Muscle Injuries§ 4.73Updated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 5324Diaphragm, rupture of, with herniation. Rate under diagnostic code 7346

Rated under § 4.73. No rating levels have been extracted for this code yet — use the official source.

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In short

Summary

Rate under diagnostic code 7346

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Diaphragm, Rupture of, With Herniation (VA Diagnostic Code 5324)

Understanding This Condition

The diaphragm is the muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen and plays a central role in breathing. A rupture of the diaphragm with herniation occurs when a tear in this muscle allows abdominal contents to push through into the chest area.

Under the VA rating schedule, this condition falls within the Muscle Injuries body system and is listed under Diagnostic Code 5324 in § 4.73 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

How This Condition Is Rated

For rating purposes, the VA does not assign a percentage under Diagnostic Code 5324 itself. Instead, the regulation directs that this condition be rated under Diagnostic Code 7346.

This means that when the VA evaluates a diaphragm rupture with herniation, it applies the rating criteria associated with Diagnostic Code 7346 to determine the appropriate disability level.

What the VA Looks For

  • Confirmation of the condition: A rupture of the diaphragm accompanied by herniation.
  • Cross-referenced rating criteria: Because Diagnostic Code 5324 instructs evaluators to "Rate under diagnostic code 7346," the VA turns to the standards under Diagnostic Code 7346 to assign a rating level.

This information is drawn directly from the VA rating schedule entry for Diagnostic Code 5324 (§ 4.73). It is provided for general educational purposes and does not guarantee any specific rating outcome.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.73, diagnostic code 5324. The official version is the one that governs your rating.

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What next

How to claim this

Knowing the criteria is the first half. Getting your file to show them is the second.

  1. Find your level in the stack

    Read each rung against what your medical records already say. The level your records document today is the one the VA can support today.

  2. Name the gap

    Look at the rung above yours and write down exactly what it asks for that your file does not show yet — a diagnosis, a measurement, a prescribed brace, a doctor’s opinion linking it to service.

  3. Claim it by code

    File under diagnostic code 5324 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Muscle Injuries codes may cover your secondary conditions.

Find out which rating your evidence supports.

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