkin's/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and solitary plasmacytoma (DC 7709/7715/7724) with no recurrence, and a healed spleen injury (DC 7707).
  • RatingScope discloses these as needing separate review rather than guessing which of this project's other condition hubs (or an unbuilt one) the residual finding should be rated under.
  • This mirrors the same open-ended-dispatch disclosure discipline already used elsewhere in this project (Eye Conditions' DC 6014/6015/6032, Dental and Oral's DC 9917).

Records to review: Treatment records confirming cessation of active treatment and absence of recurrence.

Evidence

Evidence that may clarify the published criteria

Oncology or hematology treatment records

Establishes active disease/treatment status, treatment intensity, and transfusion or medication frequency across nearly every code in this range.

Specific evidence varies significantly by diagnosis -- see each code's own criteria.

Documented platelet count, blood counts, or transfusion/infection frequency

The primary measurement for most of this range's treatment-frequency and severity ladders.

Not required for the flat-percentage or disclosure-only codes (DC 7706, 7707, 7710, 7717).

Hemic and Lymphatic Conditions Disability Benefits Questionnaire

The standardized VA exam form covering the diagnoses and rating criteria in this hub.

A DBQ is one common evidence source, not the only way to document these findings.

VA forms and DBQs (from VA.gov)

Downloadable DBQs & Supporting Claim Forms

The public DBQ shows the kinds of findings an examiner may record. A veteran may review it, or may share it with a private clinician, before a C&P exam. RatingScope does not tell any person what to submit.

Terminology

Plain-English terms

Rate on residuals

Once the disease is gone or controlled, VA looks at what lasting problems remain and rates those specifically, rather than continuing to rate the disease itself.

Several codes in this range (DC 7703, 7707, 7709, 7715, 7724) use this instruction without naming a specific destination code, disclosed here as needing separate review.

Treatment records confirming cessation of active treatment; residual-dispatch

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Mandatory VA examination (reexamination)

A follow-up exam VA requires before lowering certain 100 percent ratings, to confirm the condition has actually improved.

Used by DC 7709, 7712, 7715, and 7724 -- and conspicuously absent from DC 7717, which has no such mechanism at all.

Mandatory VA examination records; 7717-no-exit

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Anemia

Anemia is rated here, under this hub's own diagnostic codes, when it is itself the diagnosed condition -- not when it appears only as a documented finding within a different condition's own criteria.

Anemia can also appear as a listed finding within a different condition's own rating criteria -- for example, Hemorrhoids' DC 7336 lists persistent bleeding with anemia together as one of its 20 percent routes -- but that does not make Hemorrhoids the destination for anemia itself. This hub is the destination when anemia is the diagnosed condition being rated.

Complete blood count (CBC) and hemoglobin/hematocrit lab results; anemia-codes

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TDIU

Even if the schedular rating for Hemic and Lymphatic Systems does not reach 100 percent, TDIU may still provide a pathway to compensation at the 100 percent rate, based on unemployability from this and/or other service-connected disabilities combined.

A lower schedular percentage does not by itself foreclose TDIU eligibility -- this hub computes only the schedular percentage for this specific condition and does not determine TDIU eligibility.

Employment history; vocational impact documentation; occupational impairment

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Common Questions

Questions veterans commonly ask

How does VA rate leukemias and lymphomas?

Most reach 100 percent through active disease or an ongoing treatment phase, continuing for a stated period afterward until a mandatory VA reexamination. Once outside active treatment with no recurrence, several of these codes (DC 7703, 7709, 7715, 7724) direct evaluation on residuals under the appropriate diagnostic code(s), with no specific destination named.

What is the gap in AL amyloidosis's rating?

DC 7717 is a single flat 100 percent tier with no Note, no lower tier, and no stated mechanism for ever stepping down -- the only code in this range with no exit path of any kind, disclosed here as a genuine, unresolved structural gap in the regulation itself.

Is DC 7718's platelet threshold a mistake?

Possibly. Its 70 percent and 30 percent tiers use fully overlapping platelet-count ranges with no stated tiebreaker. RatingScope discloses this explicitly as a possible drafting error rather than guessing which tier the regulation meant.

What happened to DC 7711?

