Hemic and Lymphatic Systems§ 4.117Updated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 7703Leukemia (except for chronic myelogenous leukemia):

Rated from 0% to 100% under § 4.117. Here is what the VA requires at each level.

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Not the right code?

In short

Summary

Otherwise rate residuals under the appropriate diagnostic code(s)

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%

    When there is active disease or during a treatment phase

  2. 0%

    Chronic lymphocytic leukemia or monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL), asymptomatic, Rai Stage 0

From the schedule

Notes on this code

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

  • Note (1): A 100 percent evaluation shall continue beyond the cessation of any surgical therapy, radiation therapy, antineoplastic chemotherapy, or other therapeutic procedures. Six months after discontinuance of such treatment, the appropriate disability rating shall be determined by mandatory VA examination. Any change in evaluation based upon that or any subsequent examination shall be subject to the provisions of § 3.105(e) of this chapter. If there has been no recurrence, rate on residuals
  • Note (2): Evaluate symptomatic chronic lymphocytic leukemia that is at Rai Stage I, II, III, or IV the same as any other leukemia evaluated under this diagnostic code
  • Note (3): Evaluate residuals of leukemia or leukemia therapy under the appropriate diagnostic code(s). Myeloproliferative Disorders: (Diagnostic Codes 7704, 7718, 7719)

Leukemia (Diagnostic Code 7703)

VA Disability Rating Schedule — 38 CFR § 4.117, Hemic and Lymphatic Systems

Understanding This Condition

Leukemia is a condition affecting the hemic and lymphatic systems. Diagnostic Code 7703 covers leukemia except for chronic myelogenous leukemia, which is rated separately.

Under this code, the VA generally rates the condition based on whether there is active disease or ongoing treatment. Once treatment has ended and if there is no recurrence, the VA rates any remaining effects—known as residuals—under the appropriate diagnostic code or codes.

Available Rating Levels

RatingWhat It Reflects
100%When there is active disease or during a treatment phase
0%Chronic lymphocytic leukemia or monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL), asymptomatic, Rai Stage 0

What the VA Looks For

The VA evaluates leukemia based on whether the disease is active, whether you are undergoing treatment, and what residuals may remain afterward. Key points from the rating criteria include:

  • Continuation of the 100% evaluation. A 100 percent evaluation continues beyond the cessation of any surgical therapy, radiation therapy, antineoplastic chemotherapy, or other therapeutic procedures.

  • Mandatory re-examination. Six months after such treatment is discontinued, the appropriate disability rating is determined by a mandatory VA examination. Any change in evaluation based on that or any subsequent examination is subject to the provisions of § 3.105(e). If there has been no recurrence, the condition is rated on residuals.

  • Rating residuals. Residuals of leukemia or leukemia therapy are evaluated under the appropriate diagnostic code(s). Related myeloproliferative disorders fall under Diagnostic Codes 7704, 7718, and 7719.

  • Chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Symptomatic chronic lymphocytic leukemia at Rai Stage I, II, III, or IV is evaluated the same as any other leukemia under this diagnostic code. Asymptomatic chronic lymphocytic leukemia or MBL at Rai Stage 0 is evaluated at 0 percent.

This information is drawn from the VA rating schedule under 38 CFR § 4.117, Diagnostic Code 7703. It is provided for general educational purposes and does not guarantee any particular rating outcome.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.117, diagnostic code 7703. 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 7703 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Hemic and Lymphatic Systems codes may cover your secondary conditions.

Find out which rating your evidence supports.

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