VA Rating for GERD: 0% to 80% Criteria Under DC 7206 and 2026 Pay
VA rates GERD under diagnostic code (DC) 7206 in 38 CFR § 4.114. The schedule has 5 levels: 0%, 10%, 30%, 50% and 80%. The table below quotes each level word for word from the current CFR text and adds a one-line summary; the 2026 monthly compensation figures that follow are VA's published rates.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Criteria checked against the eCFR and Federal Register October 26, 2026 · Methodology & sources
GERD rating criteria in 38 CFR § 4.114
Diagnostic code: DC 7206 Gastroesophageal reflux disease. Criteria are quoted from the current CFR; the plain-English column is our summary and is not part of the regulation.
| Rating | Criteria as printed in 38 CFR (quotation) | In plain English (our summary) |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | Documented history without daily symptoms or requirement for daily medications | Documented history of esophageal stricture without daily symptoms or any requirement for daily medications. |
| 10% | Documented history of esophageal stricture(s) that requires daily medications to control dysphagia otherwise asymptomatic | Documented history of stricture that requires daily medication to control dysphagia, otherwise asymptomatic. |
| 30% | Documented history of recurrent esophageal stricture(s) causing dysphagia which requires dilatation no more than 2 times per year | Recurrent stricture causing dysphagia that requires dilatation no more than 2 times a year. |
| 50% | Documented history of recurrent or refractory esophageal stricture(s) causing dysphagia which requires at least one of the following (1) dilatation 3 or more times per year, (2) dilatation using steroids at least one time per year, or (3) esophageal stent placement | Recurrent or refractory stricture causing dysphagia that requires dilatation 3 or more times a year, steroid dilatation at least once a year, or an esophageal stent. |
| 80% | Documented history of recurrent or refractory esophageal stricture(s) causing dysphagia with at least one of the symptoms present: (1) aspiration, (2) undernutrition, and/or (3) substantial weight loss as defined by § 4.112(a) and treatment with either surgical correction of esophageal stricture(s) or percutaneous esophago-gastrointestinal tube (PEG tube) | Recurrent or refractory stricture with dysphagia and aspiration, undernutrition or substantial weight loss, treated with surgical correction or a PEG tube. |
All 5 notes printed with these criteria (quotation):
Note (1): Findings must be documented by barium swallow, computerized tomography, or esophagogastroduodenoscopy.
Note (2): Non-gastrointestinal complications of procedures should be rated under the appropriate system.
Note (3): This diagnostic code applies, but is not limited to, esophagitis, mechanical or chemical; Mallory Weiss syndrome (bleeding at junction of esophagus and stomach due to tears) due to caustic ingestion of alkali or acid; drug-induced or infectious esophagitis due to Candida, virus, or other organism; idiopathic eosinophilic, or lymphocytic esophagitis; esophagitis due to radiation therapy; esophagitis due to peptic stricture; and any esophageal condition that requires treatment with sclerotherapy.
Note (4): Recurrent esophageal stricture is defined as the inability to maintain target esophageal diameter beyond 4 weeks after the target diameter has been achieved.
Note (5): Refractory esophageal stricture is defined as the inability to achieve target esophageal diameter despite receiving no fewer than 5 dilatation sessions performed at 2-week intervals.
2026 VA monthly pay at each gerd rating
| Rating | Veteran alone | With spouse |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | $0.00 | VA's rate table starts at 10%, so a 0% rating has no monthly compensation rate |
| 10% | $180.42 | Same as alone; spouse amounts start at 30% |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 |
VA does not add ratings together. When a veteran has more than one rated condition, VA combines them with its combined ratings table (38 CFR § 4.25), so the amounts above apply to a combined rating, not to this condition alone. Work out a combined rating with the VA disability calculator at /va-disability-calculator/.
VA disability calculator · Full VA disability pay chart with children and parents
How the criteria are written
GERD has its own diagnostic code, 7206, which the digestive final rule (89 FR 19735) added effective May 19, 2024. The criteria are written in terms of esophageal stricture and its consequences, not heartburn or reflux symptoms: each level begins with a documented history of esophageal stricture.
