VA Disability Rating for Gastric Ulcer (DC 7304)
Diagnostic Code 7304 · 38 CFR §4.114
What Is It?
DC 7304 is no longer "Ulcer, gastric." When VA rewrote the digestive schedule effective 19 May 2024 (89 FR 19743) it retitled this code "Peptic ulcer disease" and consolidated the separate ulcer codes into it: DC 7305 (duodenal ulcer) and DC 7306 (marginal ulcer) were removed from the schedule outright. So gastric, duodenal and marginal ulcers now all come here, and DC 7307, chronic gastritis, expressly rates as peptic ulcer disease under this code — which by its own note carries Helicobacter pylori infection, drug-induced gastritis, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, and portal-hypertensive gastropathy with varix-related complications. The rows themselves were rebuilt around counted episodes rather than adjectives. Three of the five turn on how long an episode lasts, how many occurred in the past 12 months, and whether daily prescribed medication is involved; the top row is a fixed three-month total rating after surgery for perforation or hemorrhage; the bottom row is a documented history with nothing active. There is no 10 percent evaluation under this code — a point worth knowing, because the pre-2024 table had one and older summaries still show it.
Rating Criteria
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 100% | Post-operative for perforation or hemorrhage, for three months. The note to DC 7304 then requires a mandatory VA medical examination and rating on residuals; any change in evaluation based on that or a later examination is subject to the due-process provisions of 38 CFR 3.105(e). |
| 60% | Continuous abdominal pain with intermittent vomiting, recurrent hematemesis (vomiting blood) or melena (tarry stools); and manifestations of anemia which require hospitalization at least once in the past 12 months. |
| 40% | Episodes of abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting that last at least three consecutive days, occur four or more times in the past 12 months, and are managed by daily prescribed medication. |
| 20% | Episodes of abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting that last at least three consecutive days, occur three times or less in the past 12 months, and are managed by daily prescribed medication. |
| 0% | History of peptic ulcer disease documented by endoscopy or diagnostic imaging studies. |
Evidence Needed
- Endoscopy or diagnostic imaging establishing the ulcer — the 0 percent row requires exactly that, and every row above it builds on it
- A dated episode log: when each flare of abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting began and ended, because the 40 and 20 rows turn on episodes lasting at least three consecutive days and on how many occurred in the past 12 months
- Proof of daily prescribed medication, which both the 40 and 20 rows require — a pharmacy record or active prescription list
- Hemoglobin and hematocrit results if anemia is in play, plus the hospital record; the 60 percent row requires anemia manifestations that required hospitalization at least once in the past 12 months
- Documentation of hematemesis or melena rather than a description of it — an emergency-department note, a positive occult blood test, or an endoscopy report
- Operative reports for any surgery for perforation or hemorrhage, which start the three-month 100 percent period
- H. pylori testing and treatment records where relevant, since chronic gastritis rates under this code
C&P Exam Tips
- Bring the episode log and let the examiner count from it; the criteria ask for a number of episodes in the past 12 months, not an impression of severity
- State the duration of a typical episode in days — three consecutive days is the threshold that both middle rows share
- Confirm that your medication is prescribed and taken daily; an as-needed antacid does not satisfy the wording
- If you have been hospitalized for anemia from ulcer bleeding, bring the discharge summary; that single document is what separates 60 from 40
- Do not expect a 10 percent option. The rows are 100, 60, 40, 20 and 0, so the argument is which of those you meet
How to File
File under DC 7304 whether the ulcer is gastric, duodenal or marginal — the separate codes for the last two were removed in 2024. Attach the endoscopy or imaging report, a dated episode log covering the past 12 months, and evidence of daily prescribed medication. If you were hospitalized for bleeding or anemia, put the discharge summary in first. Note that 38 CFR 4.114 bars combining DC 7304 with the other codes in its group (7301 through 7329, 7331, 7342, 7345 through 7350, 7352 and 7355 through 7357); where more than one would apply, VA assigns a single evaluation under the code reflecting the predominant disability picture and elevates it a step if the overall severity warrants. Anemia, mental-health conditions and dental erosion sit outside that group and are rated and combined normally under 38 CFR 4.25.
Common Mistakes
- Looking for a 10 percent rating. The pre-2024 table had one; the current DC 7304 does not. The rows are 100, 60, 40, 20 and 0.
- Filing under DC 7305 or 7306 for a duodenal or marginal ulcer. Both codes were removed from the schedule effective 19 May 2024 and the disability is now rated under DC 7304.
- Describing flares without dates or durations. Both middle rows require episodes lasting at least three consecutive days and a count over the past 12 months.
- Claiming the 60 percent row on anemia alone. That row requires anemia manifestations which required hospitalization at least once in the past 12 months.
- Assuming the three-month 100 percent period simply expires. The note requires a mandatory VA examination and then rating on residuals, with 38 CFR 3.105(e) protections applying to the reduction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a 10 percent rating for peptic ulcer disease?
No. Current DC 7304 lists 100, 60, 40, 20 and 0 percent. The 10 percent step existed in the pre-2024 table and was removed when the digestive schedule was rewritten effective 19 May 2024.
What happened to the duodenal ulcer code?
DC 7305 was removed, along with DC 7306 for marginal ulcer. Both are now rated under DC 7304, which was retitled "Peptic ulcer disease" in the same rulemaking.
How do I reach 40 percent instead of 20?
The two rows are identical except for frequency. Both require episodes of abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting lasting at least three consecutive days and managed by daily prescribed medication. Four or more episodes in the past 12 months is 40 percent; three or fewer is 20 percent.
How long does the 100 percent rating last after ulcer surgery?
Three months, for surgery for perforation or hemorrhage. The note then requires a mandatory VA medical examination and rating on residuals, and any resulting reduction goes through the 38 CFR 3.105(e) process.
Is chronic gastritis rated under this code?
Yes. DC 7307, chronic gastritis, rates as peptic ulcer disease under DC 7304, and its note includes Helicobacter pylori infection, drug-induced gastritis, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, and portal-hypertensive gastropathy with varix-related complications.
Can I get a separate rating for the anemia my ulcer causes?
Yes. Anemia is rated under the hemic schedule at 38 CFR 4.117 — iron deficiency anemia is DC 7720 — which is outside the digestive non-combination group, so it is rated on its own and combined under 38 CFR 4.25. Note that anemia requiring hospitalization is also a criterion inside the 60 percent row of DC 7304, and the same episode cannot be counted twice under 38 CFR 4.14.