On this page
- PCOS and uterine fibroids VA rating criteria (DCs 7613 and 7615)
- Continuous treatment: what separates 0, 10 and 30 percent
- Special monthly compensation for loss of a creative organ
- How much VA pays for PCOS and fibroids
- How to prove PCOS or fibroids is service connected
- The C&P exam and the Gynecological Conditions DBQ
- Why VA denies PCOS and fibroid claims
- Questions veterans ask about PCOS and fibroids
- Sources
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and uterine fibroids do not have codes of their own in the rating schedule. VA rates diseases of the vulva, vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries under one short formula with three levels, 0, 10 and 30 percent, and the dividing lines are about treatment, not about how the condition looks on an ultrasound. If your symptoms need continuous treatment, you are at 10 percent. If continuous treatment does not control them, you are at 30 percent.
This page covers that formula word for word, which code PCOS and fibroids belong under, the other codes in the group (vulva, vagina, cervix, fallopian tubes, ovarian atrophy, pelvic organ prolapse and fistulas), special monthly compensation, how to prove service connection, the exam and why VA denies these claims. Endometriosis and hysterectomy have their own pages: endometriosis and hysterectomy. The Board section further down shows how appeals for gynecological conditions have ended.
PCOS and uterine fibroids VA rating criteria (DCs 7613 and 7615)
38 CFR § 4.116 rates DCs 7610 through 7615 under one formula:
| Rating | General Rating Formula for Disease, Injury, or Adhesions of Female Reproductive Organs |
|---|---|
| 30% | "Symptoms not controlled by continuous treatment" |
| 10% | "Symptoms that require continuous treatment" |
| 0% | "Symptoms that do not require continuous treatment" |
The formula covers six codes, one for each organ (DCs 7610 to 7615):
| Code | Schedule text |
|---|---|
| DC 7610 | Vulva or clitoris, disease or injury of (including vulvovaginitis) |
| DC 7611 | Vagina, disease or injury of |
| DC 7612 | Cervix, disease or injury of |
| DC 7613 | Uterus, disease, injury, or adhesions of |
| DC 7614 | Fallopian tube, disease, injury, or adhesions of (including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)) |
| DC 7615 | Ovary, disease, injury, or adhesions of |
PCOS rates under DC 7615. The note to the formula says that "a disease, injury, or adhesions of the ovaries resulting in ovarian dysfunction affecting the menstrual cycle, such as dysmenorrhea and secondary amenorrhea, shall be rated under diagnostic code 7615." Military health researchers count PCOS as ovarian dysfunction; in their data it drove almost all new ovarian dysfunction diagnoses (Douthitt and colleagues, 2025). Ovarian cysts and other diseases of the ovary use the same code.
Fibroids rate under DC 7613. Uterine fibroids are "the most common benign tumors of the uterus among women of reproductive age" (Nieh and Mabila, 2024). The schedule's code for benign growths, DC 7628, has no levels of its own. It says to "Rate chronic residuals to include scars, lymphedema, disfigurement, and/or other impairment of function under the appropriate diagnostic code(s) within the appropriate body system." For pain and bleeding from the uterus, that is DC 7613 on the formula above.
Other codes in this group
| Code | Schedule text | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| DC 7620, ovaries, atrophy of both, complete | Flagged for special monthly compensation review | 20% |
| DC 7621, pelvic organ prolapse | "Complete or incomplete pelvic organ prolapse due to injury, disease, or surgical complications of pregnancy" | 10% |
| DC 7624, fistula, rectovaginal | "Vaginal fecal leakage at least once a day requiring wearing of pad" | 100% |
| DC 7624 | "Vaginal fecal leakage four or more times per week, but less than daily, requiring wearing of pad" | 60% |
| DC 7624 | "Vaginal fecal leakage one to three times per week requiring wearing of pad" | 30% |
| DC 7624 | "Vaginal fecal leakage less than once a week" | 10% |
| DC 7624 | "Without leakage" | 0% |
| DC 7625, fistula, urethrovaginal | "Multiple urethrovaginal fistulae" | 100% |
| DC 7625 | "Requiring the use of an appliance or the wearing of absorbent materials which must be changed more than four times per day" | 60% |
| DC 7625 | "Requiring the wearing of absorbent materials which must be changed two to four times per day" | 40% |
| DC 7625 | "Requiring the wearing of absorbent materials which must be changed less than two times per day" | 20% |
Pelvic organ prolapse has a rule worth knowing. The note to DC 7621 says to "Evaluate separately any genitourinary, digestive, or skin symptoms under the appropriate diagnostic code(s) and combine all evaluations with the 10 percent evaluation under DC 7621." Bladder leakage or bowel problems from a prolapse add their own ratings on top of the 10 percent.
