Diagnostic code (DC) 7121 is the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) code for post-phlebitic syndrome of any etiology. A post-phlebitic syndrome VA rating under DC 7121 runs from 0% to 100% for each affected extremity, based on findings such as edema (swelling), stasis pigmentation or eczema, and ulceration.
What Diagnostic Code 7121 Covers
Diagnostic code 7121 covers post-phlebitic syndrome of any etiology, which means the code is not limited to one cause of the condition. It appears in Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), section 4.104, written as 38 CFR 4.104. The rating levels apply to findings attributed to venous disease.
Because of that wording, your records need to connect the swelling, skin changes, or ulcers to vein disease. If no record ties your leg findings to venous disease, ask your treating provider what is causing them before you file under this code.
Post-Phlebitic Syndrome VA Rating Table for DC 7121
The DC 7121 rating table has six levels, from 0% to 100%, and each level describes the findings in one extremity.
| Rating | Criteria for one extremity (38 CFR 4.104, DC 7121) |
|---|---|
| 100% | Massive board-like edema with constant pain at rest |
| 60% | Persistent edema or subcutaneous induration, stasis pigmentation or eczema, and persistent ulceration |
| 40% | Persistent edema and stasis pigmentation or eczema, with or without intermittent ulceration |
| 20% | Persistent edema, incompletely relieved by elevation of extremity, with or without beginning stasis pigmentation or eczema |
| 10% | Intermittent edema of extremity or aching and fatigue in leg after prolonged standing or walking, with symptoms relieved by elevation of extremity or compression hosiery |
| 0% | Asymptomatic palpable or visible varicose veins |
How to Read the Steps Between Levels
Each step up the DC 7121 table adds a finding or turns an intermittent finding into a persistent one.
- 0% to 10%: The 0% level is asymptomatic palpable or visible varicose veins. The 10% level adds symptoms: intermittent edema of the extremity, or aching and fatigue in the leg after prolonged standing or walking, relieved by elevation or compression hosiery.
- 10% to 20%: The edema becomes persistent, and elevation of the extremity relieves it only incompletely. Beginning stasis pigmentation or eczema may be present but is not required.
- 20% to 40%: Stasis pigmentation or eczema must appear alongside persistent edema. Intermittent ulceration may be present but is not required.
- 40% to 60%: The ulceration is persistent. The 60% wording also requires persistent edema or subcutaneous induration, plus stasis pigmentation or eczema.
- 60% to 100%: The 100% level describes massive board-like edema with constant pain at rest.
In the criteria, "or" gives a choice between findings, and "and" requires every finding it joins. "With or without" means a finding is allowed at that level but is not needed to reach it.
Under the 10% wording, aching and fatigue in the leg after prolonged standing or walking can take the place of edema. The symptoms still have to be relieved by elevation of the extremity or by compression hosiery to match that level.
Each Extremity Gets Its Own DC 7121 Rating
Each DC 7121 evaluation covers a single extremity, so the VA rates an affected left leg and an affected right leg separately. After each extremity has its own percentage, the VA combines them under 38 CFR 4.25. The bilateral factor in 38 CFR 4.26 is used when it applies.
Our VA bilateral factor explainer walks through when that adjustment applies and how it changes the combined figure.
For example, records might show persistent edema, stasis pigmentation, and persistent ulceration in the left leg. The same records might show intermittent edema in the right leg that compression hosiery relieves. Under the table, the left leg's findings match the 60% wording.
The right leg's findings match the 10% wording, and each leg keeps its own percentage going into the combining step. Enter each leg's percentage, along with any other service-connected ratings, in the VA disability rating calculator to estimate the combined result.
What Post-Phlebitic Syndrome Is
Post-phlebitic syndrome is long-term vein damage and swelling that can follow a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The VA rates by exam findings.
How It Relates to Varicose Veins
DC 7121 and the varicose veins code, DC 7120, sit on the same table in 38 CFR 4.104. DC 7121 is the code for post-phlebitic syndrome of any etiology. The 0% level of DC 7121 names asymptomatic palpable or visible varicose veins.
Our varicose veins VA rating page covers DC 7120 if your diagnosis is varicose veins.
Building a Claim for a Post-Phlebitic Syndrome VA Rating
Service connection for post-phlebitic syndrome needs three pieces of evidence before the DC 7121 table sets a percentage.
- A current diagnosis of post-phlebitic (post-thrombotic) syndrome.
- An in-service event, or a service-connected condition the post-phlebitic syndrome traces back to.
- A medical nexus opinion stating that the link is at least as likely as not.
None of these three pieces is automatic, and no checklist guarantees an outcome.
Direct and Secondary Claims
A direct claim connects post-phlebitic syndrome to an event during service, such as a DVT that happened in service. A secondary claim connects it to a condition that is already service connected. Our secondary conditions guide covers how secondary claims are put together.
The Nexus Opinion
A nexus opinion is the medical statement that links your diagnosis to service or to a service-connected condition. It needs to say the link is at least as likely as not. Our nexus letter guide covers what that letter should include.
Records That Match the Rating Words
The VA rates DC 7121 by exam findings, so keep records of swelling, skin changes, ulcers, compression-garment use, and treatment. Each record type lines up with specific words in the rating table.
| Record to keep | Rating words it speaks to |
|---|---|
| Swelling notes: which leg, and whether the swelling comes and goes or stays | "Intermittent edema" (10%) or "persistent edema" (20%, 40%, 60%) |
| Notes on whether raising the leg relieves the swelling | "Relieved by elevation" (10%) or "incompletely relieved by elevation" (20%) |
| Compression-garment use | "Relieved by ... compression hosiery" (10%) |
| Skin changes | "Beginning stasis pigmentation or eczema" (20%) and "stasis pigmentation or eczema" (40% and 60%) |
| Ulcers: how often they appear and whether they persist | "Intermittent ulceration" (40%) or "persistent ulceration" (60%) |
| Treatment records | The findings at every level, across more than one visit |
The VA Exam for DC 7121
The VA exam records the findings your rating is based on. Describe each leg separately, because each extremity gets its own evaluation. Tell the examiner whether elevation or compression hosiery relieves your symptoms.
Bring your swelling, skin, and ulcer records to the exam so the examiner sees findings from more than one day.
Raising a Post-Phlebitic Syndrome VA Rating
A higher DC 7121 rating requires findings in a leg that match a higher level of the table. Ulceration that moves from intermittent to persistent, alongside edema and stasis pigmentation or eczema, matches the 60% wording instead of the 40% wording.
A second leg that develops findings gets its own evaluation and goes through the combining step under 38 CFR 4.25. Our VA rating increase guide covers how to ask for a higher rating.
Before you file, lay your records next to the post-phlebitic syndrome VA rating table above and mark which level each leg's findings match. Then enter those percentages in the VA disability rating calculator to see a combined estimate before your exam.
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