The VA rates hyperthyroidism, including Graves' disease, under Diagnostic Code 7900. The current rule gives one rating: 30 percent for six months after initial diagnosis. After those six months, the VA stops rating the hyperthyroidism itself and instead rates the residuals of the disease or the complications of your treatment under whatever diagnostic codes fit the body systems actually affected. There is no 10, 60, or 100 percent tier for hyperthyroidism anymore. Those tiers existed before December 10, 2017, and many websites still publish them.
This guide covers the current criteria straight from 38 CFR 4.119, what "rate residuals" means in practice, 2026 payment amounts, the separate ratings available for thyroid eye disease and hyperthyroid heart disease, and how to file.
Hyperthyroidism Is Not Hypothyroidism: Different Codes, Very Different Ratings
These two conditions get confused constantly, and they are rated in opposite ways. Hyperthyroidism means the thyroid produces too much hormone. Hypothyroidism means it produces too little. If you are on methimazole or had radioactive iodine, you have (or had) hyperthyroidism. If you take levothyroxine, you have hypothyroidism.
| Hyperthyroidism | Hypothyroidism |
|---|
| Diagnostic code | 7900 | 7903 |
| Includes | Graves' disease, toxic goiter | Hashimoto's, post-surgical, post-RAI |
| Rating available | 30% only | 30% or 100% |
| Duration written into the code | Six months after initial diagnosis | Six months after diagnosis (30%), or six months past crisis stabilization (100%) |
| Agent Orange presumptive | No | Yes |
This distinction matters for your claim because many veterans move from one to the other. Radioactive iodine ablation and thyroidectomy, the two standard definitive treatments for Graves' disease, commonly leave a person permanently hypothyroid. When that happens, the long-term rating usually comes from DC 7903, not DC 7900. Our companion guide covers that path in detail: VA disability rating for hypothyroidism.
DC 7900 Rating Criteria in 2026
Here is the diagnostic code as it currently reads in 38 CFR 4.119:
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|
| 30% | Hyperthyroidism, including but not limited to Graves' disease, for six months after initial diagnosis |
| No further tier | Thereafter, rate residuals of disease or complications of medical treatment within the appropriate diagnostic code(s) within the appropriate body system |
Two notes accompany the code:
Note (1): If hyperthyroid cardiovascular or cardiac disease is present, separately evaluate under DC 7008 (hyperthyroid heart disease). DC 7008 in turn directs the rater to the appropriate cardiovascular diagnostic code depending on the particular findings.
Note (2): Separately evaluate eye involvement occurring as a manifestation of Graves' disease as diplopia (DC 6090), impairment of central visual acuity (DCs 6061 to 6066), or under the most appropriate diagnostic codes in 38 CFR 4.79.
Those two notes are the most valuable part of the code for most veterans, because they authorize ratings that sit on top of the six-month 30 percent, not inside it.
What "Rate Residuals" Actually Means
The six-month 30 percent rating is not the end of your compensation. It is the end of compensation under this particular code. After six months, the VA is required to look at what the disease and its treatment left behind and rate each of those problems under the schedule for the body system involved.
Common residuals the VA evaluates after hyperthyroidism:
| Residual | Where it gets rated |
|---|
| Hypothyroidism after radioactive iodine or thyroidectomy | DC 7903, endocrine schedule |
| Thyroid eye disease (proptosis, diplopia, reduced acuity) | 38 CFR 4.79, eye schedule, including DC 6090 for diplopia and DCs 6061 to 6066 for central visual acuity |
| Cardiac involvement, including arrhythmias attributable to hyperthyroid heart disease | DC 7008, then the matching cardiovascular code |
| Neck disfigurement from thyroid enlargement or surgical scarring | DC 7800 for disfigurement of the head, face, or neck, and the scar codes |
| Depression, anxiety, or cognitive complaints medically linked to the thyroid condition | 38 CFR 4.130, mental disorders schedule |
| Gastrointestinal residuals | Appropriate code in the digestive schedule |
The practical effect: a veteran with well-treated Graves' disease and no lasting problems can end up at 0 percent after six months. A veteran with Graves' ophthalmopathy, post-ablation hypothyroidism, and an arrhythmia can end up with three separate compensable ratings that combine to something much higher than 30 percent.
This is why the exam and the evidence matter more than the code. DC 7900 by itself is small. What it opens the door to is not.
Related Thyroid Diagnostic Codes
The endocrine schedule handles thyroid enlargement and inflammation separately, and each routes back to DC 7900 when the gland is overactive.
DC 7901, thyroid enlargement, toxic. No rating percentage is assigned by this code. Note (1) directs that symptoms of hyperthyroidism be evaluated under DC 7900. Note (2) directs that neck disfigurement due to thyroid disease or enlargement be separately evaluated under DC 7800.
