YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions) VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions) under diagnostic code 7301, in 38 CFR § 4.114 (digestive system), and the schedule provides five evaluation levels for it: 80%, 50%, 30%, 10% and 0%.
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A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Plan your preparationTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions)
Peritoneal adhesions are bands of scar tissue that form in the abdomen after surgery, trauma, disease, or infection. The schedule rates them on symptoms and treatment burden rather than on the adhesions themselves. The 10, 30, and 50 percent levels all begin from symptomatic adhesions with at least one of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, colic, constipation, or diarrhea, and step up by adding medically-directed dietary modification and then hospitalization for recurrent obstruction. The 80 percent level is written separately, around persistent partial bowel obstruction. A history of adhesions that is currently asymptomatic is rated 0 percent.
Every level from 10 through 50 percent starts from the same base: symptomatic adhesions that persist or recur after surgery, trauma, an inflammatory disease process such as chronic cholecystitis or Crohn's disease, or infection, as determined by a healthcare provider, together with at least one of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, colic, constipation, or diarrhea. That base alone is 10 percent. Adding medically-directed dietary modification other than total parenteral nutrition (TPN) reaches 30 percent, and adding clinical evidence of recurrent obstruction requiring hospitalization at least once a year reaches 50 percent. The 80 percent evaluation is written differently and does not build on that base: it requires persistent partial bowel obstruction that is either inoperable and refractory to treatment or requires TPN for obstructive symptoms. A history of adhesions that is currently asymptomatic is 0 percent.
- Diagnostic code
- 7301
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.114
- Schedule levels
- 80%, 50%, 30%, 10% and 0%
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.
EXPLORE THE PERCENTAGES
Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions) VA rating criteria (DC 7301)
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.
BUILD YOUR EVIDENCE, ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Evidence for your Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions) 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.
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions)?
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 Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions) 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 record names the origin the criteria require — surgery, trauma, an inflammatory disease process such as chronic cholecystitis or Crohn's disease, or infection — because the 10, 30, and 50 percent levels all begin with adhesions persisting or recurring after one of those.
- 02
Keep the dietary restriction in writing from the provider who ordered it, since medically-directed dietary modification other than TPN is what separates the 10 percent level from the 30 percent level.
- 03
Residuals of a stomach injury before surgery (DC 7310) are rated under this code, and gallbladder injury (DC 7317) is rated under this code or under DC 7314 or DC 7318 depending on the predominant disability; in both places the schedule states that a finding of adhesions is not necessary.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind2 tips
- 01
Arriving with nothing in the file tying the adhesions to surgery, trauma, an inflammatory disease process, or infection, which is where the 10, 30, and 50 percent criteria each begin.
- 02
A record that documents abdominal symptoms but never shows a healthcare provider attributing them to peritoneal adhesions, which is the determination the criteria call for.
Common filing mistakes2 tips
- 01
Filing on the presence of adhesions alone, when a documented history that is currently asymptomatic is expressly rated 0 percent.
- 02
Leaving out hospital records from non-VA facilities where an obstruction was treated, and dietary restrictions that were discussed but never written into the chart — both are elements the 30 and 50 percent criteria name.
When symptoms may first appear1 tips
- 01
The criteria are written around adhesions that persist or recur after the original surgery, trauma, disease, or infection, so the history that matters is the course following that event rather than the event alone.
THE BROADER PICTURE
Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions) by the numbers
- Veterans service-connected
- ~50 veterans
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 Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions)
Is Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions) a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions) under VASRD diagnostic code 7301 (Digestive System). Peritoneal adhesions are bands of scar tissue that form in the abdomen after surgery, trauma, disease, or infection. The schedule rates them on symptoms and treatment burden rather than on the adhesions themselves. The 10, 30, and 50 percent levels all begin from symptomatic adhesions with at least one of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, colic, constipation, or diarrhea, and step up by adding medically-directed dietary modification and then hospitalization for recurrent obstruction. The 80 percent level is written separately, around persistent partial bowel obstruction. A history of adhesions that is currently asymptomatic is rated 0 percent.
What VA disability rating can I get for Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions)?
Possible VA ratings for Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions) are 80%, 50%, 30%, 10%, 0%. Examples: 80%: Persistent partial bowel obstruction that is either inoperable and refractory to treatment, or requires total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for obstructive symptoms; 50%: Symptomatic peritoneal adhesions, persisting or recurring after surgery, trauma, inflammatory disease process such as chronic cholecystitis or Crohn's disease, or infection, as determined by a healthcare provider; and clinical evidence of recurrent obstruction requiring hospitalization at least once a year; and medically-directed dietary modification other than total parenteral nutrition (TPN); and at least one of the following: (1) abdominal pain, (2) nausea, (3) vomiting, (4) colic, (5) constipation, or (6) diarrhea; 30%: Symptomatic peritoneal adhesions, persisting or recurring after surgery, trauma, inflammatory disease process such as chronic cholecystitis or Crohn's disease, or infection, as determined by a healthcare provider; and medically-directed dietary modification other than total parenteral nutrition (TPN); and at least one of the following: (1) abdominal pain, (2) nausea, (3) vomiting, (4) colic, (5) constipation, or (6) diarrhea.
What evidence helps prove Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions) for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions) claim includes: Operative reports, or the trauma and infection records, for the event the adhesions followed, since the 10, 30, and 50 percent levels are all anchored to that origin; Imaging or operative findings documenting obstruction, plus discharge summaries from any admission for it, because the 50 percent level counts hospitalization for recurrent obstruction at least once a year; The written dietary order from the treating provider, and records of total parenteral nutrition if it has been used, since the criteria treat TPN and ordinary dietary modification differently.
Which DBQ is used for Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions)?
VA's Peritoneal Adhesions 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 Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions)?
Common pitfalls when filing for Peritoneal Adhesions (Abdominal Adhesions): Filing on the presence of adhesions alone, when a documented history that is currently asymptomatic is expressly rated 0 percent; Leaving out hospital records from non-VA facilities where an obstruction was treated, and dietary restrictions that were discussed but never written into the chart — both are elements the 30 and 50 percent criteria name.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.114, Schedule of ratings, digestive system (Diagnostic Code 7301)
- 38 CFR § 4.7, higher of two evaluations
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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