Codes with their own pages
| Condition | Code | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Endometriosis | DC 7629 | Endometriosis |
| Removal of the uterus, ovaries or both | DCs 7617, 7618 and 7619 | Hysterectomy |
| Female sexual arousal disorder | DC 7632 | FSAD |
If PCOS or fibroids lead to surgery, the rating moves to the removal codes. Removal of the uterus (DC 7618) rates 100 percent for three months and 30 percent after that. Removal of the uterus and both ovaries (DC 7617) rates 100 percent for three months and 50 percent after that. Removal of both ovaries (DC 7619) rates 30 percent after the three months.
Continuous treatment: what separates 0, 10 and 30 percent
The formula asks two questions. Does the condition need continuous treatment? And if it does, does that treatment control your symptoms? The schedule does not define continuous treatment, so the record has to show it.
- Name every medicine. List each medicine prescribed for the condition, when it started, and whether you take it every day or only now and then.
- Show what breaks through. Bleeding between periods, heavy days, pain, missed work and emergency visits while you are on treatment are the facts that support 30 percent. A dated symptom log can help explain the course of the condition alongside the treatment record.
- Keep the gynecology notes. Notes that say a treatment failed, was changed or was stopped for side effects show the course of the condition over time.
When your picture falls between two levels, 38 CFR § 4.7 says "the higher evaluation will be assigned if the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating."
PCOS and fibroids are different organs with different codes, so each can carry its own rating. What VA will not do is count the same symptom twice. 38 CFR § 4.14 bars "the evaluation of the same manifestation under different diagnoses." If both conditions cause the same heavy bleeding, that bleeding supports one rating, not two; a separate symptom from each condition can support a second rating.
The schedule also says what is not a disability. Note 1 to § 4.116 reads: "Natural menopause, primary amenorrhea, and pregnancy and childbirth are not disabilities for rating purposes. Chronic residuals of medical or surgical complications of pregnancy may be disabilities for rating purposes."
Special monthly compensation for loss of a creative organ
Note 2 to § 4.116 tells raters to check 38 CFR § 3.350 whenever a claim involves "loss or loss of use of one or more creative organs," and adds that "almost any condition in this section might, under certain circumstances, establish entitlement to special monthly compensation." Special monthly compensation at the K level is paid on top of your rating for loss or loss of use of one or more creative organs. Under § 3.350(a)(1)(i), "Loss of a creative organ will be shown by acquired absence of one or both testicles (other than undescended testicles) or ovaries or other creative organ."
The timing of surgery matters. Under § 3.350(a)(1)(iii), loss "traceable to an elective operation performed subsequent to service, will not establish entitlement to the benefit." The same paragraph limits what counts as elective: "An operation is not considered to be one of election where it is advised on sound medical judgment for the relief of a pathological condition or to prevent possible future pathological consequences." A hysterectomy or ovary removal that a doctor advised to treat service-connected fibroids or ovarian disease fits that sentence, not the elective bar.
SMC-K was $139.87 a month at the December 2025 rates. If your uterus or ovaries were removed because of a service-connected condition and your decision letter does not mention special monthly compensation, that is worth raising.
How much VA pays for PCOS and fibroids
At VA's rates effective December 1, 2025, a veteran alone receives $180.42 a month at 10 percent and $552.47 at 30 percent, the top of the formula. Complete atrophy of both ovaries rates 20 percent, $356.66 a month. After surgery, the removal codes pay $3,938.58 a month for the first three months at 100 percent, then $552.47 at 30 percent or $1,132.90 at 50 percent. Special monthly compensation, when it applies, is added on top. When you have other ratings, VA combines them rather than adding them; the combined rating calculator shows the result.
How to prove PCOS or fibroids is service connected
Every claim needs a current diagnosis, an event or illness in service, and a medical link. In denied gynecological appeals, the medical link is the most common gap, so plan the opinion early.