It has an Appendix A entry suggesting it once existed, but does not appear anywhere in the current schedule and has no recorded removal date. This is left genuinely open rather than assumed to be either stale editorial residue or a live code.

How is tuberculous adenitis rated?

DC 7710 redirects both active and inactive phases to 38 CFR 4.88c or 4.89, whichever is appropriate (DC 7710's own words) -- it carries no percentage of its own for either phase, and RatingScope does not compute a result here.

If my schedular rating for Hemic and Lymphatic Systems is below 100%, can I still be compensated at the 100% rate?

Possibly, through TDIU (Total Disability rating based on Individual Unemployability, 38 CFR 4.16) -- a separate pathway to 100 percent compensation based on unemployability, from this and/or other service-connected disabilities combined, independent of whether the schedular rating itself reaches 100 percent. This hub computes only the schedular percentage and does not determine TDIU eligibility.

What separates the 100% (multiple codes, active disease/treatment) rating from adjacent levels?

Several of these codes (DC 7709, 7712, 7715, 7724) continue the 100 percent evaluation for a stated period after treatment ends, then require a mandatory VA reexamination before any reduction, subject to 38 CFR 3.105(e). DC 7717 (AL amyloidosis) is the sole exception -- see its own disclosure below.

What separates the 100% (DC 7717, AL amyloidosis -- no exit) rating from adjacent levels?

Unlike this range's other 100-percent-active codes, there is no lower tier and no reexamination Note of any kind under DC 7717.

What separates the 20% (DC 7706, splenectomy) rating from adjacent levels?

DC 7706's own Note directs separately rating any complications, such as infections with encapsulated bacteria -- disclosed here, never auto-computed into another code's facts. DC 7705's own Note (1) and DC 7723's own Note (2) each separately state: 'Separately evaluate splenectomy under diagnostic code 7706 and combine with an evaluation under this diagnostic code' -- a mandatory (not discretionary) cross-reference from those two codes back to this one, disclosed here for veterans documented with a splenectomy alongside immune thrombocytopenia (DC 7705) or acquired hemolytic anemia (DC 7723).

What separates the 0% (multiple codes, real explicit tiers) rating from adjacent levels?

Not every code in this range has a 0 percent tier -- DC 7716 (aplastic anemia) and DC 7725 (myelodysplastic syndromes) both bottom out at 30 percent with no lower tier stated.

Related Conditions

Continue learning through connected topics

Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids' DC 7336 lists persistent bleeding with anemia together as one of its own rating routes, but that does not make Hemorrhoids the destination for anemia itself when anemia is the diagnosed condition.

Ready when you are

Compare documented hemic and lymphatic condition findings

Use the diagnosis, treatment intensity, and lab-value language already documented in your records. Do not upload records or enter Social Security numbers, claim numbers, full dates of birth, or other sensitive identifiers. RatingScope does not infer missing findings.

Informational guidance only. RatingScope does not predict, decide, or guarantee VA outcomes.

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Secondary conditions

Conditions commonly connected to Hemic and Lymphatic Systems

This reflects regulatory and clinical relationships already explained elsewhere on this site. It is not a diagnosis, not a prediction that you have or will develop a connected condition, and not personalized medical or legal advice.

Educational relationship

Hemic and Lymphatic Systems Nutritional Deficiencies

Nutritional deficiencies and hemic/lymphatic conditions, such as anemia, are sometimes documented together, each with its own separate rating schedule.

View Nutritional Deficiencies

Educational relationship

Hemic and Lymphatic Systems Infectious Diseases

Some infectious-disease codes name spleen or bone-marrow residuals; each follows its own separate rating schedule under the Hemic and Lymphatic Systems hub.

View Infectious Diseases

Educational Guides & Evidence Resources

In-depth analysis of DBQ forms, medical evidence thresholds, and rating schedules for Hemic and Lymphatic Systems.

What does a VA proposed rating reduction notice say?

38 CFR 3.105(e) and 3.105(i) set proposed-reduction notice, a 60-day evidence window, and a 30-day predetermination hearing request. Educational only.

What Is the PACT Act? Presumptive Conditions and Your VA Rating

The PACT Act expanded presumptive service connection for toxic exposures. Learn how presumptions work and how conditions are rated.

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Evidence Center

Understand common evidence categories and what they can clarify without treating them as a checklist.

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