YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Multiple SclerosisVA disability rating & claim guide
DC 8018 prints a single line: minimum rating, 30 percent. That line is not the code's ladder. The paragraph that opens 38 CFR 4.124a says these diseases and their residuals may, with the exceptions noted, be rated from 10 to 100 percent in proportion to the impairment of motor, sensory, or mental function, referring to the appropriate bodily system of the schedule, and the note printed under DC 8025 requires ascertainable residuals for the minimum. So an evaluation above 30 percent is built from the residuals, and 30 percent is the floor once a residual is shown. For the presumption, Part 3 gives multiple sclerosis the longest window in its chronic-disease rule: seven years from separation, where most chronic diseases get one.
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How the VA rates Multiple Sclerosis
The VA rates Multiple Sclerosis under diagnostic code 8018, in 38 CFR § 4.124a (neurological conditions), and the schedule publishes a single evaluation under it: 30%.
DC 8018's entry has one criterion: minimum rating, 30 percent. It is not the code's ladder, and two passages of 38 CFR 4.124a say why. The first is the bracketed paragraph the section opens with: "[With the exceptions noted, disability from the following diseases and their residuals may be rated from 10 percent to 100 percent in proportion to the impairment of motor, sensory, or mental function. Consider especially psychotic manifestations, complete or partial loss of use of one or more extremities, speech disturbances, impairment of vision, disturbances of gait, tremors, visceral manifestations, etc., referring to the appropriate bodily system of the schedule. With partial loss of use of one or more extremities from neurological lesions, rate by comparison with the mild, moderate, severe, or complete paralysis of peripheral nerves]". The second is the note printed under DC 8025, which by its own words governs the minimum ratings for residuals under diagnostic codes 8000 through 8025: it is required for those minimum ratings that there be ascertainable residuals; residuals not capable of objective verification, which it identifies as headaches, dizziness and fatigability, must be approached on the basis of the diagnosis recorded, and subjective residuals will be accepted when consistent with the disease and not more likely attributable to other disease or no disease; and when ratings in excess of the prescribed minimum ratings are assigned, it is of exceptional importance that the diagnostic codes utilized as bases of evaluation be cited, in addition to the codes identifying the diagnoses. Read together, an evaluation of multiple sclerosis above the minimum comes from its residuals, evaluated by reference to the body systems they affect, with the codes used cited. The 30 percent is the floor: the least the code assigns once a residual is ascertainable, and not a cap on what the residuals can reach. One general rule completes the picture. 38 CFR 4.31 says that where the schedule does not provide a zero percent evaluation for a code, a zero percent evaluation is assigned when the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met. Under this code, that is the case where no ascertainable residual is shown.
- Diagnostic code
- 8018
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.124a
- Ratings published
- 30%
How does the VA choose a rating level?
There is no higher or lower step inside this code: a rating decision either finds its criteria met or it does not. Where they are not met, 38 CFR § 4.31 assigns a 0% evaluation: service connection granted, at a level that does not pay.
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This condition has one published rating level. Read the criteria, then explore the details and monthly pay.
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FROM READING TO READY
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Small details. Better preparation.
Start with the practical tips, then explore the common oversights. You don’t need to work through everything at once.
Practical tips for your claim4 tips
- 01
List every residual on the claim by name, so each can be evaluated under the body system the section's opening paragraph points to.
- 02
When a decision goes above the minimum, check that it cites each diagnostic code it used. The note under DC 8025 calls that of exceptional importance.
- 03
For an arm or leg, ask for findings graded mild, moderate, severe or complete, the scale 38 CFR 4.124a says partial loss of use is compared against.
- 04
Establish the earliest documented manifestation and measure it against the date of separation. 38 CFR 3.307(a)(3) allows seven years for multiple sclerosis.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind4 tips
- 01
The 30 percent read as a cap. It is the minimum. The section's opening paragraph says that, with the exceptions noted, these diseases and their residuals may be rated from 10 to 100 percent in proportion to impairment, and for multiple sclerosis anything above the minimum is assessed through the residuals.
- 02
An examination that records the diagnosis but not the residuals. The minimum itself requires ascertainable residuals, and every percentage above it comes from them.
- 03
Symptoms set aside because they cannot be objectively verified. The note under DC 8025 says fatigability, dizziness and headaches are approached on the basis of the diagnosis recorded.
