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Liver disease VA claim denied or under-rated?

Prepare for a Liver disease claim review

Start with the specific diagnosed liver condition and the issue VA denied. Liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatitis are not one interchangeable rating category.

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Free, no account. These notes prepare a conversation with an accredited representative; they do not file a claim.

Match the evidence to the disagreement

  • Gather the specialist diagnosis, laboratory/imaging reports, treatment history and examination cited in the decision.
  • Identify the claimed service event, exposure, or service-connected condition and the evidence supporting that link; do not assume an exposure alone proves the diagnosis or relationship.
  • Record documented symptoms, treatment needs and daily effects. Ask the clinician and representative which diagnostic code and period of the claim apply.

Digestive rating rules changed in 2024. A historical Board outcome or an old rating table may not describe the criteria applicable to your period; separate the source date from your decision date.

Keep the notice, review route and receipt together
  • Keep the complete decision notice, the reasons for each denied issue, favorable findings, evidence list, and instructions for review. Separate a denied service connection from a dispute about the percentage or effective date.
  • Mark which disputed fact each record addresses. For an HLR, point to evidence already in the record; a Supplemental Claim requires new and relevant evidence. Verify the available lane before sending anything.
  • Keep a copy of the form, attachments and filing receipt. These preparation notes do not file a claim or establish that VA received it.
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Official sources

U.S. federal VA benefits. Sources reviewed October 7, 2026. Educational preparation, not medical or legal advice. Your notice, claim period and individual evidence control; historical Board outcomes do not predict your result.

How the VA looks at Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis)

VA rating schedule, diagnostic code 7312

Liver disease is a group of conditions that damage how your liver works. It includes long-term hepatitis (liver inflammation, often from a virus) and cirrhosis (scarring of the liver). The VA rates liver problems under its digestive-system rules in 38 CFR 4.114. To be paid (service-connected), the VA generally looks for a current diagnosis, something that happened during service, and a link (called a "nexus") tying the two together. Under the rules, the VA rates cirrhosis, long-term liver disease without scarring, and the residuals of a direct liver injury under separate diagnostic codes.

Cirrhosis of the liver is rated under Diagnostic Code 7312, at 0, 10, 30, 60, or 100 percent. Higher ratings are driven mainly by a lab number called the MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) score and by how serious the symptoms are. For example, a MELD score of 15 or higher, or continuous daily debilitating symptoms with problems like fluid in the belly (ascites), bleeding veins (variceal hemorrhage), or confusion (hepatic encephalopathy), match the 100 percent level. Long-term liver disease without cirrhosis — which the rule says includes hepatitis B, autoimmune liver disease, and others — is rated under Diagnostic Code 7345, where higher ratings come from things like weight loss, daily fatigue, and needing continuous medication. Hepatitis C is listed under Diagnostic Code 7354 but is evaluated using the 7345 criteria. The VA does not stack these liver codes on top of each other; it assigns the single code that best fits the overall disability picture.

There is a presumptive pathway for cirrhosis. The VA lists "Cirrhosis of the liver" as a chronic disease, which means that if it appears to at least a 10 percent (compensable) level within one year of qualifying service, the VA can grant service connection even without direct proof it began in service. There is also a toxic-exposure route: for veterans exposed to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, liver cancer is on the VA's presumptive list, so it can be service-connected without the usual nexus proof when the exposure rules are met. When these presumptive rules apply, they can ease or remove the normal burden of showing a link to service.

This is general educational information about how the VA's rules work — it is not legal advice or a VA decision about your claim.

Sources

  1. 38 CFR 4.114 - Schedule of ratings—digestive system (DC 7311, 7312, 7345, 7354) — 38 CFR 4.114 (opens in a new tab)
  2. 38 CFR 3.309 - Disease subject to presumptive service connection (3.309(a) chronic diseases list includes Cirrhosis of the liver; 3.309(f) Camp Lejeune list includes liver cancer) — 38 CFR 3.309 (opens in a new tab)
  3. 38 CFR 3.307 - Presumptive service connection; chronic disease must manifest to 10 percent within 1 year — 38 CFR 3.307 (opens in a new tab)

Rating background drawn from federal regulations and VA guidance. Recorded source review June 2026. Educational information, not legal advice or a VA determination.

Across 14,118 Board decisions mentioning Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis)

22% were granted or partly granted.

A denial is often not the end either — remands (shown below) are sent back for more development and can still end in a grant. These are whole-decision outcomes, not condition-specific success rates or a prediction of your case.

  • Granted 20%
  • Partly granted 3%
  • Remanded 30%
  • Denied 42%
  • Dismissed 5%

An accredited representative can help review your notice and evidence. Find free (VSO) or accredited help →

Theories recorded in granted decisions

These are decision-level labels in granted or partly granted decisions mentioning Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis). They do not establish which theory succeeded for this condition.

  • Direct service connection1,968
  • Reopened with new & material evidence484
  • Secondary to another service-connected condition228

Checking a rating

Ratings from individual decisions are not shown until verified against the original source. This does not mean that no rating was assigned. Check the original Board decision.

Explore the original decisions

A decision may address several conditions. Its overall outcome or exposure tags do not establish what happened to each individual claim. Verify the specific issue against the original Board decision.

Browse decisions mentioning Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) →

Browse Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions by year

Jump to the decisions from a specific year.

Coverage is incomplete and may lag publication. A year that looks thin or missing here (especially 2011–2017) is a gap in our library, not in the Board’s decisions.

What you can do next

Related conditions

Veterans appealing Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) often look at outcomes for these too:

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