YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) under diagnostic code 7006, in 38 CFR § 4.104 (cardiovascular system), and the schedule provides four evaluation levels for it: 100%, 60%, 30% and 10%.
Free · No account needed
Save your Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) guide
Email yourself this Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) guide so the rating criteria, evidence checklist, and preparation tips are easy to find later.
A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Go to the source03Plan your preparationTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)
A myocardial infarction is a heart attack: blood flow to part of the heart muscle is cut off and that muscle is damaged. DC 7006 assigns 100 percent during the infarction and for three months following it, provided laboratory tests confirm it. After those three months the evaluation is reset under the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart, which measures how much exertion your heart tolerates before heart failure symptoms appear.
DC 7006 carries one criterion of its own: 100 percent during and for three months following the myocardial infarction, confirmed by laboratory tests. Thereafter the schedule directs the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart, 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. The laboratory confirmation does two jobs: it establishes the infarction the code names, and it fixes the event the three-month period runs from.
- Diagnostic code
- 7006
- 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
Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) VA rating criteria (DC 7006)
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.
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)?
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 Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) 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 laboratory results confirming the infarction are in the file, since DC 7006's 100 percent criterion is written as 'confirmed by laboratory tests' and the three-month period runs from that confirmed event.
- 02
Plan for the evaluation to be reassessed once three months have passed, and have exercise testing that records a METs workload available for that stage, since the General Rating Formula governs from then on.
- 03
If cardiac medication was started after the infarction and is taken continuously to control the condition, keep the prescription record, since continuous medication required for control is its own route to the 10 percent tier.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind3 tips
- 01
An exam held after the three-month period with no METs testing in it, 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.
- 02
Laboratory confirmation of the infarction absent from the record, so the event underlying the 100 percent criterion is documented only as reported history.
- 03
Cardiac imaging performed during the hospitalization but never repeated, leaving the post-recovery hypertrophy or dilatation question unanswered.
Common filing mistakes2 tips
- 01
Treating the 100 percent period as the end state — the schedule shifts to the General Rating Formula after three months, and that stage is supported by exercise testing and cardiac imaging, not by the admission records.
- 02
Submitting the discharge summary alone, without the follow-up cardiology records that show what cardiac function looks like after recovery.
When symptoms may first appear2 tips
- 01
The schedule treats a myocardial infarction as a dated event rather than a gradual course: the 100 percent evaluation attaches to the infarction and to the three months that follow it.
- 02
After that window closes, what the criteria read is residual exertional capacity in METs and cardiac imaging — so a claim that stops at the hospital record stops at the point the code moves on.
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 Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) 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
Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) by the numbers
- Veterans service-connected
- ~1,100 veterans
- Typical rating awarded
- ~60%
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 Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)
Is Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) under VASRD diagnostic code 7006 (Cardiovascular System). A myocardial infarction is a heart attack: blood flow to part of the heart muscle is cut off and that muscle is damaged. DC 7006 assigns 100 percent during the infarction and for three months following it, provided laboratory tests confirm it. After those three months the evaluation is reset under the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart, which measures how much exertion your heart tolerates before heart failure symptoms appear.
What VA disability rating can I get for Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)?
Possible VA ratings for Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) 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%: During and for three months following myocardial infarction, confirmed by laboratory tests (DC 7006's own criterion). Thereafter, under the General Rating Formula: workload of 3.0 METs or less results in heart failure symptoms; 60%: After the first three months, under the General Rating Formula: workload of 3.1-5.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms; 30%: After the first three months, under the General Rating Formula: 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 Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) at around 60%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 1,100 veterans are service-connected for Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack).
What evidence helps prove Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) for VA disability?
Common evidence for a Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) claim includes a current medical diagnosis from a qualified provider, documentation of an in-service event or exposure, and statements describing functional impact.
Which DBQ is used for Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)?
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 Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)?
Common pitfalls when filing for Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack): Treating the 100 percent period as the end state — the schedule shifts to the General Rating Formula after three months, and that stage is supported by exercise testing and cardiac imaging, not by the admission records; Submitting the discharge summary alone, without the follow-up cardiology records that show what cardiac function looks like after recovery.
Does VA hold Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) 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 Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) in its cardiovascular section, 38 CFR 4.104.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.104, Schedule of ratings, cardiovascular system (Diagnostic Code 7006)
- 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.
VA Calc: Disability Pay
Combine your ratings & see monthly pay on your iPhone · Works offline