- 04
A decision above the minimum that does not cite the codes it used. The note calls it of exceptional importance that the diagnostic codes used as bases of evaluation be cited alongside the code for the diagnosis, which is also how a veteran can check that each residual was evaluated.
Common filing mistakes4 tips
- 01
Treating 30 percent as the most this code can pay. Above the minimum, the schedule rates these diseases through their residuals, in proportion to the impairment.
- 02
Claiming only the diagnosis. An evaluation above the minimum is built from the residuals, so name each one and put the records of it in the file.
- 03
Leaving out residuals that belong to other body systems. The section's opening paragraph names impairment of vision, speech disturbances, psychotic manifestations and visceral manifestations, and tells the rater to refer to the appropriate bodily system for each.
- 04
Assuming a diagnosis made years after discharge cannot be service connected. The chronic-disease presumption gives multiple sclerosis seven years from separation.
When symptoms may first appear2 tips
- 01
The schedule states no course of onset for this code.
- 02
Part 3 states a window instead. Under 38 CFR 3.307(a)(3) a chronic disease must become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more within one year of separation, Hansen's disease and tuberculosis within three, and multiple sclerosis within seven.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Common questions about Multiple Sclerosis
Is Multiple Sclerosis a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Multiple Sclerosis under VASRD diagnostic code 8018 (Neurological Conditions). DC 8018 prints a single line: minimum rating, 30 percent. That line is not the code's ladder. The paragraph that opens 38 CFR 4.124a says these diseases and their residuals may, with the exceptions noted, be rated from 10…
What VA disability rating can I get for Multiple Sclerosis?
Possible VA ratings for Multiple Sclerosis are 30%. Examples: 30%: The least this code assigns once a residual is ascertainable, and not a cap. An evaluation above it is assigned under the codes of the residuals, which the note under DC 8025 says should be cited..
What evidence helps prove Multiple Sclerosis for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Multiple Sclerosis claim includes: A record of every residual, named and described. The section's opening paragraph lists what to consider: motor, sensory and mental function, loss of use of an extremity, speech, vision, gait, tremors and visceral manifestations. Each one found is what an evaluat…
What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Multiple Sclerosis?
Common pitfalls when filing for Multiple Sclerosis: Treating 30 percent as the most this code can pay. Above the minimum, the schedule rates these diseases through their residuals, in proportion to the impairment.; Claiming only the diagnosis. An evaluation above the minimum is built from the residuals, so name each o…
Is Multiple Sclerosis a presumptive condition for VA benefits?
Yes, Multiple Sclerosis is recognized as a presumptive condition. 38 CFR 3.309(a) lists "Sclerosis, multiple" among the chronic diseases, and 38 CFR 3.307(a)(3) gives it the longest window in that paragraph: it must have become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more within seven years of the date of separation, wh…
Is multiple sclerosis rated at 30 percent?
Thirty percent is the minimum, not a cap. DC 8018 prints one row, a minimum rating of 30 percent, and the paragraph that opens 38 CFR 4.124a says that, with the exceptions noted, these diseases and their residuals may be rated from 10 to 100 percent in proportion to the impairment of motor, sensory, or mental function, referring to the appropriate bodily system of the schedule. The note under DC 8025, which governs the minimum ratings for residuals under codes 8000 through 8025, requires ascertainable residuals for the minimum and calls it of exceptional importance that any rating above it cite the diagnostic codes used as its bases. So an evaluation above 30 percent is built from the residuals, each evaluated by reference to the body system it affects, and 30 percent is the floor once a residual is shown.
How long after service can MS be presumed service connected?
Seven years. 38 CFR 3.309(a) lists multiple sclerosis among the chronic diseases, and 38 CFR 3.307(a)(3) says a chronic disease must become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more within one year of separation, except Hansen's disease and tuberculosis within three years and multiple sclerosis within seven. The service requirement is in 3.307(a)(1): 90 days or more of active, continuous service during a war period or after December 31, 1946. The presumption can be rebutted under 3.307, so the records that show when the disease became manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more, measured against the date of separation, are what a claim on it rests on.
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Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.124a, Schedule of ratings, neurological conditions (Diagnostic Code 8018)
- 38 CFR § 4.31, zero percent evaluations
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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