YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Syphilitic Heart Disease VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Syphilitic Heart Disease under diagnostic code 7004, in 38 CFR § 4.104 (cardiovascular system), and the schedule provides four evaluation levels for it: 100%, 60%, 30% and 10%.
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A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Go to the source03Plan your preparationTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Syphilitic Heart Disease
Syphilitic heart disease is heart disease caused by a syphilis infection. DC 7004 carries no rating percentages of its own — it is evaluated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart. That means the percentage turns on how much physical work your heart tolerates before heart failure symptoms appear, on whether cardiac imaging shows the heart has thickened or enlarged, and on whether continuous medication is required to control the condition.
Because DC 7004 has no criteria of its own, the evaluation comes from the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart, which is built on 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. Two cross-references shape where this code sits. DC 6310 (Syphilis, and other treponema infections) assigns no percentage itself and instead directs that residual disability of the infection be rated under the appropriate body system, and its cross-reference list cites DC 7004 by number — so the cardiac residual, not the infection, is what carries the evaluation. And DC 7004's own note directs that syphilitic aortic aneurysms be evaluated under DC 7110 (Aortic aneurysm: Ascending, thoracic, abdominal) rather than here.
- Diagnostic code
- 7004
- 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
Syphilitic Heart Disease VA rating criteria (DC 7004)
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 Syphilitic Heart Disease?
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 Syphilitic Heart Disease 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 contains a documented METs workload, since a METs finding is the only route the General Rating Formula gives to its 100 and 60 percent tiers, and one of the two routes at 30 percent and at 10 percent.
- 02
Ask that echocardiogram, multigated acquisition scan, or MRI findings be included in full, since cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation confirmed by that imaging meets the 30 percent criterion on its own, without a METs figure.
- 03
Keep the prescription record for any medication taken continuously to control the heart condition, 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 that closes without a METs figure, which leaves the 100 and 60 percent tiers of the General Rating Formula — the two the schedule states no alternative for — with nothing to measure against.
- 02
Imaging referred to in the narrative but not attached, so the examiner cannot confirm the cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation the 30 percent criterion names.
- 03
Cardiac findings recorded without the examiner addressing whether they are attributable to the syphilis infection, which is what distinguishes this code from the other heart codes.
Common filing mistakes3 tips
- 01
Filing on the infection history alone, without cardiac testing showing the heart involvement this code actually rates.
- 02
Expecting the infection code to carry the rating — DC 6310 assigns no percentage and routes residual disability to the body system affected.
- 03
Assuming an aortic aneurysm is covered by the evidence filed here, when the schedule evaluates syphilitic aortic aneurysms under DC 7110, on that code's own criteria rather than on this one's.
When symptoms may first appear2 tips
- 01
Nothing in DC 7004's rating criteria keys off when the heart disease began — the tiers read a current METs workload, current imaging, and current use of continuous medication for control, so the testing that moves the percentage is the most recent, not the earliest.
- 02
Where the infection has produced an aortic aneurysm, that finding leaves this code entirely: the schedule directs syphilitic aortic aneurysms to DC 7110.
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 Syphilitic Heart Disease 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
Syphilitic Heart Disease by the numbers
- Veterans service-connected
- ~8,000 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 Syphilitic Heart Disease
Is Syphilitic Heart Disease a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Syphilitic Heart Disease under VASRD diagnostic code 7004 (Cardiovascular System). Syphilitic heart disease is heart disease caused by a syphilis infection. DC 7004 carries no rating percentages of its own — it is evaluated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart. That means the percentage turns on how much physical work your heart tolerates before heart failure symptoms appear, on whether cardiac imaging shows the heart has thickened or enlarged, and on whether continuous medication is required to control the condition.
What VA disability rating can I get for Syphilitic Heart Disease?
Possible VA ratings for Syphilitic Heart Disease 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%: Workload of 3.0 METs or less results in heart failure symptoms; 60%: Workload of 3.1-5.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms; 30%: 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 Syphilitic Heart Disease?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Syphilitic Heart Disease at around 60%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 8,000 veterans are service-connected for Syphilitic Heart Disease.
What evidence helps prove Syphilitic Heart Disease for VA disability?
Common evidence for a Syphilitic Heart Disease 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 Syphilitic Heart Disease?
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 Syphilitic Heart Disease?
Common pitfalls when filing for Syphilitic Heart Disease: Filing on the infection history alone, without cardiac testing showing the heart involvement this code actually rates; Expecting the infection code to carry the rating — DC 6310 assigns no percentage and routes residual disability to the body system affected; Assuming an aortic aneurysm is covered by the evidence filed here, when the schedule evaluates syphilitic aortic aneurysms under DC 7110, on that code's own criteria rather than on this one's.
Does VA hold Syphilitic Heart Disease 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 Syphilitic Heart Disease in its cardiovascular section, 38 CFR 4.104.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.104, Schedule of ratings, cardiovascular system (Diagnostic Code 7004)
- 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.
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