VASRD 7338 · Digestive System
Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional VA Disability Rating
A hernia is a bulge that forms where the abdominal wall gives way and tissue pushes through. DC 7338 is a single code for hernias "including femoral, inguinal, umbilical, ventral, incisional, and other (but not including hiatal)" — hiatal and paraesophageal hernia is DC 7346. Every compensable evaluation here starts from the same footing: an irreparable hernia, new or recurrent, present for 12 months or more. From there the percentage is set by the hernia's size in one dimension and by how many named activities — bending over, activities of daily living, walking, climbing stairs — bring on pain.
VA Rating Tiers
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 100% | Hernia that can't be repaired, 15 cm or bigger, with pain in 3 or more daily activities |
| 60% | Hernia that can't be repaired, 15 cm or bigger, with pain in 2 daily activities |
| 30% | Hernia that can't be repaired, 3 to 15 cm, with pain in 2 or more daily activities |
| 20% | Hernia that can't be repaired, 3 to 15 cm, with pain in 1 daily activity |
| 10% | Hernia that can't be repaired, smaller than 3 cm, for a year or more |
| 0% | Hernia with no symptoms - repaired, or still repairable |
How the VA Evaluates Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional
Each compensable level under DC 7338 requires an "irreparable hernia (new or recurrent) present for 12 months or more". With that established, a hernia "smaller than 3 cm" is 10 percent. Above that the schedule pairs a size band with a count of painful activities, both present for 12 months or more. A hernia of "size equal to 3 cm or greater but less than 15 cm in one dimension" is 20 percent with pain when performing one of the named activities and 30 percent with pain when performing at least two. A hernia of "size equal to 15 cm or greater in one dimension" is 60 percent with pain when performing two of them and 100 percent with pain when performing at least three. The four activities are "(1) bending over, (2) activities of daily living (ADLs), (3) walking, and (4) climbing stairs", and Note (2) says any one of "bathing, dressing, hygiene, and/or transfers" is sufficient as an activity of daily living. An "asymptomatic hernia; present and repairable, or repaired" is 0 percent. Note (1) handles two compensable inguinal hernias: evaluate the more severely disabling one first, then add 10 percent for the second, unless the more severely disabling hernia is rated at 100 percent.
Veterans service-connected
~120,000 veterans
Typical rating awarded
~10%
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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Best Evidence to Gather
- •A clinical or imaging measurement giving the hernia's size in centimeters in one dimension.
- •A statement in the record that the hernia is irreparable, together with the date it was first documented, since the criteria require 12 months or more.
- •Examination or treatment notes addressing pain with bending over, activities of daily living, walking, and climbing stairs.
- •Operative reports for any repair, and for any recurrence after one.
- •Separate documentation for each hernia where there is more than one, which Note (1)'s add-on for a second compensable inguinal hernia depends on.
Strategy Tips
- •Get the hernia measured. The bands are literal — smaller than 3 cm, 3 cm or greater but less than 15 cm, and 15 cm or greater in one dimension — and a note calling it "moderate" or "large" cannot be placed in one.
- •The record should state whether the hernia is irreparable and how long it has been present, because every compensable level requires an irreparable hernia present for 12 months or more, with the size and pain findings also present for 12 months or more.
- •Pain is measured against four named activities, so examination and treatment notes that address bending over, activities of daily living, walking, and climbing stairs are the ones these criteria can be applied to. Note (2) counts bathing, dressing, hygiene, or transfers as an activity of daily living.
- •Where there are two compensable inguinal hernias, both belong in the claim — Note (1) evaluates the more severely disabling one and then adds 10 percent for the second, except where the more severely disabling hernia is rated at 100 percent.
C&P Exam Pitfalls
- •A size recorded only as "small", "moderate", or "large", which cannot be placed against the 3 cm and 15 cm thresholds the criteria use.
- •Nothing in the record stating that the hernia is irreparable — the threshold every compensable level shares.
- •An examination that records pain in general terms without addressing the four activities the criteria name.
- •A file that establishes the hernia as it is today but not 12 months ago, when the criteria require the hernia, its size, and the pain findings to have been present for 12 months or more.
Common Filing Mistakes
- •Building the claim around a truss or support belt, or around whether the hernia is reducible. Neither appears in the current criteria, which turn on an irreparable hernia present for 12 months or more, its size in centimeters, and pain on four named activities.
- •Filing with no measurement in the file, since the size bands cannot be applied to a record that does not state a size.
- •Claiming only the inguinal hernia when a femoral, umbilical, ventral, or incisional hernia is also documented — this one code covers all of them.
- •Treating a past repair as the whole claim. The 0 percent row covers an asymptomatic hernia that is present and repairable, or repaired, while the compensable levels describe a hernia that is irreparable.
Onset Patterns
- •The hernias in this group arise in different places — inguinal and femoral in the groin, umbilical at the navel, incisional at the site of an earlier surgery, ventral elsewhere in the abdominal wall — and DC 7338 gathers all of them under one code.
- •A hernia may be repaired and then come back; the criteria are written for a hernia that is "new or recurrent", so a recurrence is evaluated on the same terms as a first hernia.
Secondary Conditions
Conditions commonly linked to Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional. Service-connecting a secondary condition can increase your combined rating.
Common questions about Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional
- Is Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional a VA-rated disability?
- Yes. The VA rates Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional under VASRD diagnostic code 7338 (Digestive System). A hernia is a bulge that forms where the abdominal wall gives way and tissue pushes through. DC 7338 is a single code for hernias "including femoral, inguinal, umbilical, ventr…
- What VA disability rating can I get for Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional?
- Possible VA ratings for Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional are 100%, 60%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 0%. Examples: 100%: Hernia that can't be repaired, 15 cm or bigger, with pain in 3 or more daily activities; 60%: Hernia that can't be repaired, 15 cm or bigger, with pain in 2 daily activities…
- What's the typical VA rating awarded for Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional?
- Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional at around 10%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 120,000 veterans are service-connected for Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional.
- What evidence helps prove Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional for VA disability?
- Strong evidence for a Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional claim includes: A clinical or imaging measurement giving the hernia's size in centimeters in one dimension.; A statement in the record that the hernia is irreparable, together with the date it was first documented, since the…
- What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional?
- Common pitfalls when filing for Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional: Building the claim around a truss or support belt, or around whether the hernia is reducible. Neither appears in the current criteria, which turn on an irreparable hernia present for 12 months or more, its size in…
- What conditions are commonly secondary to Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional?
- Conditions often service-connected as secondary to Hernia, Including Inguinal, Femoral, Umbilical, Ventral, and Incisional include: Abdominal Pain, Scar Tissue. Filing for secondary conditions can increase a veteran's combined VA rating.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.114 — Schedule of ratings — digestive system (Diagnostic Code 7338)
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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