YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Atrioventricular Block VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Atrioventricular Block under diagnostic code 7015, in 38 CFR § 4.104 (cardiovascular system), and the schedule provides four evaluation levels for it: 100%, 60%, 30% and 10%.
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A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Plan your preparationTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Atrioventricular Block
Atrioventricular block is a delay or interruption in the electrical signal travelling from the heart's upper chambers to its lower chambers. The schedule splits the code in two by degree of block. First-degree and second-degree Type I block are treated as benign and evaluated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart, so the percentage turns on the exertion your heart tolerates before heart failure symptoms appear. Second-degree Type II and third-degree block are treated as non-benign and evaluated under DC 7018, the code for implantable cardiac pacemakers.
Which half of DC 7015 applies depends entirely on how the block is classified. For benign block — first-degree and second-degree Type I — the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart governs, stated in METs (metabolic equivalents, a measure of exertion): 100 percent where a workload of 3.0 METs or less results in heart failure symptoms, 60 percent at 3.1-5.0 METs, 30 percent at 5.1-7.0 METs or where an echocardiogram or equivalent study (for example, a multigated acquisition scan or MRI) shows cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation, and 10 percent at 7.1-10.0 METs or where continuous medication is required for control. For non-benign block — second-degree Type II and third-degree — the evaluation runs through DC 7018 instead: 100 percent for one month following hospital discharge for implantation or re-implantation of a pacemaker, and thereafter an evaluation as supraventricular tachycardia (DC 7010), ventricular arrhythmias (DC 7011), or atrioventricular block (DC 7015), with 10 percent as the minimum. Across DCs 7009, 7010, 7011, and 7015 the schedule assigns a single evaluation, under whichever code reflects the predominant disability picture.
- Diagnostic code
- 7015
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.104
- Schedule levels
- 100%, 60%, 30% and 10%
How does the VA choose a rating level?
Which level applies is set by the criteria the evidence meets, not by the diagnosis. Where there is a question as to which of two evaluations applies, 38 CFR § 4.7 assigns the higher one if the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating.
This code prints no 0% row. Under 38 CFR § 4.31, a 0% evaluation is assigned where the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met.
EXPLORE THE PERCENTAGES
Atrioventricular Block VA rating criteria (DC 7015)
Choose a percentage to see what that level means. Open the full comparison to read all the criteria in one place.
These are published rating criteria. Selecting a level does not predict your VA decision.
IN THE REGULATION’S OWN WORDS
What 38 CFR also says about Atrioventricular Block
The notes 38 CFR Part 4 prints with these criteria, quoted. They govern how the evaluation is made without being a rating level themselves.
- “Note: Evaluate automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (AICDs) under DC 7011.”DC 7018
- “Note (1): Examples of supraventricular tachycardia include, but are not limited to: Atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, sinus tachycardia, sinoatrial nodal reentrant tachycardia, atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia, atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia, atrial tachycardia, junctional tachycardia, and multifocal atrial tachycardia.”DC 7010
- “Note (2): For the purposes of this diagnostic code, a treatment intervention occurs whenever a symptomatic patient requires intravenous pharmacologic adjustment, cardioversion, and/or ablation for symptom relief.”DC 7010
- “Note: When inpatient hospitalization for sustained ventricular arrhythmia or ventricular aneurysmectomy is required, a 100-percent evaluation begins on the date of hospital admission with a mandatory VA examination six months following hospital discharge. Evaluate post-surgical residuals under the General Rating Formula. Apply the provisions of § 3.105(e) of this chapter to any change in evaluation based upon that or any subsequent examination.”DC 7011
BUILD YOUR EVIDENCE, ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Evidence for your Atrioventricular Block claim
A long list feels easier when you have a place to start. Use this checklist to see what you have and what still needs gathering.
Check off what you’ve gathered. Progress stays on this page until you leave or refresh.
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Atrioventricular Block?
VA's page says: “You can use these forms to submit medical evidence from your health care providers.”
Source: VA: Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs), read September 18, 2026.
SMALL DETAILS. BETTER PREPARATION.
Preparing your Atrioventricular Block claim
Start with the practical tips, then explore the common oversights. You don’t need to work through everything at once.
Practical tips for your claim3 tips
- 01
Make sure the record states the degree and type of block — first-degree, second-degree Type I, second-degree Type II, or third-degree — since that classification alone decides whether the General Rating Formula or DC 7018 governs.
- 02
For benign block, a recorded METs workload is what the General Rating Formula's tiers are written around, and it is the only route the formula gives to its 100 and 60 percent tiers.
- 03
If a pacemaker was implanted or re-implanted, keep the hospital discharge date, since DC 7018's 100 percent period runs for one month from discharge and 10 percent is the minimum after it.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind3 tips
- 01
An exam that records 'AV block' without the degree and type, leaving it unresolved whether the General Rating Formula or DC 7018 applies.
- 02
No METs figure in an exam for benign block, which leaves the 100 and 60 percent tiers of the General Rating Formula — the two with no alternative to a METs finding — with nothing to measure against.
- 03
A pacemaker noted without the hospital discharge date, which is the date DC 7018's one-month period runs from.
Common filing mistakes3 tips
- 01
Filing on symptoms alone, with nothing in the file that classifies the block, when the degree and type is what routes the claim to one half of the code or the other.
- 02
Filing this alongside DCs 7009, 7010, or 7011 expecting each to be evaluated separately, when the schedule assigns a single evaluation under whichever code reflects the predominant disability picture.
- 03
Submitting only the records from the original diagnosis, with nothing showing the block's current degree or current exertional capacity.