DC 7902, thyroid enlargement, nontoxic. Also carries no percentage. Symptoms from pressure on adjacent organs such as the trachea, larynx, or esophagus are rated under the appropriate code in the relevant body system, and neck disfigurement again goes to DC 7800.
DC 7906, thyroiditis. Assigned 0 percent with normal thyroid function. The note says that thyroiditis manifesting as hyperthyroidism is evaluated as hyperthyroidism under DC 7900, and thyroiditis manifesting as hypothyroidism is evaluated under DC 7903.
2026 VA Disability Pay Amounts
VA compensation rates rose 2.8 percent effective December 1, 2025, matching the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. These are the monthly amounts in effect during 2026.
| Rating | Veteran Alone | With Spouse | With Spouse and 1 Child |
|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | $180.42 | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 | $356.66 | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 | $666.47 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 | $4,318.99 |
Dependent amounts only begin at a combined rating of 30 percent or higher. At 10 and 20 percent the payment is flat regardless of family size.
The 30 percent row is what DC 7900 pays during its six-month window. Whether you keep a compensable payment after that depends entirely on your residuals and on your other service-connected conditions, since the VA combines ratings using its own table rather than adding them.
Why the Old 10, 60, and 100 Percent Tiers Are Gone
Before the endocrine schedule was rewritten, DC 7900 had four tiers. The 10 percent level covered tachycardia and tremor or continuous medication for control. The 60 percent level covered emotional instability, tachycardia, fatigability, and increased pulse pressure or blood pressure. The 100 percent level covered a full-blown presentation with thyroid enlargement, tachycardia over 100 beats per minute, eye involvement, muscle weakness, weight loss, and systemic symptoms.
The VA replaced all of that with the six-month structure in a final rule published November 2, 2017 at 82 FR 50802, applied effective December 10, 2017. In the preamble the VA explained its reasoning: most symptoms of hyperthyroidism are alleviated within six months of treatment, so once a patient is on appropriate medication there is generally no impairment of earning capacity to compensate, and any lasting problems are better captured by rating the affected body system directly. The VA also stated that if medication is discontinued and symptoms reappear, the disability could again be rated under the endocrine schedule.
If you were already rated under the old criteria, a change to the rating schedule alone cannot be used to cut your rating. Under 38 CFR 3.951(a), a readjustment to the Schedule for Rating Disabilities is not grounds for reducing a rating in effect on the date of the readjustment unless medical evidence establishes that the disability has actually improved. And under 3.951(b), a rating continuously in effect for 20 or more years cannot be reduced below that level except on a showing of fraud.
If your claim was pending when the rule changed, the VA generally must consider both versions and apply whichever is more favorable for the period on or after the effective date. New criteria cannot be applied retroactively to a period before December 10, 2017.
Establishing Service Connection
You need three elements: a current diagnosis, an in-service event or exposure, and a medical nexus linking them.
Direct service connection. Service treatment records showing thyroid symptoms, an abnormal TSH, a goiter noted on exam, or a diagnosis during active duty. Graves' disease frequently first shows up in a young adult, which puts a lot of cases squarely inside a service window.
No Agent Orange presumption for hyperthyroidism. This is a trap. Hypothyroidism was added to the VA's Agent Orange presumptive list in 2021. Hyperthyroidism and Graves' disease were not. If you are claiming a thyroid condition based on herbicide exposure, check which direction your thyroid actually went. A veteran whose Graves' disease was ablated and who now takes levothyroxine has a current hypothyroidism diagnosis, and that diagnosis is on the presumptive list.
Secondary service connection. Under 38 CFR 3.310(a), a disability proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disease or injury is service connected. That includes conditions arising from treatment of a service-connected disability. The most common secondary pathway here runs the other way from what people expect: hypothyroidism caused by treatment for service-connected Graves' disease, which the VA has rated under DC 7903 in numerous Board decisions.
Aggravation. If you entered service with a thyroid condition noted on your entrance exam and service made it permanently worse, you can be compensated for the degree of worsening.
How to File a Hyperthyroidism Claim
- Get the diagnosis documented. Lab results showing suppressed TSH with elevated free T4 or T3, thyroid antibody testing (TSI or TRAb for Graves'), and any uptake scan or ultrasound.
- Consider an intent to file. Submit VA Form 21-0966 to lock in an effective date while you gather evidence. It preserves your date for up to one year.
- File VA Form 21-526EZ. Apply online at VA.gov, by mail, or with an accredited representative. List hyperthyroidism or Graves' disease by name, and list each residual separately: eye condition, cardiac condition, hypothyroidism after treatment, surgical scar.
- Submit the DBQ if you can. VA Form 21-0960E-3, Thyroid and Parathyroid Conditions, is the questionnaire the VA uses. A completed private DBQ from your endocrinologist can move a claim faster than waiting on the exam alone.
