Benign Endocrine Neoplasms — VA Disability Rating (DC 7915)
Diagnostic Code 7915 · 38 CFR §4.119
What Is It?
A benign endocrine neoplasm is a noncancerous tumor growing in a gland that makes hormones: a pituitary adenoma, a thyroid or parathyroid adenoma, an adrenal adenoma, or a benign tumor of the pancreatic islet cells. Some are silent and turn up by accident on a scan ordered for a headache, an injury, or abdominal pain. Others announce themselves by making too much of one hormone or by pressing on something nearby, which is how a pituitary tumor quietly takes the outer edges of the visual fields, or how a parathyroid adenoma shows up as kidney stones and a high calcium level. Under 38 CFR §4.119, DC 7915 carries no percentage tiers of its own. The instruction is short: rate as residuals of endocrine dysfunction. In practice that means the evaluation is built from what the tumor and its treatment left behind. Removing a thyroid lobe or part of the pituitary often leaves permanent hormone replacement. Neck surgery can injure the parathyroid glands or the nerve that runs to a vocal cord. A pituitary mass can leave field loss that never comes back. Each residual is rated under the code that fits it, and the separate evaluations are combined under 38 CFR §4.25. A benign tumor that was successfully removed is not the end of the claim. It is usually the beginning of it.
Rating Criteria
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| See pathways | DC 7915 (neoplasm, benign, any specified part of the endocrine system) assigns no percentage of its own under 38 CFR §4.119. The instruction is to rate as residuals of endocrine dysfunction. In practice the residuals are evaluated under the codes that fit them: permanent hormone replacement after removal of a gland under the code for the deficiency created, such as hypothyroidism under DC 7903 or hypoparathyroidism under DC 7905; hormone excess under the code for the syndrome it produces, such as acromegaly under DC 7908 or Cushing's syndrome under DC 7907; visual field loss from a pituitary mass under the eye codes; vocal cord injury under the codes covering the larynx; and surgical scars under DC 7801-7805. Separate evaluations are combined under 38 CFR §4.25. If the tumor is or becomes malignant, the evaluation moves to DC 7914. |
Evidence Needed
The pathology report is the anchor, because it establishes that the tumor was benign and where it came from. Pair it with the operative note, which describes what was removed and what was disturbed along the way. Imaging should be the study that actually shows the lesion: a pituitary MRI with and without contrast, a dedicated adrenal CT protocol, a neck ultrasound, or a sestamibi scan for a parathyroid adenoma. Then document the residuals with hormone labs drawn before and after treatment, the replacement prescriptions you now take with every dose change, calcium and PTH levels after any neck surgery, and formal visual field testing if the tumor sat near the optic chiasm. Include surveillance imaging showing recurrence or stability, and photographs of any surgical scar.
C&P Exam Tips
Bring the pathology report and the operative note, and say clearly at the start that you understand the tumor was benign. That removes the argument before it begins and moves the conversation to where the evaluation actually is, which is the residuals. Then take them one at a time: the daily replacement hormone and what happens when a dose is off, fatigue and its effect on a working day, weight change, cold or heat intolerance, low calcium symptoms such as tingling and cramping, voice changes, headaches, and vision. Ask whether separate examinations are being done for the eyes, for parathyroid function, and for any scar, and state on the record that you are claiming those residuals if nothing is scheduled.
How to File
File VA Form 21-526EZ listing the benign endocrine tumor under DC 7915. Critically, also file additional claims for each specific hormonal effect under the appropriate diagnostic code — Cushing syndrome under DC 7907, acromegaly under DC 7908, prolactin excess under DC 7916, and so on. The actual rating comes from these specific manifestations, not from DC 7915 itself.
Common Mistakes
The most common mistake is treating removal as the end of the story and never filing for what came after. The code says to rate residuals of endocrine dysfunction, so a claim with no residuals described has nothing in it. The second is presenting hormone replacement as routine maintenance rather than a permanent dependency with real symptoms when the dose drifts, because how you actually feel is the evidence. The third is skipping formal visual field testing when the tumor sat near the optic chiasm, since field loss develops quietly and nobody finds it without the test. The fourth is claiming only the gland that held the tumor while ignoring what the surgery injured on the way in, particularly parathyroid function and the nerve to the vocal cord.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there no percentage for DC 7915?
Because a benign tumor by itself is not a measure of impairment. DC 7915 says to rate as residuals of endocrine dysfunction, which puts the evaluation on the hormone deficiency, the hormone excess, or the structural damage left after the tumor and its treatment. A decision that grants service connection under DC 7915 with no percentage is saying the connection is accepted but the residuals were never documented. The fix is evidence of the residuals, not an argument about the tumor itself.
What counts as a residual of endocrine dysfunction?
Anything the tumor or its treatment left you living with. Permanent hormone replacement after removal of a gland is the most common, evaluated under the code for the deficiency it created, such as hypothyroidism under DC 7903 or hypoparathyroidism under DC 7905. Others include visual field loss from a pituitary mass, hoarseness from an injured nerve to the vocal cord, the effects of high or low calcium, bone loss from a long hormone imbalance, surgical scars, and the fatigue and concentration problems that follow pituitary dysfunction.
Can more than one residual be rated at the same time?
Yes. Residuals in different systems are evaluated under their own codes and then combined under 38 CFR §4.25, which uses a combined ratings table rather than adding percentages together. The condition is that each residual must be separately shown and must not be the same impairment counted twice. Claim them by name. A single line reading benign endocrine neoplasm will not prompt examinations of the eyes, the parathyroids, or a scar, and residuals that are never examined are rarely evaluated.
My tumor was found by accident and never treated. Is there anything to claim?
Often yes, though the evidence has to show something is happening. An incidental adenoma that produces no hormone, causes no pressure, and needs no treatment may support service connection with no compensable residual, which still protects you if it grows or begins to secrete later. Establish the service connection now, keep the surveillance imaging, and document any hormone abnormality, headache pattern, or vision change as it appears. A condition already service connected is far easier to increase than to establish years afterward.
What if the tumor recurs or turns out to be malignant?
The routing changes. A malignant neoplasm of the endocrine system is evaluated under DC 7914 at 100 percent, and that evaluation continues beyond the cessation of surgical, X-ray, antineoplastic chemotherapy, or other therapeutic procedure. Six months after the treatment is discontinued, the rating is determined by a mandatory VA examination, and after that the evaluation is based on residuals. If a benign lesion recurs and is treated again, file a supplemental claim with the new pathology and operative report rather than waiting for a routine review.