When symptoms may first appear2 tips
- 01
What matters in this code is classification rather than onset: a block that progresses from first-degree or second-degree Type I to second-degree Type II or third-degree moves out of the General Rating Formula and onto DC 7018's pacemaker path, so the testing that documents the change in classification is what carries it.
- 02
Because a single evaluation is assigned across DCs 7009, 7010, 7011, and 7015, a conduction block appearing alongside a rhythm disorder does not add a second evaluation — it changes which code reflects the predominant disability picture.
WHEN VA HOLDS THE LINK
After a service-connected lower-extremity amputation
38 CFR 3.310(c): “Ischemic heart disease or other cardiovascular disease developing in a veteran who has a service-connected amputation of one lower extremity at or above the knee or service-connected amputations of both lower extremities at or above the ankles, shall be held to be the proximate result of the service-connected amputation or amputations.”
38 CFR 3.310(c) does not define "other cardiovascular disease". The rating schedule evaluates Atrioventricular Block in its cardiovascular section, 38 CFR 4.104.
- DC 5160
Complete Amputation of the Lower Extremity (Hip Disarticulation or Trans-Pelvic)
One service-connected amputation at this level meets the rule.
- DC 5161
Amputation of Thigh at Upper Third
One service-connected amputation at this level meets the rule.
- DC 5162
Amputation of Thigh at Middle or Lower Third
One service-connected amputation at this level meets the rule.
- DC 5163
Amputation of Leg, with Defective Stump
Below the knee: meets the rule only with service-connected amputations of both lower extremities at or above the ankles.
- DC 5164
Leg Amputation Not Improvable by Prosthesis Controlled by Natural Knee Action
Below the knee: meets the rule only with service-connected amputations of both lower extremities at or above the ankles.
THE BROADER PICTURE
Atrioventricular Block by the numbers
- Veterans service-connected
- ~400 veterans
- Typical rating awarded
- ~30%
Vetrify editorial estimates informed by VA published claims data (VBA Annual Benefits Report) and the VA rating schedule, not official VA statistics.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Common questions about Atrioventricular Block
Is Atrioventricular Block a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Atrioventricular Block under VASRD diagnostic code 7015 (Cardiovascular System). Atrioventricular block is a delay or interruption in the electrical signal travelling from the heart's upper chambers to its lower chambers. The schedule splits the code in two by degree of block. First-degree and second-degree Type I block are treated as benign and evaluated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart, so the percentage turns on the exertion your heart tolerates before heart failure symptoms appear. Second-degree Type II and third-degree block are treated as non-benign and evaluated under DC 7018, the code for implantable cardiac pacemakers.
What VA disability rating can I get for Atrioventricular Block?
Possible VA ratings for Atrioventricular Block are 100%, 60%, 30%, 10%, 0%. The 0% level comes from 38 CFR 4.31, which assigns it wherever no compensable level is met. Examples: 100%: Benign block (First-Degree and Second-Degree, Type I), under the General Rating Formula: workload of 3.0 METs or less results in heart failure symptoms. Non-benign block (Second-Degree, Type II and Third-Degree) is evaluated under DC 7018 (implantable cardiac pacemakers), which assigns 100 percent for one month following hospital discharge for implantation or re-implantation; 60%: Workload of 3.1-5.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms; 30%: Workload of 5.1-7.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms; or evidence of cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation confirmed by echocardiogram or equivalent (e.g., multigated acquisition scan or magnetic resonance imaging).
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Atrioventricular Block?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Atrioventricular Block at around 30%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 400 veterans are service-connected for Atrioventricular Block.
What evidence helps prove Atrioventricular Block for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Atrioventricular Block claim includes: EKG tracings identifying the degree and type of block, since the benign / non-benign split is drawn on exactly that classification; Exercise testing recording the METs workload at which heart failure symptoms appear, where the block is benign and rated under the General Rating Formula; An echocardiogram, multigated acquisition scan, or MRI stating whether cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation is present; Pacemaker implantation or re-implantation records including the hospital discharge date, where a pacemaker is involved.
Which DBQ is used for Atrioventricular Block?
VA's Heart Conditions Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) is on its public list of DBQs. VA's page says: "You can use these forms to submit medical evidence from your health care providers."
What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Atrioventricular Block?
Common pitfalls when filing for Atrioventricular Block: Filing on symptoms alone, with nothing in the file that classifies the block, when the degree and type is what routes the claim to one half of the code or the other; Filing this alongside DCs 7009, 7010, or 7011 expecting each to be evaluated separately, when the schedule assigns a single evaluation under whichever code reflects the predominant disability picture; Submitting only the records from the original diagnosis, with nothing showing the block's current degree or current exertional capacity.
Does VA hold Atrioventricular Block to be the result of a service-connected lower-extremity amputation?
38 CFR 3.310(c): "Ischemic heart disease or other cardiovascular disease developing in a veteran who has a service-connected amputation of one lower extremity at or above the knee or service-connected amputations of both lower extremities at or above the ankles, shall be held to be the proximate result of the service-connected amputation or amputations." 38 CFR 3.310(c) does not define "other cardiovascular disease". The rating schedule evaluates Atrioventricular Block in its cardiovascular section, 38 CFR 4.104.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.104, Schedule of ratings, cardiovascular system (Diagnostic Code 7015)
- 38 CFR § 4.7, higher of two evaluations
- 38 CFR § 4.31, zero percent evaluations
- 38 CFR § 3.310(c), cardiovascular disease after a service-connected lower-extremity amputation
Criteria in quotation marks are the regulation’s own words; everything else on this page is Vetrify’s summary of it. The eCFR text is authoritative. See how Vetrify derives its numbers.
How these figures are checked: our methodology and the open dataset.
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