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Inguinal, umbilical, ventral and incisional hernias — rated on size, irreparability and pain with activity under the 2024 schedule. This guide quotes the actual rating criteria from 38 CFR Part 4 for diagnostic code 7338, explains what the C&P examiner measures, covers the presumptive and secondary routes to service connection, and lists the reasons these claims come back denied — and how each gets fixed.
How the VA rates hernia in 2026 — the exact criteria
These are the criteria a VA rater applies, quoted from the rating schedule (§ 4.114). Your rating is the highest level whose wording your evidence meets — and evidence that never uses these words tends to be rated at the bottom.
DC 7338 — Hernia (femoral, inguinal, umbilical, ventral, incisional and other; not hiatal)
| Rating | Criteria (38 CFR Part 4 wording) |
|---|---|
| 100% | Irreparable hernia present for 12 months or more, 15 cm or greater in one dimension, with pain when performing at least three of: bending over, activities of daily living, walking, climbing stairs |
| 60% | Irreparable hernia present for 12 months or more, 15 cm or greater, with pain when performing two of those activities |
| 30% | Irreparable hernia present for 12 months or more, 3 cm or greater but less than 15 cm, with pain when performing at least two of those activities |
| 20% | Irreparable hernia present for 12 months or more, 3 cm or greater but less than 15 cm, with pain when performing one of those activities |
| 10% | Irreparable hernia present for 12 months or more, smaller than 3 cm |
| 0% | Asymptomatic hernia; present and repairable, or repaired |
With two compensable inguinal hernias, the more severe is rated first and 10 percent is added for the second. A repaired hernia is 0 percent under this code — the residuals (scar, nerve pain, ilioinguinal neuralgia under DC 8530) are where a rating usually comes from.
Honest ceiling: 30% recurrent or unoperable; massive runs 60%.
What the C&P examiner measures
Size in centimeters, whether it is reducible and repairable, duration, and pain with bending, ADLs, walking and stairs; post-repair residuals such as ilioinguinal nerve pain and scarring are examined separately.
The questions that get at the rating criteria — answer them for yourself before the exam:
- Ever pop a hernia in service, or have one repaired since?
Service connection: presumptive, direct, or secondary
No presumption. Direct service connection from an in-service hernia or repair; residuals (nerve pain, scarring) are rated separately.
Every service-connection claim has three legs: a current diagnosis (the C&P exam can supply it), an in-service event, injury, exposure or an already-connected condition, and a link between the two — which the VA's own examiner addresses at the exam for direct and secondary claims, and which the law supplies for presumptive ones. You do not need a private opinion to file; you need one only if the VA denies for lack of nexus, and a supplemental claim within one year keeps your effective date.
Secondary conditions veterans miss
This condition is more often the secondary in a chain than the anchor — see the secondary-claims guides for the recognized pathways.
What the medical literature says
38 CFR 3.303 — direct service connection
In-service lifting/strain injury documented by STR entry, buddy statement or contemporaneous account. Why it matters: Direct claims; residuals of in-service repair rate on their own.
Why hernia claims get denied — and the fix
- Repaired hernia rated 0 percent with the post-surgical nerve pain (ilioinguinal neuralgia, DC 8530) and scar never claimed.
A denial is a grade on the evidence packet, not a verdict on you. Filed as a supplemental claim within one year, the fix keeps your original effective date.
Filing it right the first time
- Intent to File first. It locks your effective date for a year — back pay runs from that day, not from the day the package is ready.
- File everything at once. Every condition with a real symptom and a plausible route — direct, presumptive, secondary, increase — goes in one claim. The VA's duty to assist schedules the exam and pulls your records; a condition held back "for more evidence" only starts its clock later.
- Your statement in the criteria's words. A Statement in Support of Claim (VA Form 21-4138) that describes your worst days and your typical days using the language in the table above is the evidence the rater reads first.
- Your records. VA records through Blue Button, decision letters and code sheet from VA.gov, and private records from each doctor's office or patient portal — or a signed 21-4142 so the VA pulls them.
- Prepare for the exam. Know what the examiner measures (above) and answer honestly, including the bad days.
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See If You Qualify →Frequently asked questions
What is the VA rating for hernia?
Hernia is rated under diagnostic code 7338 (§ 4.114) at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 60%, 100%. The percentage depends on which criteria in the rating schedule your evidence meets — the full table is on this page.
What is the highest VA rating for hernia?
The highest schedular rating available is 100%. Every case is decided on its own evidence.
Is hernia a presumptive condition?
No presumption. Direct service connection from an in-service hernia or repair; residuals (nerve pain, scarring) are rated separately.
Do I need a nexus letter for hernia?
Not to file. The VA's duty to assist schedules a C&P exam where its own examiner addresses the connection, and presumptive conditions need no opinion at all. A private opinion becomes worth buying only if the VA denies for lack of nexus — a supplemental claim within one year keeps your original effective date.
Rating criteria verified against eCFR (38 CFR Part 4) — last reviewed 2026-09-19. Regulations change; confirm anything decision-critical at ecfr.gov.