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Current 38 CFR § 4.114, Diagnostic Code 7338, consolidates femoral, inguinal, umbilical, ventral, incisional, and other non-hiatal hernias. The schedule changed effective May 19, 2024. Current ratings turn on repairability, duration, size in centimeters, and pain during listed activities.
Hiatal and paraesophageal hernias are not part of DC 7338. They remain under DC 7346 and are explained on the separate hiatal hernia page.
TL;DR
- DC 7338 covers non-hiatal hernias, including femoral, inguinal, umbilical, ventral, and incisional hernias.
- The current levels are 0, 10, 20, 30, 60, and 100 percent.
- Every compensable level requires an irreparable new or recurrent hernia present for at least 12 months.
- Size separates the under-3-centimeter, 3-to-under-15-centimeter, and 15-centimeter-or-larger tiers.
- At 20 percent and above, pain during named activities must also have been present for at least 12 months.
- With two compensable inguinal hernias, VA rates the more severe first and adds 10 percent for the second unless the first is 100 percent.
- The former separate ventral and femoral codes, DCs 7339 and 7340, were removed effective May 19, 2024.
Which Hernias DC 7338 Covers
DC 7338 now covers:
- femoral hernia;
- inguinal hernia;
- umbilical hernia;
- ventral hernia;
- incisional hernia; and
- other non-hiatal hernias.
This consolidation is important because older articles may still direct a ventral hernia to former DC 7339 or a femoral hernia to former DC 7340. Those codes are not current rating routes. A hiatal or paraesophageal hernia remains outside DC 7338.
Current DC 7338 Rating Criteria
0 percent
An asymptomatic hernia that is present and repairable, or a repaired hernia.
10 percent
An irreparable new or recurrent hernia present for 12 months or more and smaller than 3 centimeters.
20 percent
An irreparable new or recurrent hernia present for at least 12 months, measuring at least 3 centimeters but less than 15 centimeters in one dimension, with pain for at least 12 months during one listed activity.
30 percent
The same duration and 3-to-under-15-centimeter size requirements, with pain for at least 12 months during at least two listed activities.
60 percent
An irreparable new or recurrent hernia present for at least 12 months, measuring 15 centimeters or more in one dimension, with pain for at least 12 months during two listed activities.
100 percent
The same duration and 15-centimeter-or-larger size requirements, with pain for at least 12 months during at least three listed activities.
The four listed activities are bending over, activities of daily living, walking, and climbing stairs. DC 7338 Note (2) says the relevant activities of daily living include bathing, dressing, hygiene, and transfers. One of those ADLs is sufficient to count the ADL category; a veteran does not need impairment in all four.
How Size, Duration, and Pain Work Together
The current formula is conjunctive. At 20 percent and above, the record needs the required size and the required number of painful activities, and both the irreparable hernia and pain pattern must have been present for at least 12 months.
Useful evidence includes imaging, surgical consultation, examination measurements in centimeters, and a clinician's explanation of why the hernia is irreparable. A photograph can document a visible bulge, but it does not replace a medical size measurement or the repairability finding.
For activity-related pain, identify which of the four categories cause pain and when that pattern began. A statement such as “the hernia hurts” is less useful than a dated account of pain with walking, stairs, bending, dressing, bathing, hygiene, or transfers.
The Rule for Two Compensable Inguinal Hernias
When both inguinal hernias are compensable, DC 7338 Note (1) directs VA to evaluate the more severely disabling hernia first and then add 10 percent for the second. VA does not add that 10 percent if the more severe hernia is already rated 100 percent.
This rule applies to two compensable inguinal hernias. It is not a general instruction to add 10 percent for every second hernia type. The record should separately document the size, duration, repairability, and activity-related pain for each side.
The May 19, 2024 Change
The current rating framework became effective May 19, 2024. Older sources may use recurrence, reducibility, support by truss or belt, or separate DCs 7339 and 7340. Those are historical criteria, not the current DC 7338 table.
A schedule change does not mean an existing rating automatically disappears. Effective-date, staged-rating, and protected-rating rules can matter in a pending or older claim. The decision should identify which version applies to which period rather than applying current criteria backward without analysis.
Service Connection and Aggravation
Direct service connection under 38 CFR § 3.303 requires a current hernia, an in-service onset, injury, disease, or event, and a medical link. Useful records may include an in-service diagnosis, surgery, a documented bulge, pain after a specific event, lifting restrictions, or repeated treatment.
Heavy lifting, physical training, or carrying equipment can be part of the factual history, but those duties do not prove causation by themselves. A clinician should address the hernia type, timing, and other risk factors.
For a hernia that existed before service, 38 CFR § 3.306 governs aggravation. The record should distinguish a lasting increase in disability during service from temporary symptoms or the ordinary course of the condition.
Common Failure Modes
- Using former DC 7339 or 7340 as a current rating route.
- Mixing hiatal-hernia criteria into a non-hiatal claim.
- Reporting diameter without stating the measured dimension and date.
- Describing recurrence without addressing irreparability.
- Listing pain without tying it to the four named activity categories.
- Omitting the 12-month duration requirement.
- Assuming physical demands establish the medical nexus automatically.
Bottom Line
Current DC 7338 is one consolidated framework for non-hiatal hernias. Compensable levels require an irreparable hernia present for at least 12 months. Size and pain during named activities then determine the percentage. A complete packet documents repairability, exact size, duration, each painful activity, and the separate facts for both sides when the bilateral inguinal rule is at issue.
Related Conditions and Tools
See hiatal hernia for DC 7346 and GERD for DC 7206. Review the current DC 7338 lookup, estimate combined evaluations with the rating calculator, and organize functional evidence with the Statement Builder.
Legal sources: 38 CFR § 4.114, § 3.303, and § 3.306, checked August 17, 2026.