YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) under diagnostic code 7319, in 38 CFR § 4.114 (digestive system), and the schedule provides three evaluation levels for it: 30%, 20% and 10%.
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A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Prepare for your examTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
A chronic condition causing abdominal discomfort, bloating, and frequent diarrhea and/or constipation.
DC 7319 has three evaluations — 10, 20 and 30 percent — and no 0 percent row. All three require the same two things at once: abdominal pain related to defecation, and two or more of six listed features — (1) change in stool frequency, (2) change in stool form, (3) altered stool passage (straining and/or urgency), (4) mucorrhea, (5) abdominal bloating, or (6) subjective distension. What separates the tiers is how often that pain occurred during the previous three months: at least once during the previous three months is 10 percent, at least three days per month is 20 percent, and at least one day per week is 30 percent, which is the highest this code provides. The code's Note says it may include functional digestive disorders (see § 3.317 of this chapter), such as dyspepsia, functional bloating and constipation, and diarrhea, and directs that symptoms of a functional digestive disorder not encompassed by this code — including gastrointestinal dysmotility syndrome (DC 7356) — be evaluated under the appropriate diagnostic code, following the general principles of § 4.14.
- Diagnostic code
- 7319
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.114
- Schedule levels
- 30%, 20% 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
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) VA rating criteria (DC 7319)
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 Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
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: This diagnostic code may include functional digestive disorders (see § 3.317 of this chapter), such as dyspepsia, functional bloating and constipation, and diarrhea. Evaluate other symptoms of a functional digestive disorder not encompassed by this diagnostic code under the appropriate diagnostic code, to include gastrointestinal dysmotility syndrome (DC 7356), following the general principles of § 4.14 and this section.”DC 7319
BUILD YOUR EVIDENCE, ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Evidence for your Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) 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.
A LITTLE PREPARATION HELPS
What the C&P examiner will ask about Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Think through your own experience before exam day. Open a question to see what the examiner is assessing and which details are useful to describe accurately.
SeverityHow often do you experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, or bowel urgency?
Assessing IBS symptom frequency and impact on daily functioning.
- Keep a symptom diary tracking frequency and severity
- Describe impact on work (need for bathroom access, missed time)
- Mention dietary restrictions and trigger foods
- Describe unpredictability and how it affects planning activities
- Not tracking actual frequency of symptoms
- Not mentioning how it affects work and social activities
- Forgetting to describe the urgency and unpredictability aspects
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
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 Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) 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
Keep the symptom record in the form the criteria use: dated entries showing abdominal pain that is related to defecation, counted across a three-month window. All three tiers are measured over "the previous three months."
- 02
Make sure at least two of the six named features are captured alongside the pain — change in stool frequency, change in stool form, altered stool passage (straining and/or urgency), mucorrhea, abdominal bloating, or subjective distension. Pain by itself does not meet any tier.
- 03
If you have digestive symptoms this code does not cover, the Note directs them to their own diagnostic code — gastrointestinal dysmotility syndrome (DC 7356) is the example the schedule gives — rather than being folded into the IBS evaluation.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind3 tips
- 01
An examination that records abdominal pain generally without stating whether it is related to defecation, which is the element every tier requires.
- 02
A record naming only one of the six listed features, when two or more are required at every tier.
- 03
Nothing in the file spanning three months, which leaves the frequency element unmeasurable.
Common filing mistakes2 tips
- 01
Describing symptoms as "severe" or "constant" rather than counted. The current criteria grade days of pain per week or per month across three months, not general severity.
- 02
Leaving other functional digestive symptoms unclaimed, when the Note directs symptoms not encompassed by this code to the appropriate diagnostic code, including gastrointestinal dysmotility syndrome (DC 7356).
When symptoms may first appear1 tips
- 01
IBS often begins after a gastrointestinal infection or during a period of significant stress.
SECONDARY TO SOMETHING ELSE
Conditions that can lead to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Each links to a page on claiming Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) as secondary to that condition.
