Cardiovascular System§ 4.104Updated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 7122Cold injury residuals

Rated from 10% to 30% under § 4.104. Here is what the VA requires at each level.

View official source

Not the right code?

The ladder

What each rating requires

The VA assigns the highest level your evidence actually supports. Read up the stack until your records stop matching.

  1. 30%

    Arthralgia or other pain, numbness, or cold sensitivity plus two or more of the following: Tissue loss, nail abnormalities, color changes, locally impaired sensation, hyperhidrosis, anhydrosis, X-ray abnormalities (osteoporosis, subarticular punched-out lesions, or osteoarthritis), atrophy or fibrosis of the affected musculature, flexion or extension deformity of distal joints, volar fat pad loss in fingers or toes, avascular necrosis of bone, chronic ulceration, carpal or tarsal tunnel syndrome

  2. 20%

    Arthralgia or other pain, numbness, or cold sensitivity plus one of the following: Tissue loss, nail abnormalities, color changes, locally impaired sensation, hyperhidrosis, anhydrosis, X-ray abnormalities (osteoporosis, subarticular punched-out lesions, or osteoarthritis), atrophy or fibrosis of the affected musculature, flexion or extension deformity of distal joints, volar fat pad loss in fingers or toes, avascular necrosis of bone, chronic ulceration, carpal or tarsal tunnel syndrome

  3. 10%

    Arthralgia or other pain, numbness, or cold sensitivity

From the schedule

Notes on this code

These notes are part of the regulation. They change how the levels above are applied.

  • Note (1): Separately evaluate amputations of fingers or toes, and complications such as squamous cell carcinoma at the site of a cold injury scar or peripheral neuropathy, under other diagnostic codes. Separately evaluate other disabilities diagnosed as the residual effects of cold injury, such as Raynaud's syndrome (which is otherwise known as secondary Raynaud's phenomenon), muscle atrophy, etc., unless they are used to support an evaluation under diagnostic code 7122.
  • Note (2): Evaluate each affected part (e.g., hand, foot, ear, nose) separately and combine the ratings in accordance with §§ 4.25 and 4.26.

Cold Injury Residuals — VA Diagnostic Code 7122

Understanding how the VA rates the lasting effects of cold injuries.

Rated under 38 CFR § 4.104 — Cardiovascular System

What This Condition Is

Cold injury residuals are the lasting symptoms and complications that can remain after exposure to cold — such as frostbite or other cold-related injuries. Even after the initial injury heals, some people continue to experience effects in the affected areas, which commonly include the hands, feet, ears, and nose.

Under Diagnostic Code 7122, the VA looks at symptoms like joint pain (arthralgia) or other pain, numbness, and cold sensitivity, along with a range of physical changes in the affected body part.

Available Rating Levels

The VA assigns a rating based on the combination of symptoms present in each affected part.

10%

Arthralgia or other pain, numbness, or cold sensitivity.

20%

Arthralgia or other pain, numbness, or cold sensitivity, plus one of the following:

  • Tissue loss
  • Nail abnormalities
  • Color changes
  • Locally impaired sensation
  • Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) or anhydrosis (lack of sweating)
  • X-ray abnormalities (osteoporosis, subarticular punched-out lesions, or osteoarthritis)
  • Atrophy or fibrosis of the affected musculature
  • Flexion or extension deformity of distal joints
  • Volar fat pad loss in fingers or toes
  • Avascular necrosis of bone
  • Chronic ulceration
  • Carpal or tarsal tunnel syndrome

30%

Arthralgia or other pain, numbness, or cold sensitivity, plus two or more of the items listed above.

What the VA Looks For

  • The core symptoms: pain, numbness, or cold sensitivity in the affected area.
  • Additional physical findings: the higher rating levels depend on how many of the additional complications (listed above) are present alongside the core symptoms.
  • Each part evaluated separately: The VA evaluates each affected part — for example, each hand, foot, ear, or nose — separately, then combines the ratings under §§ 4.25 and 4.26.

Important Notes

  • Separate evaluations for certain conditions. Amputations of fingers or toes, and complications such as squamous cell carcinoma at the site of a cold injury scar or peripheral neuropathy, are evaluated separately under other diagnostic codes.
  • Other residual effects. Other disabilities diagnosed as residual effects of cold injury — such as Raynaud's syndrome (also known as secondary Raynaud's phenomenon), muscle atrophy, and similar conditions — are evaluated separately, unless they are already being used to support an evaluation under Diagnostic Code 7122.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.104, diagnostic code 7122. The official version is the one that governs your rating.

View official source
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 7122 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Cardiovascular System codes may cover your secondary conditions.

Find out which rating your evidence supports.

Six reads your records against these exact criteria and tells you what the VA is still missing.

Start for freeAll 33 Cardiovascular System codes →