VASRD 7114 · Cardiovascular System
Peripheral Arterial Disease VA Disability Rating
Peripheral arterial disease is reduced arterial blood flow to a limb. Under DC 7114 the percentage is set by objective measurement rather than by symptoms: the ankle/brachial index (ABI), the ankle pressure, the toe pressure, or the transcutaneous oxygen tension. Each band lists all four measures, and meeting any one of them is enough. The lowest evaluation this code offers is 20 percent, and each affected limb is evaluated separately.
VA Rating Tiers
How the VA Evaluates Peripheral Arterial Disease
DC 7114 assigns a percentage from four interchangeable measures, and a band is met by at least one of them. 20 percent: ABI of 0.67-0.79; ankle pressure of 84-99 mm Hg; toe pressure of 50-59 mm Hg; or transcutaneous oxygen tension of 50-59 mm Hg. 40 percent: ABI of 0.54-0.66; ankle pressure of 66-83 mm Hg; toe pressure of 40-49 mm Hg; or transcutaneous oxygen tension of 40-49 mm Hg. 60 percent: ABI of 0.40-0.53; ankle pressure of 50-65 mm Hg; toe pressure of 30-39 mm Hg; or transcutaneous oxygen tension of 30-39 mm Hg. 100 percent: ABI of 0.39 or less; ankle pressure less than 50 mm Hg; toe pressure less than 30 mm Hg; or transcutaneous oxygen tension less than 30 mm Hg. Note (1) defines each measure and its normal value — ABI 0.80 or greater, ankle pressure 100 mm Hg or greater, toe pressure 60 mm Hg or greater, transcutaneous oxygen tension 60 mm Hg or greater — and requires that all measurements be determined by objective testing. Note (2) settles which test controls: where ankle pressure, toe pressure and transcutaneous oxygen tension testing are not of record, the evaluation is based on ABI, unless the examiner states that one of those tests is needed in a particular case because ABI does not sufficiently reflect the severity; in all other cases the evaluation is based on the test that provides the highest impairment value. Note (3) brings in residuals of aortic and large arterial bypass surgery or arterial graft, which are evaluated as peripheral arterial disease. Note (4) makes these evaluations per extremity: where more than one extremity is affected, each is evaluated separately and the results combined under § 4.25, using the bilateral factor under § 4.26 if applicable. Nothing in the code's criteria refers to symptoms, walking distance, or imaging findings.
Veterans service-connected
~12,000 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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Best Evidence to Gather
- •Vascular study results reporting the ankle/brachial index as a number, together with the ankle and brachial systolic pressures it was calculated from.
- •Ankle pressure, toe pressure, or transcutaneous oxygen tension results where those tests were performed — each is an independent route into a band, and in all cases other than an ABI-only record Note (2) bases the evaluation on the test that provides the highest impairment value.
- •Separate results for each affected extremity, since Note (4) evaluates one extremity at a time.
- •Operative reports for aortic or large arterial bypass surgery or an arterial graft, which Note (3) evaluates as peripheral arterial disease.
- •Vascular specialist records establishing the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease itself.
Strategy Tips
- •Ask that the vascular study report the actual numbers rather than an impression. Every band in DC 7114 is a numeric range for ABI, ankle pressure, toe pressure, or transcutaneous oxygen tension, and Note (1) requires that all measurements be determined by objective testing.
- •Where more than one limb is affected, have each one tested and reported on its own. Note (4) evaluates a single extremity at a time and combines separate extremity evaluations under § 4.25, with the bilateral factor under § 4.26 where it applies.
- •If ABI is the only test in the file, Note (2) is the provision that governs: the evaluation is based on ABI unless the examiner states that an ankle pressure, toe pressure, or transcutaneous oxygen tension test is needed because ABI does not sufficiently reflect the severity. In all other cases, the evaluation is based on the test that provides the highest impairment value.
- •If the claim follows aortic or large arterial bypass surgery or an arterial graft, keep the operative report in the file. Note (3) directs that those residuals be evaluated as peripheral arterial disease under this code.