THE BROADER PICTURE
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- High if linked to Gulf War
- Service-connected disabilities (VBA count)
- 357,156 disabilities
- Typical rating awarded
- ~10%
Count of service-connected disabilities from the VBA Annual Benefits Report (FY2025), as of September 30, 2025; the report counts disabilities, not veterans. Approval outlook and typical rating are Vetrify editorial estimates, not official VA statistics.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Common questions about Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) under VASRD diagnostic code 7319 (Digestive System). A chronic condition causing abdominal discomfort, bloating, and frequent diarrhea and/or constipation.
What VA disability rating can I get for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
Possible VA ratings for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) are 30%, 20%, 10%, 0%. The 0% level comes from 38 CFR 4.31, which assigns it wherever no compensable level is met. Examples: 30%: Abdominal pain related to defecation at least one day per week during the previous three months; and two or more of the following: (1) change in stool frequency, (2) change in stool form, (3) altered stool passage (straining and/or urgency), (4) mucorrhea, (5) abdominal bloating, or (6) subjective distension; 20%: Abdominal pain related to defecation for at least three days per month during the previous three months; and two or more of the following: (1) change in stool frequency, (2) change in stool form, (3) altered stool passage (straining and/or urgency), (4) mucorrhea, (5) abdominal bloating, or (6) subjective distension; 10%: Abdominal pain related to defecation at least once during the previous three months; and two or more of the following: (1) change in stool frequency, (2) change in stool form, (3) altered stool passage (straining and/or urgency), (4) mucorrhea, (5) abdominal bloating, or (6) subjective distension.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) at around 10%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. Per the VBA Annual Benefits Report (FY2025), veterans receiving VA compensation as of September 30, 2025 had 357,156 service-connected disabilities rated as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The report counts disabilities, not veterans. Estimated approval outlook: High if linked to Gulf War.
What evidence helps prove Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) claim includes: Treatment records covering a continuous three-month period, since every tier is measured over "the previous three months."; Clinical notes that tie the abdominal pain to defecation and that record which of the six named features are present; A gastroenterology evaluation documenting the diagnosis and the workup behind it.
Which DBQ is used for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
VA's Intestinal 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 Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
Common pitfalls when filing for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): Describing symptoms as "severe" or "constant" rather than counted. The current criteria grade days of pain per week or per month across three months, not general severity; Leaving other functional digestive symptoms unclaimed, when the Note directs symptoms not encompassed by this code to the appropriate diagnostic code, including gastrointestinal dysmotility syndrome (DC 7356).
Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) a presumptive condition for VA benefits?
Yes, for a veteran who meets a presumption's conditions. 38 CFR 3.317(a)(2) names "irritable bowel syndrome" among the medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses of a Persian Gulf veteran, if it is chronic as 38 CFR 3.317(a)(4) defines it (6 months or more, or intermittent episodes of improvement and worsening over 6 months). The regulation still requires it to have appeared during service in the Southwest Asia theater or, to a degree of 10 percent or more, by December 31, 2026, and still counts only the Southwest Asia theater as Gulf War service (38 CFR 3.317(e)(1)); its statute, 38 U.S.C. 1117, drops the date and the 10 percent floor and adds Afghanistan, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Syria and Jordan. 38 U.S.C. 1117(a)(2) names "irritable bowel syndrome" among the medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses for which a Persian Gulf veteran, as 38 U.S.C. 1117(f) defines one, may be paid compensation whenever it became manifest, to any degree (38 U.S.C. 1117(a)(1)). 38 CFR 3.309(c)(2) names "Irritable bowel syndrome" among the diseases specific to former prisoners of war who were interned or detained for at least 30 days, if it became manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more at any time after discharge. Each presumption gives way to affirmative evidence to the contrary (38 CFR 3.317(a)(7); 38 U.S.C. 1113; 38 CFR 3.307(d)).
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.114, Schedule of ratings, digestive system (Diagnostic Code 7319)
- 38 CFR § 4.7, higher of two evaluations
- 38 CFR § 4.31, zero percent evaluations
- 38 CFR 3.317(a)(2), presumptive service connection
- 38 U.S.C. 1117(a)(2), presumptive service connection
- 38 CFR 3.309(c)(2), presumptive service connection
- VBA Annual Benefits Report (FY2025), service-connected disabilities count, as of September 30, 2025
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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