PCOS diagnosed or first treated in service
A study of active duty service members found increasing recorded PCOS diagnoses over its study period. A Defense Health Agency study of active duty women found that new PCOS diagnoses rose from 32.0 to 60.3 cases per 10,000 person-years between 2014 and 2023, across every demographic group (Douthitt and colleagues, 2025). Among the factors they examined, a history of obesity had the strongest link, and the authors suggested that updated diagnostic criteria, which allowed more clinic and telehealth diagnoses, may explain part of the rise.
For a direct claim, the record you want is an in-service note showing the diagnosis or the menstrual problems behind it, such as missed or irregular periods, along with any lab tests or ultrasounds done at the time. If you were treated in service for period problems without a name for the cause, those notes still matter. A favorable opinion should connect your in-service symptoms to the later diagnosis.
Fibroids found in service
A Defense Health Agency report found 16,046 new fibroid cases among active duty women from 2011 to 2022, a rate of 63.5 per 10,000 person-years, with the highest rates among women 40 and older, non-Hispanic Black women and women who served in the Army (Nieh and Mabila, 2024). A fibroid seen on an in-service ultrasound or exam, or in-service treatment for the symptoms that later led to the diagnosis, is the starting point for a direct claim.
Conditions noted when you entered
Under 38 CFR § 3.304(b), you are presumed to have been in sound condition when you entered service, except for conditions "noted at entrance into service." VA can overcome that only with clear and unmistakable evidence that the condition existed before service and was not aggravated by it. If PCOS or fibroids were noted at entry, the claim becomes one for aggravation: that service made the condition worse beyond its natural course (38 CFR § 3.306).
Gulf War veterans and menstrual disorders
Under 38 CFR § 3.317, the signs of an undiagnosed illness in Persian Gulf War veterans include "Menstrual disorders." The undiagnosed illness route requires illness that "cannot be attributed to any known clinical diagnosis", so explained symptoms do not establish that route. Section 3.317 separately addresses qualifying medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses; a diagnosis alone does not decide that separate question. The PACT Act amended 38 U.S.C. § 1117(a)(1) to cover a qualifying chronic disability that became manifest "to any degree at any time." The older 10 percent threshold and December 31, 2026 manifestation deadline still printed in § 3.317 no longer govern that eligibility question. You still need qualifying service and evidence that the illness meets the requirements of one of those routes.
Conditions secondary to gynecological conditions
If a clinician links another diagnosis, such as anemia or a bladder condition, to your service-connected gynecological condition, ask for an explanation of the cause or aggravation supported by your records. Having both diagnoses does not by itself establish the link.
Depression and anxiety deserve a close look with PCOS. A systematic review of 30 studies covering 3,050 women with PCOS found that they had about four times the odds of moderate or severe depressive symptoms and about six and a half times the odds of moderate or severe anxiety symptoms, and the higher odds held when women were matched on weight (Cooney and colleagues, 2017). The studies could not show which came first, so your claim needs an opinion that explains the link in your case. See depression and anxiety.
Under 38 CFR § 3.310, a condition caused or aggravated by a service-connected condition is service connected. The opinion should address both: the depression is aggravated by the veteran's service-connected PCOS, meaning it would be less severe but for the PCOS. When aggravation is at issue, an opinion that skips it can be inadequate under El-Amin v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 136 (2013).
The C&P exam and the Gynecological Conditions DBQ
VA examines these conditions with the Gynecological Conditions DBQ. Before the exam:
- Bring the diagnosis proof. The ultrasound, lab results or gynecology note that names PCOS, fibroids or the other condition.
- Bring your treatment list. Every medicine and procedure, with dates, and whether it controlled your symptoms. This decides 10 versus 30 percent.
- Bring a symptom log. Bleeding days, pain, missed work and urgent visits over the last few months, while on treatment.
- List every surgery. Removal of the uterus or an ovary changes the code and can add special monthly compensation.
- List related problems. Anemia, bladder leakage and depression may warrant separate consideration when service connected and based on distinct manifestations, so describe each diagnosed problem.
Raven Scan can help you review your uploaded medical records as you prepare for the exam.
Why VA denies PCOS and fibroid claims
The Board section below shows what the Board found missing in denied gynecological appeals and why it sent others back. These are the patterns behind those numbers.
