Genitourinary System§ 4.115bUpdated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 7531Kidney transplant

Rated from 30% to 100% under § 4.115b. Here is what the VA requires at each level.

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  1. 100%

    Following transplant surgery

  2. 30%

    Thereafter: Rate on residuals as renal dysfunction, minimum rating

From the schedule

Notes on this code

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

  • NoteâThe 100 percent evaluation shall be assigned as of the date of hospital admission for transplant surgery and shall continue with a mandatory VA examination one year following hospital discharge. Any change in evaluation based upon that or any subsequent examination shall be subject to the provisions of § 3.105(e) of this chapter.
  • Note: When evaluating any claim involving loss or loss of use of one or more creative organs, refer to § 3.350 of this chapter to determine whether the veteran may be entitled to special monthly compensation. Footnotes in the schedule indicate conditions which potentially establish entitlement to special monthly compensation; however, there are other conditions in this section which under certain circumstances also establish entitlement to special monthly compensation.

Kidney Transplant (VA Diagnostic Code 7531)

Genitourinary System — 38 CFR § 4.115b

Understanding This Condition

A kidney transplant is the surgical replacement of a failed kidney with a donor kidney. Under the VA rating schedule, this condition is evaluated based on the transplant surgery itself and, later, on any lasting effects (residuals) that remain afterward.

Available Rating Levels

The VA recognizes the following disability ratings for a kidney transplant:

RatingWhat It Reflects
100%Following transplant surgery
30%Thereafter: rated on residuals as renal dysfunction, with 30% as the minimum rating

What the VA Looks For

  • The 100 percent evaluation is assigned as of the date of hospital admission for transplant surgery. It continues until a mandatory VA examination one year following hospital discharge.
  • Any change in evaluation based on that examination — or any subsequent examination — is subject to the provisions of § 3.105(e) of the regulations.
  • After the 100 percent period, the condition is rated on its residuals as renal dysfunction, with 30 percent as the minimum rating.

Special Monthly Compensation

When evaluating any claim involving loss or loss of use of one or more creative organs, the VA refers to § 3.350 to determine whether a veteran may be entitled to special monthly compensation. Footnotes in the schedule indicate conditions that may potentially establish entitlement to special monthly compensation; other conditions in this section may also establish such entitlement under certain circumstances.


This information is drawn directly from the VA rating schedule for Diagnostic Code 7531 (38 CFR § 4.115b). Individual ratings depend on the specific facts of each claim and the results of VA examinations.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.115b, diagnostic code 7531. 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 7531 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Genitourinary System codes may cover your secondary conditions.

Find out which rating your evidence supports.

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