VA Diagnostic Code 8046Cerebral arteriosclerosis
Rated under § 4.124a. No rating levels have been extracted for this code yet — use the official source.
Not the right code?
Summary
Purely neurological disabilities, such as hemiplegia, cranial nerve paralysis, etc., due to cerebral arteriosclerosis will be rated under the diagnostic codes dealing with such specific disabilities, with citation of a hyphenated diagnostic code (e.g., 8046-8207). Purely subjective complaints such as headache, dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia and irritability, recognized as symptomatic of a properly diagnosed cerebral arteriosclerosis, will be rated 10 percent and no more under diagnostic code 9305. This 10 percent rating will not be combined with any other rating for a disability due to cerebral or generalized arteriosclerosis. Ratings in excess of 10 percent for cerebral arteriosclerosis under diagnostic code 9305 are not assignable in the absence of a diagnosis of multi-infarct dementia with cerebral arteriosclerosis.
What each rating requires
The VA assigns the highest level your evidence actually supports. Read up the stack until your records stop matching.
No rating levels extracted yet
This code has no itemised criteria in our copy of the schedule. Use the official source link for the controlling text.
Notes on this code
These notes are part of the regulation. They change how the levels above are applied.
- Note: The ratings under code 8046 apply only when the diagnosis of cerebral arteriosclerosis is substantiated by the entire clinical picture and not solely on findings of retinal arteriosclerosis.
Cerebral Arteriosclerosis (VA Diagnostic Code 8046)
Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders — 38 CFR § 4.124a
What This Condition Is
Cerebral arteriosclerosis is a condition affecting the arteries of the brain. Under the VA rating schedule, it is assigned Diagnostic Code 8046 and is evaluated within the category of neurological conditions and convulsive disorders.
The VA rates this condition differently depending on whether the effects are objective, measurable neurological disabilities or purely subjective complaints.
How the VA Rates Cerebral Arteriosclerosis
The rating approach depends on the type of disability present:
Purely Neurological Disabilities
Conditions such as hemiplegia, cranial nerve paralysis, and similar disabilities due to cerebral arteriosclerosis are rated under the diagnostic codes that deal with those specific disabilities. When this is done, a hyphenated diagnostic code is cited (for example, 8046-8207).
Purely Subjective Complaints
Subjective complaints such as headache, dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia, and irritability — when recognized as symptomatic of a properly diagnosed cerebral arteriosclerosis — are rated 10 percent and no more under Diagnostic Code 9305.
Important points about this 10 percent rating:
- This 10 percent rating will not be combined with any other rating for a disability due to cerebral or generalized arteriosclerosis.
- Ratings in excess of 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 9305 are not assignable unless there is a diagnosis of multi-infarct dementia with cerebral arteriosclerosis.
What the VA Looks For
- A substantiated diagnosis. The ratings under Code 8046 apply only when the diagnosis of cerebral arteriosclerosis is supported by the entire clinical picture — not solely on findings of retinal arteriosclerosis.
- The nature of the disability. The VA distinguishes between objective neurological disabilities (rated under the applicable specific diagnostic codes) and purely subjective complaints (rated under Diagnostic Code 9305).
- Whether multi-infarct dementia is present. A diagnosis of multi-infarct dementia with cerebral arteriosclerosis is required before any rating higher than 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 9305 can be assigned.
This information is drawn from the VA rating schedule under 38 CFR § 4.124a and is provided for general educational purposes. Individual ratings depend on the specific facts and medical evidence in each case.
These criteria are a rendering of § 4.124a, diagnostic code 8046. The official version is the one that governs your rating.
View official sourceHow to claim this
Knowing the criteria is the first half. Getting your file to show them is the second.
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.
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.
Claim it by code
File under diagnostic code 8046 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders 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 119 Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders codes →