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The current hyperthyroidism schedule is a timed rating, not a permanent symptom ladder. Under 38 CFR § 4.119, DC 7900 assigns 30 percent for six months after the initial diagnosis. Thereafter, VA rates the remaining disease or complications of treatment under the appropriate body-system codes.
That makes follow-up evidence critical. Graves' eye disease, atrial fibrillation, other hyperthyroid heart disease, and hypothyroidism after radioiodine or surgery can outlast the initial six-month period. If those residuals are not identified, the record may show only that the temporary DC 7900 period ended.
TL;DR
- Hyperthyroidism, including Graves' disease, is DC 7900.
- DC 7900 provides 30 percent for six months after the initial diagnosis.
- After six months, VA rates residual disease and treatment complications under the affected body systems.
- Hyperthyroid cardiovascular or cardiac disease is evaluated separately under DC 7008.
- Graves' eye involvement is evaluated separately under the applicable diplopia, visual-acuity, or other eye code.
- Treatment may cause hypothyroidism, which follows DC 7903 rather than continuing the temporary DC 7900 percentage.
- Endocrinopathies appear on the chronic-disease list in 38 CFR § 3.309(a); the one-year presumption has service-length and manifestation requirements.
- No verified condition-specific Board outcome dataset was available, so this page does not publish a grant-rate statistic.
DC 7900: The Six-Month Rule
DC 7900 states:
- 30% for six months after initial diagnosis.
- After six months: evaluate residuals or treatment complications under the appropriate diagnostic codes in the affected body systems.
The date matters. Submit the initial diagnostic record, thyroid laboratory results, and treatment timeline so VA can identify the six-month period accurately.
Older articles may show a 10/30/60/100 symptom ladder based on tachycardia, tremor, weight loss, and other findings. That ladder is not the current DC 7900 schedule. Those symptoms still matter clinically and may establish residual disability, but they do not extend a superseded percentage table.
What Happens After Six Months
Heart involvement
DC 7900 says hyperthyroid cardiovascular or cardiac disease is evaluated separately under DC 7008. The record may need cardiology diagnoses, ECG or monitor results, METs testing when applicable, medication history, and an opinion connecting the heart condition to hyperthyroidism.
Palpitations alone do not identify the diagnosis. Atrial fibrillation, another arrhythmia, and hyperthyroid heart disease can follow different codes.
Graves' eye disease
VA separately evaluates eye involvement from Graves' disease under the applicable code, including diplopia or impairment of central visual acuity. Ophthalmology records should distinguish thyroid eye disease from dry eye, refractive error, and unrelated eye conditions.
Hypothyroidism after treatment
Radioactive iodine, thyroidectomy, or other treatment can leave a veteran hypothyroid. That residual follows hypothyroidism and DC 7903. The record should show that the hypothyroidism resulted from treatment of the service-connected hyperthyroidism so the disease process is not treated as unrelated.
Other residuals should be rated under their own appropriate systems when medically attributed to the disease or treatment.
Service Connection
Direct service connection
Direct service connection under 38 CFR § 3.303 may be supported by an in-service diagnosis, abnormal thyroid studies, or a documented symptom pattern later explained by the current diagnosis. Symptoms such as anxiety, weight loss, tremor, sweating, and tachycardia overlap with other conditions, so a retrospective medical opinion should address the laboratory and clinical record rather than symptoms alone.
One-year chronic-disease presumption
Section 3.309(a) lists endocrinopathies as chronic diseases. Under § 3.307, qualifying service and compensable manifestation within one year after separation can support presumptive service connection. A diagnosis years later does not become presumptive merely because hyperthyroidism is an endocrinopathy.
Secondary service connection
Medication, treatment, or another service-connected endocrine condition may support a secondary theory under § 3.310 when a clinician explains causation or aggravation. Temporal sequence by itself is not a nexus.
Evidence Checklist
- Initial diagnosis date and thyroid laboratory values.
- Graves' antibodies, imaging, or specialist diagnosis when applicable.
- Medication, radioiodine, and surgery dates.
- Cardiology records for arrhythmia or hyperthyroid heart disease.
- Ophthalmology records for thyroid eye disease.
- Follow-up thyroid studies showing persistent hyperthyroidism or treatment-induced hypothyroidism.
- Work and daily-function evidence tied to the diagnosed residuals.
Common Failure Modes
- Applying the old symptom ladder as current law.
- Treating the initial 30 percent as permanent.
- Allowing the temporary rating to end without identifying ratable residuals.
- Claiming palpitations or eye irritation without a diagnosed complication and medical attribution.
- Calling a diagnosis outside the one-year window presumptive without evidence of compensable manifestation during the window.
Bottom Line
Hyperthyroidism begins with a simple six-month DC 7900 rule and then becomes a residual-rating problem. Preserve the initial diagnosis date, but build the long-term record around the conditions that remain: heart disease, eye involvement, hypothyroidism after treatment, or other medically established complications.
Legal sources: 38 CFR § 4.119, § 3.307, § 3.309, and § 3.310, checked August 13, 2026.