Body system: Respiratory SystemRegulation: 38 CFR § 4.97
Pulmonary vascular disease affects the blood vessels in your lungs, making it harder for your heart to pump blood through them. The VA rates this condition from 0% to 100% based on how severe your symptoms are and how much it affects your heart. Higher ratings go to veterans with pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in lung arteries) that's causing heart problems, while lower ratings cover situations where you've recovered from blood clots but still have some ongoing issues.
Rating levels
- 100% — You qualify for this rating if you have high blood pressure in the arteries of your lungs (pulmonary hypertension) that either developed on its own or was caused by blood clots in your lung arteries. The condition must also show signs that it's putting strain on the right side of your heart, either by causing that part of your heart to grow larger and thicker (right ventricular hypertrophy) or by causing heart failure on the right side (cor pulmonale). You can also qualify if you have pulmonary hypertension caused by other blockages in your lung's blood vessels, as long as it shows the same signs of heart strain.
- 60% — You qualify for this rating if you have chronic blood clots in your lungs (pulmonary thromboembolism) that require you to take blood-thinning medications on an ongoing basis. You also qualify if you've had surgery on the large vein that carries blood back to your heart (inferior vena cava surgery) but don't have high blood pressure in your lungs or problems with the right side of your heart pumping effectively.
- 30% — You've had a blood clot in your lungs (pulmonary embolism) that has been treated and resolved, but you still have ongoing symptoms from damage to the blood vessels in your lungs. These symptoms could include shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, or reduced exercise tolerance that affects your daily activities. The original life-threatening blood clot is gone, but your lung's blood vessels haven't returned to normal function.
- 0% — You have no symptoms after recovering from a pulmonary thromboembolism (blood clot in your lungs). Your condition has resolved completely and you're not experiencing any breathing problems, chest pain, or other symptoms related to the blood clot that you previously had in your lungs.