- Get a nexus letter for anything not obvious. If your service records do not show the condition starting on active duty, you need a physician's opinion stating it is at least as likely as not related to service.
- Attend the C&P exam. Describe your symptoms at their worst, not on a good day, and specifically report eye symptoms, palpitations, heat intolerance, tremor, weight change, and mood changes.
- Track the decision and appeal if needed. You have one year from the decision date to file a supplemental claim, a higher-level review, or a Board appeal.
Evidence That Actually Moves a Hyperthyroidism Claim
Because the code itself is short, the winning evidence is almost always about residuals rather than about the thyroid.
- Ophthalmology records documenting proptosis, diplopia measurements, and visual acuity, since eye involvement gets rated separately under the eye schedule
- Cardiology records tying an arrhythmia or cardiomyopathy to the hyperthyroid state, which triggers DC 7008
- Post-ablation or post-thyroidectomy labs showing you became hypothyroid, plus the prescription record for thyroid hormone replacement
- Photographs and surgical notes for neck scarring or visible thyroid enlargement, which support a DC 7800 evaluation
- Mental health treatment records if depression or anxiety is documented alongside the thyroid disease, with a clinician's statement connecting them
- Statements from you, your spouse, or coworkers describing functional limits during untreated periods
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the VA disability rating for hyperthyroidism in 2026?
Thirty percent, for six months after initial diagnosis, under Diagnostic Code 7900. After six months, the VA rates the residuals of the disease and of your treatment under the diagnostic codes that fit the affected body systems, so your ongoing rating depends on what problems remain.
Is Graves' disease rated differently from hyperthyroidism?
No. DC 7900 is titled "hyperthyroidism, including, but not limited to, Graves' disease," so the same code and the same six-month 30 percent apply. What is different about Graves' is that it more often produces eye disease and cardiac involvement, which Notes (1) and (2) direct the VA to evaluate separately.
Can I get more than 30 percent for a thyroid condition?
Yes, but not from DC 7900 alone. Additional compensation comes from separately rated residuals: thyroid eye disease under the eye schedule, hyperthyroid heart disease under DC 7008 and the cardiovascular codes, resulting hypothyroidism under DC 7903, neck disfigurement under DC 7800, and mental health conditions under 38 CFR 4.130. Those ratings combine using VA math.
Does the VA still give 10 percent for hyperthyroidism controlled by medication?
No. The 10 percent tier for tachycardia and tremor or continuous medication was removed when the endocrine schedule was revised effective December 10, 2017. The VA's stated reasoning was that once a patient is on appropriate medication there is generally no impairment of earning capacity to compensate.
Is hyperthyroidism an Agent Orange presumptive condition?
No. Hypothyroidism is on the VA's Agent Orange presumptive list. Hyperthyroidism and Graves' disease are not. If your Graves' disease was treated with radioactive iodine or surgery and you now have hypothyroidism, the presumption may apply to the hypothyroidism diagnosis.
What happens to my rating after the six months run out?
The VA is supposed to reevaluate and assign ratings for residuals. If you have no lasting impairment, the evaluation can drop to 0 percent, which keeps service connection intact but pays nothing. If problems remain, they should be rated under the appropriate body system codes. Make sure the reevaluation exam documents every residual, because a residual that is not in the record cannot be rated.
My rating was assigned under the old criteria. Can the VA reduce it now?
Not because the schedule changed. Under 38 CFR 3.951(a), a rating schedule readjustment is not grounds for reduction unless medical evidence establishes that the disability has actually improved. A rating continuously in effect for 20 or more years is additionally protected under 3.951(b) except on a showing of fraud.
Which DBQ covers hyperthyroidism?
VA Form 21-0960E-3, Thyroid and Parathyroid Conditions. It asks about hyperthyroid findings, signs, and symptoms, and about whether you received radioactive iodine treatment.
Can I get TDIU for a thyroid condition?
Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability is possible if your service-connected conditions, taken together, prevent you from maintaining substantially gainful employment. A thyroid condition rarely qualifies alone under the current schedule, but severe thyroid eye disease, cardiac residuals, and associated mental health conditions can contribute to a claim built on the combined picture.
Sources
- 38 CFR 4.119, Schedule of ratings, endocrine system (Diagnostic Codes 7900, 7901, 7902, 7903, 7906)
- 82 FR 50802, Schedule for Rating Disabilities: The Endocrine System, final rule published November 2, 2017, applied effective December 10, 2017
- 38 CFR 3.310(a), secondary service connection
- 38 CFR 3.951, preservation of disability ratings
- VA.gov, 2026 veterans disability compensation rates, effective December 1, 2025
- VA.gov, Agent Orange presumptive conditions list
This article is general information, not legal or medical advice. Your rating is determined by the VA based on your individual medical evidence.
