How the VA Rates Enlarged Prostate (BPH)
The VA rates an enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), under Diagnostic Code 7527 (38 CFR §4.115b, Schedule of Ratings: Genitourinary System). BPH itself carries no fixed percentage. Instead, the VA rates it as a voiding dysfunction or a urinary tract infection, whichever set of symptoms is more disabling, using the general genitourinary criteria in 38 CFR §4.115a.
Two veterans with the same BPH diagnosis can receive very different ratings, because the rating tracks how the condition affects urination day to day. The diagnosis label on the chart does not set the percentage.
Voiding Dysfunction: The Three Tracks
38 CFR §4.115a scores voiding dysfunction on three separate tracks, and a rater assigns whichever track produces the highest percentage.
- Urine leakage (continual or near-continual): 60% if you need absorbent pads changed more than 4 times a day, 40% for 2 to 4 changes a day, 20% for fewer than 2 changes a day.
- Urinary frequency: 40% for a daytime voiding interval under 1 hour or waking 5 or more times a night to urinate, 20% for a 1 to 2 hour interval or waking 3 to 4 times, 10% for a 2 to 3 hour interval or waking twice.
- Obstructed voiding: 30% if you need intermittent or continuous catheterization, 10% for marked hesitancy or a weak stream combined with a post-void residual over 150 cc, a diminished peak flow rate, recurrent UTIs from the obstruction, or a stricture needing dilation every 2 to 3 months, and 0% for milder obstructive symptoms.
A veteran who both leaks urine and voids frequently is rated on whichever single track pays the higher percentage. The two tracks are never added together.
Urinary Frequency and Urinary Incontinence
Urinary frequency and urinary incontinence are two of the most common BPH complications, and both are rated under the same voiding dysfunction tables above rather than a separate diagnostic code. A veteran filing for BPH should describe frequency and leakage in the exact terms the rating tables use: how many times you wake at night, how many pads you change, how wide your daytime voiding interval runs.
The site's dedicated urinary incontinence page covers the leakage track in more depth, including how pad-count evidence works when incontinence stands alone or shows up as a symptom of a different underlying condition, such as a spinal injury or prior prostate surgery.
Neurogenic Bladder
Neurogenic bladder is rated under Diagnostic Code 7542, and like BPH, it uses the same three voiding dysfunction tracks in 38 CFR §4.115a rather than its own separate percentage table.
Neurogenic bladder means the nerves that control the bladder no longer signal correctly, usually because of a spinal cord injury, a herniated disc, diabetes-related nerve damage, or a traumatic brain injury. Because the underlying cause is neurological, a neurogenic bladder claim often succeeds as secondary to an already service-connected back or spine condition, such as degenerative disc disease or lumbar stenosis, or secondary to type 2 diabetes. A nexus letter connecting the bladder dysfunction to the service-connected condition is the central piece of evidence in these secondary claims.
Varicocele and VA Disability
A varicocele is an enlargement of the veins inside the scrotum, similar to a varicose vein, and it has no dedicated diagnostic code in the VA's genitourinary schedule. The VA rates it by analogy to the closest applicable genitourinary code, and most varicoceles without documented complications receive a noncompensable 0% rating, because the condition itself is often asymptomatic.
A higher rating requires objective evidence of a real functional impact, such as documented chronic pain, testicular atrophy, or infertility linked to the varicocele. Bring a urology evaluation that specifically addresses pain level, atrophy, and any semen analysis findings if infertility is part of the claim. A bare "varicocele" notation on an ultrasound report, with no documented symptoms, rarely supports more than the minimum rating.
Common Mistakes That Lower a Urological Rating
The most common mistake in a urological claim is describing symptoms in general terms instead of the specific numbers the rating tables require. Saying "I go to the bathroom a lot" gives a rater nothing to score. Saying "I wake up four times a night and my daytime interval is under an hour" places you squarely in the 40% frequency tier.
A second common mistake is filing only for BPH when a related condition, such as erectile dysfunction or a history of UTIs, would strengthen the claim or qualify for its own separate rating. BPH treatment, including certain medications and any related procedures, can also affect sexual function, a distinct compensable issue veterans sometimes leave off the claim entirely.
A third mistake is letting a single good day at the C&P exam undercut months of documented symptoms. A rater weighs a symptom diary kept over several weeks more heavily than a single day's snapshot, especially when day-to-day symptoms fluctuate.
BPH vs. Prostate Cancer: Two Different Claims
BPH and prostate cancer are separate diagnoses with separate rating pathways, even though both involve the prostate. Prostate cancer, rated under its own diagnostic code, carries a mandatory 100% rating during active malignancy or treatment, followed by a re-examination based on residual voiding dysfunction once treatment ends, using the same 4.115a criteria described above. See the site's prostate cancer page for that separate rating path. A veteran recovering from prostate cancer treatment who develops lasting voiding dysfunction, incontinence, or erectile dysfunction as a treatment residual should file that residual as its own claim rather than assume the original cancer rating still applies after the re-examination period ends.
Evidence and the C&P Exam
A C&P exam for a urological condition typically includes a urinalysis, a review of any imaging or urodynamic testing, and a detailed symptom interview.
- Track your symptoms for two to four weeks before the exam: nighttime awakenings to void, daytime voiding interval, pad changes per day, and any UTI episodes.
- Bring records of any catheterization, prior prostate or bladder surgery, or a urology referral.
- List every medication prescribed for the condition, including alpha-blockers or 5-alpha reductase inhibitors commonly used for BPH.
- Mention any related conditions, such as erectile dysfunction, diabetes, or a spine condition, that might support a secondary connection.
Nexus: Connecting Urological Conditions to Service
- Direct service connection: service treatment records documenting urinary symptoms, a diagnosis during service, or an in-service genitourinary injury.
- Secondary service connection: BPH, neurogenic bladder, or urinary incontinence that developed or worsened because of a service-connected condition, such as diabetes, a spinal condition, or prostate cancer treatment.
- Continuity of symptoms: a personal statement describing when urinary symptoms began and how they progressed is useful when service records are thin, since BPH often develops gradually with age.
2026 Monthly Compensation by Rating
Voiding dysfunction ratings for BPH, neurogenic bladder, and related urological conditions run from 0% to 60%, all under the general genitourinary schedule rather than a fixed condition-specific tier. At the 2026 rates for a single veteran with no dependents, a 10% rating pays $180.42 a month, a 20% rating pays $356.66, a 40% rating pays $795.84, and a 60% rating, the ceiling for voiding dysfunction alone, pays $1,435.02. See the full 2026 VA compensation rate chart for every tier and dependent scenario.
Use the VA disability rating calculator to see how a urological rating combines with your other conditions, or browse every rated condition at VA disability.