Body system: Digestive SystemRegulation: 38 CFR § 4.114
This code covers ongoing complications from surgeries on your upper digestive tract (stomach, small intestine, or esophagus). The VA rates these complications based on how severely they affect your daily life, from needing feeding tubes (80%) down to manageable nausea with medication (10%). The ratings focus on specific symptoms like vomiting frequency, bowel movement patterns, and whether you need special diets or medications to function normally.
Rating levels
- 80% — You must need either total parenteral nutrition (IV feeding that bypasses your digestive system entirely) or tube feeding continuously for more than 30 days straight within the past six months. This means your digestive system complications from surgery are so severe that you cannot get adequate nutrition by eating food normally, requiring medical feeding methods to survive.
- 50% — To qualify for this rating level, you need to have any one of these three ongoing problems from your upper stomach surgery: throwing up every day even when you change your diet or take medicine for it, having six or more watery bowel movements daily or sudden explosive bowel movements you can't predict or control, or getting dizzy and sweaty after eating (called dumping syndrome or delayed stomach emptying) that requires special medications to treat these surgery complications.
- 30% — You qualify for this rating if you have ongoing problems from upper stomach surgery and experience at least two of these three issues: throwing up two or more times every week (even with medical treatment), stomach pain or discomfort within an hour after eating that requires you to permanently change what or how you eat, or having three to five watery, loose bowel movements every single day.
- 10% — You qualify for this rating if you have ongoing nausea (feeling sick to your stomach) or vomiting after having surgery on your upper digestive tract, and you need regular medical treatment to manage these symptoms. The nausea or vomiting must be persistent enough that your doctor has prescribed medication or other treatments to control it.
- 0% — You've had surgery on your upper digestive system (stomach, esophagus, or small intestine) and are now in a post-operative recovery status, but you're not experiencing any ongoing symptoms or problems from the surgery. This means you have no pain, digestive issues, or other complications that are affecting your daily life or ability to function normally.