VASRD 7119 · Cardiovascular System
Erythromelalgia VA Disability Rating
Erythromelalgia produces attacks of burning pain in the hands, feet, or both — usually on both sides and symmetrical — with the skin becoming warmer and red, and the schedule describes these attacks as occurring at warm ambient temperatures. DC 7119 rates the disease entirely on those attacks: how often they come, how long they average, whether they respond to treatment, and whether they restrict most routine daily activities. The code's Note states that these evaluations are for the disease as a whole, regardless of the number of extremities involved, so hands and feet are not evaluated separately under this code.
VA Rating Tiers
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 100% | Attacks more than once a day, averaging over two hours, resistant to treatment, and disabling enough to restrict most daily activities |
| 60% | Attacks more than once a day, averaging over two hours, resistant to treatment — but most daily activities still possible |
| 30% | Daily or more frequent attacks that treatment does control |
| 10% | Attacks at least three times a week but not daily, controlled by treatment |
How the VA Evaluates Erythromelalgia
DC 7119 grades erythromelalgia on characteristic attacks, using four variables: frequency, average duration, response to treatment, and restriction of routine daily activities. 10 percent is for characteristic attacks that occur less than daily but at least three times a week and that respond to treatment. 30 percent is for characteristic attacks that occur daily or more often but that respond to treatment. The two highest bands share a single picture — attacks that occur more than once a day, last an average of more than two hours each, and respond poorly to treatment — and separate only on daily function: 60 percent where they do not restrict most routine daily activities, 100 percent where they do. The code's Note supplies the definition the whole ladder rests on: a characteristic attack of erythromelalgia consists of burning pain in the hands, feet, or both, usually bilateral and symmetrical, with increased skin temperature and redness, occurring at warm ambient temperatures. The same Note states that these evaluations are for the disease as a whole, regardless of the number of extremities involved. There are no blood-flow measures anywhere in this code — no ankle/brachial index, no walking distance, no imaging finding.
Veterans service-connected
~15,000 veterans
Vetrify editorial estimates informed by VA published claims data (VBA Annual Benefits Report) and the VA rating schedule — not official VA statistics.
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Strategy Tips
- •Keep an attack log recording the two things the upper bands turn on: how many attacks occur in a day or week, and how long each one lasts. Both the 60 and 100 percent bands require attacks more than once a day lasting an average of more than two hours each.
- •Make sure treatment notes state whether attacks respond to treatment or respond poorly to it. The 10 and 30 percent bands are written for attacks that respond to treatment, and the 60 and 100 percent bands for attacks that respond poorly — though those upper bands also require attacks more than once a day lasting an average of more than two hours each, so response to treatment is not on its own what separates them.
- •Have the record address whether attacks restrict most routine daily activities, since that finding is the only difference between 60 percent and 100 percent.
- •Because the Note evaluates the disease as a whole regardless of the number of extremities involved, documentation that covers every affected hand and foot together is what supports the single evaluation this code assigns.
C&P Exam Pitfalls
- •Arriving at an exam between attacks with nothing in the file describing them, since this code is graded on attacks rather than on findings present at rest.
- •A record that counts attacks but never records how long they last, leaving the "average of more than two hours each" element of the 60 and 100 percent bands unaddressed.
- •Notes that say a treatment was prescribed without saying whether attacks responded to it, when whether attacks respond to treatment or respond poorly to it is one of the elements every band in this code is written around.
- •Symptoms recorded generically as burning or painful feet, without the increased skin temperature and redness the Note requires for an attack to count as characteristic.
Common Filing Mistakes
- •Filing this as a circulation or peripheral vascular claim. DC 7119 is specific to erythromelalgia and its criteria contain no blood-flow measures at all.
- •Submitting the diagnosis with no attack history, when every band in the code is defined by attack frequency, duration, and response to treatment.
- •Recording only the worst attacks, which leaves the weekly and daily counts that the 10 and 30 percent bands rest on incomplete.
- •Claiming each affected hand and foot as a separate condition, when the Note makes these evaluations for the disease as a whole regardless of the number of extremities involved.
Onset Patterns
- •The code describes a pattern of episodes rather than a steady state: characteristic attacks of burning pain in the hands, feet, or both, usually bilateral and symmetrical, with increased skin temperature and redness, occurring at warm ambient temperatures.
- •The bands are structured around how often attacks come — at least three times a week but less than daily at 10 percent, daily or more often at 30 percent, more than once a day at 60 and 100 percent — so the evaluation follows attack frequency and duration rather than how long the diagnosis has been held.
Common questions about Erythromelalgia
- Is Erythromelalgia a VA-rated disability?
- Yes. The VA rates Erythromelalgia under VASRD diagnostic code 7119 (Cardiovascular System). Erythromelalgia produces attacks of burning pain in the hands, feet, or both — usually on both sides and symmetrical — with the skin becoming warmer and red, and the schedule describes these attacks as occurring at warm ambient…
- What VA disability rating can I get for Erythromelalgia?
- Possible VA ratings for Erythromelalgia are 100%, 60%, 30%, 10%. Examples: 100%: Attacks more than once a day, averaging over two hours, resistant to treatment, and disabling enough to restrict most daily activities; 60%: Attacks more than once a day, averaging over two hours, resistant to treatment — but most daily a…
- What evidence helps prove Erythromelalgia for VA disability?
- Common evidence for a Erythromelalgia claim includes a current medical diagnosis from a qualified provider, documentation of an in-service event or exposure, and statements describing functional impact.
- What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Erythromelalgia?
- Common pitfalls when filing for Erythromelalgia: Filing this as a circulation or peripheral vascular claim. DC 7119 is specific to erythromelalgia and its criteria contain no blood-flow measures at all.; Submitting the diagnosis with no attack history, when every band in the code is defined by attack frequency, durati…
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.104 — Schedule of ratings — cardiovascular system (Diagnostic Code 7119)
Rating criteria on this page are an educational summary of the cited regulation — the eCFR text is authoritative. See how Vetrify derives its numbers.
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