Claim Raven explanation
What this means
When a diagnostic code does not list a zero percent level, VA assigns zero percent if the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met. A compensable evaluation is one that reaches a paying percentage under that code.
A zero percent evaluation concerns the degree of disability. It should not be confused with a denial of service connection, which is a separate finding about whether the condition is recognized as related to service.
How this helps your claim
This helps you read the decision accurately and identify the relevant rating criteria. The next factual question is what severity the records show, not simply whether the diagnosis appears in the file.
What to check in your records
Use your decision, examination reports, and relevant records to check the following points.
- Check whether service connection was granted despite the zero percent evaluation.
- Read the lowest compensable criteria in the diagnostic code.
- Compare those criteria with the dated symptoms and examination findings.
Read a zero-percent evaluation correctly
A noncompensable evaluation means the requirements for a paying level under the applicable criteria were not met. It can coexist with a favorable service-connection finding. Read those two parts of the decision separately instead of interpreting zero as a statement that no disability exists.
Check which findings the code requires for its first compensable level and compare them with the examination. The relevant issue is the documented severity under that code. A later change in the condition should be described through actual evidence rather than an assumption that every recognized diagnosis must pay immediately.
Does zero percent mean the claim was completely denied?
Not necessarily. The decision may recognize service connection while assigning a noncompensable evaluation. That is different from denying the relationship to service. Review the outcome for each issue and the reasons for the percentage to understand what was accepted and what remains disputed.
Official regulatory text
38 CFR § 4.31
eCFR snapshot: September 3, 2026. Layout and spacing are adapted for reading. The full section and its tables are included below.
§ 4.31 Zero percent evaluations.
In every instance where the schedule does not provide a zero percent evaluation for a diagnostic code, a zero percent evaluation shall be assigned when the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met.
[58 FR 52018, Oct. 6, 1993]
Related references
- 38 CFR § 4.1: What a VA disability rating measures
- 38 CFR § 3.159: VA duty to assist: records and examinations
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