---
title: "DC 8003 - Brain, new growth of: Benign"
diagnostic_code: "8003"
body_system: "Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders"
cfr_section: "§ 4.124a"
canonical: "https://veteranai.co/va-rating-schedule/neurological/8003-brain-new-growth-of-benign"
source: "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.124a"
updated: "2026-07-21T05:03:22.516922Z"
---

# DC 8003 - Brain, new growth of: Benign

Rated under § 4.124a. Body system: Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders.

## Rating criteria

| Rating | Criteria |
| --- | --- |
| 60% | Benign, minimum |
| 10% | Rate residuals, minimum |

## Notes

- 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.*

Source: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.124a