Digestive System§ 4.114Updated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 7347Pancreatitis, chronic

Rated from 30% to 100% under § 4.114. Here is what the VA requires at each level.

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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. 100%

    Daily episodes of abdominal or mid-back pain that require three or more hospitalizations per year; and pain management by a physician; and maldigestion and malabsorption requiring dietary restriction and pancreatic enzyme supplementation

  2. 60%

    Three or more episodes of abdominal or mid-back pain per year and at least one episode per year requiring hospitalization for management either of complications related to abdominal pain or complications of tube enteral feeding

  3. 30%

    At least one episode per year of abdominal or mid-back pain that requires ongoing outpatient medical treatment for pain, digestive problems, or management of related complications including but not limited to cyst, pseudocyst, intestinal obstruction, or ascites

From the schedule

Notes on this code

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

  • Note (1): Appropriate diagnostic studies must confirm that abdominal pain in this condition results from pancreatitis.
  • Note (2): Separately rate endocrine dysfunction resulting in diabetes due to pancreatic insufficiency under DC 7913 (Diabetes mellitus).

Chronic Pancreatitis (VA Diagnostic Code 7347)

Understanding This Digestive System Condition

Chronic pancreatitis is a long-term inflammation of the pancreas that the VA rates under Diagnostic Code 7347, found in § 4.114 of the rating schedule covering the digestive system.

This condition can cause ongoing abdominal or mid-back pain, along with digestive difficulties. Depending on how often symptoms occur, whether hospitalization is needed, and how the condition affects digestion and nutrition, the VA assigns one of several rating levels.

Available Rating Levels

The VA evaluates chronic pancreatitis using the following schedule:

100%

Daily episodes of abdominal or mid-back pain that require three or more hospitalizations per year; and pain management by a physician; and maldigestion and malabsorption requiring dietary restriction and pancreatic enzyme supplementation.

60%

Three or more episodes of abdominal or mid-back pain per year, and at least one episode per year requiring hospitalization for management of either complications related to abdominal pain or complications of tube enteral feeding.

30%

At least one episode per year of abdominal or mid-back pain that requires ongoing outpatient medical treatment for pain, digestive problems, or management of related complications — including but not limited to cyst, pseudocyst, intestinal obstruction, or ascites.

What the VA Looks For

When rating chronic pancreatitis, the VA focuses on factors such as:

  • How frequently pain episodes occur — from at least one episode per year up to daily episodes.
  • Whether hospitalization is required — and how often (for example, at least one hospitalization per year, or three or more per year).
  • The type of treatment needed — outpatient care, physician-directed pain management, or management of complications.
  • Effects on digestion and nutrition — such as maldigestion and malabsorption requiring dietary restriction and pancreatic enzyme supplementation.
  • Related complications — including cyst, pseudocyst, intestinal obstruction, ascites, or complications of tube enteral feeding.

Important Notes

  • Note (1): Appropriate diagnostic studies must confirm that abdominal pain in this condition results from pancreatitis.
  • Note (2): Endocrine dysfunction resulting in diabetes due to pancreatic insufficiency is rated separately under Diagnostic Code 7913 (Diabetes mellitus).

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.114, diagnostic code 7347. 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 7347 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Digestive System codes may cover your secondary conditions.

Find out which rating your evidence supports.

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