C&P Exam Pitfalls
- •A record with no objective vascular testing at all, when Note (1) requires every measurement under this code to be determined by objective testing.
- •Circulation described qualitatively — diminished pulses, poor flow, cool skin — with no ABI, ankle pressure, toe pressure, or transcutaneous oxygen tension value, leaving no number to place against the bands.
- •Only one limb tested when both are affected, which leaves the second extremity without the separate evaluation Note (4) provides for.
- •An examiner who considers ABI insufficient to reflect the severity but does not say so in the report, since Note (2) makes that statement the basis for adding an ankle pressure, toe pressure, or transcutaneous oxygen tension test.
Common Filing Mistakes
- •Building the claim around symptoms — cramping, coldness, how far you can walk. DC 7114's bands contain no symptom criteria; they are ranges of ABI, ankle pressure, toe pressure, and transcutaneous oxygen tension.
- •Submitting imaging alone. A picture of a narrowed artery is not one of the four measures this code is graded by.
- •Letting one set of numbers stand in for both legs, when Note (4) evaluates each extremity separately and combines them under § 4.25 with the bilateral factor under § 4.26 if applicable.
- •Leaving bypass or graft surgery out of the claim, when Note (3) evaluates those residuals as peripheral arterial disease under this code.
Onset Patterns
- •The schedule does not describe a course of onset for this code. It ties the evaluation to test values at the time of measurement, read against the normal values Note (1) sets: ABI of 0.80 or greater, ankle pressure of 100 mm Hg or greater, and toe pressure and transcutaneous oxygen tension of 60 mm Hg or greater.
- •Some routes into DC 7114 have a defined starting point in the schedule. Note (3) evaluates residuals of aortic and large arterial bypass surgery or arterial graft as peripheral arterial disease, and DC 7111 (aneurysm, any large artery) directs that following surgery the evaluation be made under DC 7114. DC 7115 (thrombo-angiitis obliterans, Buerger's disease) also sends lower-extremity involvement to this code, though without any comparable timing trigger.
Secondary Conditions
Conditions commonly linked to Peripheral Arterial Disease. Service-connecting a secondary condition can increase your combined rating.
Amputation
Chronic leg ulcers
Common questions about Peripheral Arterial Disease
- Is Peripheral Arterial Disease a VA-rated disability?
- Yes. The VA rates Peripheral Arterial Disease under VASRD diagnostic code 7114 (Cardiovascular System). Peripheral arterial disease is reduced arterial blood flow to a limb. Under DC 7114 the percentage is set by objective measurement rather than by symptoms: the ankle/brachial index (ABI), the ankle pressure, the toe…
- What VA disability rating can I get for Peripheral Arterial Disease?
- Possible VA ratings for Peripheral Arterial Disease are 100%, 60%, 40%, 20%. Examples: 100%: The most severe measured blood-flow impairment in the limb; 60%: Severely reduced blood flow on objective testing; 40%: Moderately reduced blood flow on objective testing.
- What evidence helps prove Peripheral Arterial Disease for VA disability?
- Strong evidence for a Peripheral Arterial Disease claim includes: Vascular study results reporting the ankle/brachial index as a number, together with the ankle and brachial systolic pressures it was calculated from.; Ankle pressure, toe pressure, or transcutaneous oxygen tension results where those tests were perform…
- What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Peripheral Arterial Disease?
- Common pitfalls when filing for Peripheral Arterial Disease: Building the claim around symptoms — cramping, coldness, how far you can walk. DC 7114's bands contain no symptom criteria; they are ranges of ABI, ankle pressure, toe pressure, and transcutaneous oxygen tension.; Submitting imaging alone. A picture of a nar…
- What conditions are commonly secondary to Peripheral Arterial Disease?
- Conditions often service-connected as secondary to Peripheral Arterial Disease include: Amputation, Chronic leg ulcers. Filing for secondary conditions can increase a veteran's combined VA rating.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.104 — Schedule of ratings — cardiovascular system (Diagnostic Code 7114)
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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