In the preamble to the final rule, VA said that for disability compensation purposes the functional impairment due to GERD will be evaluated and based on the degree of esophageal stricture, and that it was placing the criteria directly under DC 7206 rather than rating GERD by reference to DC 7203.
38 U.S.C. § 1155 says that a readjustment of the rating schedule may not cause a veteran's disability rating in effect on the effective date of the readjustment to be reduced unless an improvement in the veteran's disability is shown to have occurred.
The notes under DC 7206 say findings must be documented by barium swallow, computerized tomography, or esophagogastroduodenoscopy (Note 1), and define recurrent and refractory esophageal stricture (Notes 4 and 5).
VA publishes Disability Benefits Questionnaires for this area (benefits.va.gov): Esophageal Disorders DBQ.
Is this the current rule?
Source text. § 4.114 Schedule of ratings—digestive system. from the eCFR (38 CFR Part 4), text up to date as of October 22, 2026, retrieved October 26, 2026. Read the section on eCFR.
Latest final rule affecting the section. 89 FR 19735 (final rule), Schedule for Rating Disabilities: The Digestive System, published March 20, 2024, effective May 19, 2024. Latest entry in the section's amendment history in the eCFR.
Rule that set these criteria. 89 FR 19735, effective May 19, 2024. The digestive final rule revised or added these criteria; CFR Appendix A dates the change May 19, 2024.
- DC 7206: Added May 19, 2024.
Upcoming changes. Our Federal Register search on October 26, 2026 found no final rule for this section with an effective date after that day.
Proposed rules. The search found no proposed rule that would change these criteria.
Related conditions
- Irritable bowel syndrome: Another digestive condition rated in § 4.114 under the digestive system rule effective May 19, 2024.
- All VA disability ratings by condition
Questions about the GERD rating
What diagnostic code does VA use for GERD?
GERD is rated under diagnostic code (DC) 7206 in 38 CFR § 4.114, the Schedule for Rating Disabilities. The code lists are quoted from the eCFR text current as of October 22, 2026.
What are the VA rating levels for GERD?
The schedule has 5 levels for GERD: 0%, 10%, 30%, 50% and 80%. Each level has its own criteria, quoted in the table on this page. VA decides which level applies to a claim.
How much is VA disability pay for a GERD rating in 2026?
VA's 2026 monthly rates for a veteran alone, with the with-spouse amount for 30% and higher, are 10%: $180.42; 30%: $552.47 ($617.47 with a spouse); 50%: $1,132.90 ($1,241.90 with a spouse); 80%: $2,102.15 ($2,277.15 with a spouse). A 0% rating is not in VA's rate table, which starts at 10%. Rates took effect December 1, 2025. The amount you are paid depends on your combined rating, not on this condition alone.
Are ratings for GERD added to my other ratings?
No. VA does not add ratings together; it combines them using the combined ratings table in 38 CFR § 4.25. Use the VA disability calculator on this site at /va-disability-calculator/ to see how ratings combine.
Which diagnostic code does VA use for GERD?
DC 7206, Gastroesophageal reflux disease, in 38 CFR § 4.114. CFR Appendix A lists DC 7206 as added May 19, 2024, the effective date of the digestive system final rule (89 FR 19735).
Are GERD ratings based on reflux symptoms or on esophageal stricture?
On esophageal stricture. Every level in DC 7206 starts from a documented history of esophageal stricture, from the 0% level (a documented history without daily symptoms or daily medications) to 80% (recurrent or refractory stricture with aspiration, undernutrition or substantial weight loss, and surgical correction or a PEG tube). In the final rule preamble VA explained that the schedule bases evaluation on the permanent impairment from stricture.
Does this page decide my VA rating?
No. FedRateCalc is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. This page quotes the rating schedule and VA's published rates for information only; it is not legal or medical advice. VA decides the rating and the payment.