No link to service. This is the most common failure. An examiner may say PCOS or fibroids are common and unrelated to service. A favorable opinion has to engage with your in-service symptoms, treatment and timeline.
No current diagnosis. The next most common failure. A gynecological assessment helps establish the diagnosis and its relationship to the reported symptoms. Under McClain v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 319 (2007), a condition present at any time during the claim counts, so a fibroid removed during the claim still meets the current disability requirement.
No in-service evidence. If you never reported period problems in service, lay statements from you and people who knew you then about what happened, and when, help fill the gap.
The wrong level. A 0 or 10 percent rating that ignores continuous medication or symptoms that break through it is worth appealing with your treatment list and symptom log.
An inadequate exam. An inadequate VA exam is the most common reason the Board sends these claims back; the remand reasons below show how often.
Questions veterans ask about PCOS and fibroids
What is the VA rating for PCOS?
PCOS rates under DC 7615, the ovary code, on the formula for female reproductive organs: 0 percent when symptoms do not need continuous treatment, 10 percent when they do, and 30 percent when continuous treatment does not control them.
What is the VA rating for uterine fibroids?
Fibroids are benign growths, so VA rates their residuals, which for pain and bleeding means DC 7613, the uterus code, at 0, 10 or 30 percent on the same formula. If fibroids lead to removal of the uterus, the rating moves to DC 7618: 100 percent for three months and 30 percent after.
Can PCOS and fibroids be rated separately?
Yes, when each causes its own symptoms, because they rate under different codes. VA will not rate the same symptom twice under 38 CFR § 4.14, so bleeding caused by both supports only one rating.
Does a hysterectomy for fibroids qualify for special monthly compensation?
It can, if the fibroids are service connected. Loss of a creative organ supports SMC-K under 38 CFR § 3.350, and an operation advised on sound medical judgment to treat a disease is not an elective operation under that rule.
Can depression from PCOS be service connected?
Yes, if the PCOS is service connected. Research finds higher odds of depression and anxiety in women with PCOS, and a mental health condition caused or worsened by a service-connected condition is secondary under 38 CFR § 3.310. You need a medical opinion that explains the link in your case.
Is PCOS a presumptive condition?
PCOS is not named in the § 3.309 disease lists, and a diagnosed condition does not satisfy the undiagnosed illness route merely because it causes menstrual symptoms. Other routes, including direct or secondary service connection, require their own supporting evidence.
Sources
- 38 CFR § 4.116, gynecological conditions, DCs 7610 to 7621, 7624, 7625 and 7628 (opens in a new tab), eCFR current through October 5, 2026
- 38 CFR § 3.350(a)(1), special monthly compensation for creative organs (opens in a new tab)
- 38 CFR § 4.7, higher of two evaluations (opens in a new tab)
- 38 CFR § 4.14, avoiding pyramiding (opens in a new tab)
- 38 CFR § 3.304 and § 3.306, soundness and aggravation (opens in a new tab)
- 38 CFR § 3.310, secondary service connection (opens in a new tab)
- 38 CFR § 3.317, Persian Gulf veterans (opens in a new tab)
- 38 U.S.C. § 1117, Gulf War eligibility after PACT Act section 405 (opens in a new tab)
- El-Amin v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 136 (2013); McClain v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 319 (2007)
- Douthitt W, Murray JH, Stahlman SL. Ovarian dysfunction and polycystic ovary syndrome in the U.S. military active component, 2014-2023. MSMR. 2025;32(1):11-17. PubMed 39965137 (opens in a new tab)
- Nieh C, Mabila SL. Incidence and health care burden of uterine fibroids among female service members in the active component of the U.S. Armed Forces, 2011-2022. MSMR. 2024;31(2):9-15. PubMed 38466970 (opens in a new tab)
- Cooney LG, Lee I, Sammel MD, Dokras A. High prevalence of moderate and severe depressive and anxiety symptoms in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Reprod. 2017;32(5):1075-1091. doi:10.1093/humrep/dex044 (opens in a new tab)
- VA disability compensation rates (opens in a new tab) and special monthly compensation rates (opens in a new tab), effective December 1, 2025
- Gynecological Conditions DBQ guide
- El-Amin, court opinion (opens in a new tab)
- McClain, court opinion (opens in a new tab)
- 38 CFR § 3.303, service connection (opens in a new tab)