VA Diagnostic Code 8003Brain, new growth of: Benign
Rated from 10% to 60% under § 4.124a. Here is what the VA requires at each level.
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What each rating requires
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- 60%
Benign, minimum
- 10%
Rate residuals, minimum
Notes on this code
These notes are part of the regulation. They change how the levels above are applied.
- Note: It is required for the minimum ratings for residuals under diagnostic codes 8000-8025, that there be ascertainable residuals. Determinations as to the presence of residuals not capable of objective verification, i.e., headaches, dizziness, fatigability, must be approached on the basis of the diagnosis recorded; subjective residuals will be accepted when consistent with the disease and not more likely attributable to other disease or no disease. It is of exceptional importance that when ratings in excess of the prescribed minimum ratings are assigned, the diagnostic codes utilized as bases of evaluation be cited, in addition to the codes identifying the diagnoses.
Benign Brain Growth (New Growth of the Brain) — VA Disability Rating
Diagnostic Code 8003 · 38 CFR § 4.124a · Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders
What This Condition Covers
Diagnostic Code 8003 addresses a benign new growth of the brain — that is, a non-cancerous (benign) growth within the brain. It falls under the VA's rating schedule for Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders.
Because a brain growth and its treatment can affect people in different ways, the VA schedule provides for both an active-condition rating and a rating based on the lasting effects (residuals) that may remain over time.
Available Rating Levels
The rating schedule for Diagnostic Code 8003 includes the following levels:
| Rating | What It Reflects |
|---|---|
| 60% | Benign, minimum |
| 10% | Rate residuals, minimum |
- The 60% level is the minimum rating for the benign growth itself.
- The 10% level is the minimum rating applied when the condition is evaluated on the basis of its residuals — the lasting effects that remain.
What the VA Looks For
When rating conditions under diagnostic codes 8000–8025, the VA requires that there be ascertainable residuals. In other words, the effects being rated must be identifiable.
A few key points from the rating notes:
- Residuals that can be objectively verified are evaluated directly.
- For residuals that are not capable of objective verification — such as headaches, dizziness, and fatigability — the VA approaches the evaluation on the basis of the recorded diagnosis. These subjective residuals will be accepted when they are consistent with the disease and are not more likely attributable to another disease or to no disease at all.
- When a rating higher than the prescribed minimum is assigned, the VA considers it of exceptional importance that the diagnostic codes used as the basis for the evaluation are cited, in addition to the codes identifying the diagnoses.
This information is drawn directly from the VA rating schedule (38 CFR § 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8003). Individual evaluations depend on the specific facts and medical evidence in each case.
These criteria are a rendering of § 4.124a, diagnostic code 8003. The official version is the one that governs your rating.
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