Rating criteria · 38 CFR §4.114
Hemorrhoids: VA Rating Criteria
The exact rating criteria below are quoted from the Code of Federal Regulations as currently in force, not paraphrased. Compensation amounts come from the current VA rate tables.
By Mario Bailey, U.S. Air Force veteran · current Air National Guard member. Data updated 2026-07-24.
Plain-language guide
What this rating actually turns on
This is one of the shortest ladders in the rating schedule: Diagnostic Code 7336 has exactly two tiers, 10 and 20 percent, and neither one rates pain, itching, or size. The criteria count three things: thrombosis episodes per year, prolapse, and bleeding with anemia. Ten percent requires prolapsed internal hemorrhoids with two or fewer thrombosis episodes per year, or external hemorrhoids with three or more. Twenty percent requires either persistent bleeding and anemia, or continuously prolapsed internal hemorrhoids with three or more thrombosis episodes per year. That single word “and” in the first prong does real work: documented bleeding with normal bloodwork does not meet it.
Because every element is a clinical finding or a counted event, the rating rises and falls on what the treatment record captures. A hemorrhoid that thromboses at home and resolves before anyone documents it never happened, as far as DC 7336 is concerned.
A worked example
A veteran has internal hemorrhoids his gastroenterologist describes as continuously prolapsed. Over one year, his records document three separate thrombosed episodes, each one noted at a visit. That is the 20 percent criterion met on its second prong: “continuously prolapsed internal hemorrhoids with three or more episodes per year of thrombosis.” The current monthly amount for 20 percent is in the pay table on this page. Now change one fact: only two of the three episodes made it into a medical record. The countable evidence drops to two episodes per year, which is the 10 percent row. Same anatomy, same year, half the rating, because the criterion counts documented episodes. The bleeding prong works the same way: persistent bleeding alone supports nothing at 20 percent until lab work showing anemia sits next to it in the file.
If the decision came back lower
Check which prong VA rated you under. If your file already documents three thrombosis episodes in a year or bleeding plus anemia and the decision assigned 10 percent, that is a criteria misreading for a Higher-Level Review. If the episodes or the lab work were never recorded, get each future episode documented at a visit and file a Supplemental Claim once the count or the bloodwork actually appears in the record. And since 20 percent is this code’s ceiling, run your full picture through the combined-rating calculator to see what it adds overall.
Rating criteria from the CFR
| Rating criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Internal or external hemorrhoids with persistent bleeding and anemia; or continuously prolapsed internal hemorrhoids with three or more episodes per year of thrombosis | |
| Prolapsed internal hemorrhoids with two or less episodes per year of thrombosis; or external hemorrhoids with three or more episodes per year of thrombosis |
SOURCE: eCFR, 38 CFR Part 4 (issue date 2026-07-13, current through 2026-07-24) · retrieved 2026-07-28
Regulation text
38 CFR §4.114, Schedule of ratings—digestive system.
Do not combine ratings under diagnostic codes 7301 through 7329 inclusive, 7331, 7342, 7345 through 7350 inclusive, 7352, and 7355 through 7357 inclusive, with each other. Instead, when more than one rating is warranted under those diagnostic codes, assign a single evaluation under the diagnostic code that reflects the predominant disability picture, and elevate it to the next higher evaluation if warranted by the severity of the overall disability.
Monthly compensation at each rating level
Veteran-alone amounts, effective 2025-12-01. Dependents increase these amounts at 30% and above, use the combined rating calculator for your exact situation, especially if this isn't your only rated condition.
| Rating | Monthly (veteran alone) |
|---|---|
| $356.66 | |
| $180.42 |
SOURCE: VA compensation rate tables, va.gov · retrieved 2026-07-28 · effective 2025-12-01
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest VA rating for hemorrhoids?
Under 38 CFR §4.114, the highest schedular rating for hemorrhoids is 20%, which pays $356.66 a month for a veteran with no dependents on the current rate tables (effective 2025-12-01). Reaching it means the exam and records actually meet the 20% criteria quoted above, the diagnosis by itself does not set the rating.
What rating levels are possible for hemorrhoids?
VA can assign 10% or 20%, depending on the severity your evidence documents. Every one of those steps has its own test in 38 CFR §4.114, quoted in full on this page, so two veterans with the same diagnosis can land at very different levels based on what the exam and records show.
If your rating came back lower than this
A decision that ignores the criteria above is a frequent reason veterans are underpaid. Line your decision up against the levels on this page. If the evidence supports a higher level than VA assigned, you have three ways to challenge it, and the right one depends on why it went wrong:
- Something was missing from the record (an exam finding, a prescription, a flare-up statement, a nexus letter): add it with a Supplemental Claim.
- The evidence was already there and VA misread it: ask for a Higher-Level Review by a more senior rater, with no new evidence needed.
- A legal or judgment error: take it to the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
Line your decision up against the criteria on this page. Which review lane fits depends on why the rating is wrong: new evidence that was missing, a misread of evidence already in the file, or a legal error. All three are laid out in the decision reviews and appeals guide.
Before you file, recombine this rating with your others (VA math does not add ratings), check how long each lane is taking right now, and remember a VA-accredited representative or VSO will help you for free. You can also browse every other condition's criteria to make sure you are claiming everything you are owed.