Rating criteria · 38 CFR §4.104
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure): 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
Hypertension is the rare condition rated purely on numbers, and the schedule tells you exactly how those numbers must be collected. Every tier of Diagnostic Code 7101 turns on blood pressure readings that are predominantly at or above a threshold: diastolic 100 or systolic 160 for 10 percent, diastolic 110 or systolic 200 for 20 percent, diastolic 120 for 40 percent, and diastolic 130 for 60 percent. Note (1) adds the collection rule: readings taken two or more times on at least three different days. One elevated reading at one appointment establishes nothing under this code.
The most consequential line for most veterans is buried in the 10 percent row: it is also the minimum evaluation for “an individual with a history of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more who requires continuous medication for control.” Medication that works can erase your qualifying readings; that clause is what stops it from erasing your rating.
A worked example
A veteran is diagnosed with hypertension while on active duty. His service treatment records show paired diastolic readings of 102 and 104, 104 and 106, and 102 and 106, taken two times on each of three separate days exactly as Note (1) requires, and he is started on lisinopril, which he still takes daily. At his C&P exam his blood pressure reads 132/86. Measured against the tables alone, that controlled reading supports nothing. But his file contains both halves of the minimum-evaluation clause: a documented history of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more, and a continuing prescription showing he requires continuous medication for control. That is 10 percent, and the current monthly amount is in the pay table on this page. Strip the pre-medication readings out of the file and the same veteran, on the same pill, rates nothing, which is why the old records matter more than the current cuff. Note (3) adds one more point worth knowing: hypertension is evaluated separately from hypertensive heart disease, so a heart condition does not swallow this rating.
If the decision came back lower
If VA rated you at 0 percent while your service records already document diastolic readings predominantly 100 or more before medication started, that is a misapplication of the minimum-evaluation clause and a candidate for a Higher-Level Review. If those early readings never made it into the claims file, pull them and file a Supplemental Claim, because under Note (1) the rating cannot engage without readings on at least three different days somewhere in the record.
Rating criteria from the CFR
| Rating criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Diastolic pressure predominantly 130 or more | |
| Diastolic pressure predominantly 120 or more | |
| Diastolic pressure predominantly 110 or more, or; systolic pressure predominantly 200 or more | |
| Diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more, or; systolic pressure predominantly 160 or more, or; minimum evaluation for an individual with a history of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more who requires continuous medication for control |
Note (1): Hypertension or isolated systolic hypertension must be confirmed by readings taken two or more times on at least three different days. For purposes of this section, the term hypertension means that the diastolic blood pressure is predominantly 90mm. or greater, and isolated systolic hypertension means that the systolic blood pressure is predominantly 160mm. or greater with a diastolic blood pressure of less than 90mm.
Note (2): Evaluate hypertension due to aortic insufficiency or hyperthyroidism, which is usually the isolated systolic type, as part of the condition causing it rather than by a separate evaluation.
Note (3): Evaluate hypertension separately from hypertensive heart disease and other types of heart disease.
SOURCE: eCFR, 38 CFR Part 4 (issue date 2026-07-13, current through 2026-07-24) · retrieved 2026-07-28
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) |
|---|---|
| $1,435.02 | |
| $795.84 | |
| $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 hypertension (high blood pressure)?
Under 38 CFR §4.104, the highest schedular rating for hypertension (high blood pressure) is 60%, which pays $1,435.02 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 60% criteria quoted above, the diagnosis by itself does not set the rating.
What rating levels are possible for hypertension (high blood pressure)?
VA can assign 10%, 20%, 40% or 60%, depending on the severity your evidence documents. Every one of those steps has its own test in 38 CFR §4.104, 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.