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Hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and Graves' disease — time-limited ratings after diagnosis, then rated on residuals. This guide quotes the actual rating criteria from 38 CFR Part 4 for diagnostic code 7900 / 7903, 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 thyroid conditions in 2026 — the exact criteria
These are the criteria a VA rater applies, quoted from the rating schedule (§ 4.119). 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 7903 — Hypothyroidism
| Rating | Criteria (38 CFR Part 4 wording) |
|---|---|
| 100% | Hypothyroidism manifesting as myxedema (cold intolerance, muscular weakness, cardiovascular involvement, and mental disturbance) — continued for six months beyond crisis stabilization |
| 30% | Hypothyroidism without myxedema — for six months after initial diagnosis; thereafter residuals are rated under the affected body systems |
Since 2017 the thyroid codes are time-limited: after the six-month window the rating comes from residuals (mental disorders under § 4.130, eye, digestive, cardiac), so the residuals must be documented and claimed.
DC 7900 — Hyperthyroidism, including Graves' disease
| Rating | Criteria (38 CFR Part 4 wording) |
|---|---|
| 30% | For six months after initial diagnosis; thereafter rate residuals or complications of treatment under the appropriate body system |
Hyperthyroid heart disease is separately rated under DC 7008; eye involvement under § 4.79.
Honest ceiling: 30% for six months post-diagnosis; residuals rate after.
What the C&P examiner measures
Diagnosis date, current labs (TSH, T4), medication, and residuals — mental, cardiac, eye, digestive — since after the six-month window the residuals are what get rated.
The questions that get at the rating criteria — answer them for yourself before the exam:
- The thyroid med — when did that start?
Service connection: presumptive, direct, or secondary
No general presumption (hypothyroidism was added to the Agent Orange list in 2021 — 38 CFR 3.309(e)). Otherwise direct, or secondary to radiation exposure or to treatment of a connected condition.
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 3.309(d)/3.311 — radiogenic diseases
Thyroid disease is on the VA’s radiogenic disease list for radiation-exposed veterans. Why it matters: Radiation-risk activity vets; otherwise direct onset/continuity.
Why thyroid conditions claims get denied — and the fix
- Rated 0 percent after the six-month window because the residuals — depression, fatigue, weight, cardiac, eye — were never separately 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 thyroid conditions?
Thyroid Conditions is rated under diagnostic code 7900 / 7903 (§ 4.119) at 30%, 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 thyroid conditions?
The highest schedular rating available is 100%. Typical grants land around 10%, but every case is decided on its own evidence.
Is thyroid conditions a presumptive condition?
No general presumption (hypothyroidism was added to the Agent Orange list in 2021 — 38 CFR 3.309(e)). Otherwise direct, or secondary to radiation exposure or to treatment of a connected condition.
Do I need a nexus letter for thyroid conditions?
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.