Body system: Digestive SystemRegulation: 38 CFR § 4.114
This rating covers veterans who have had part of their small intestine surgically removed (resection), often due to injury, disease, or complications from military service. The VA rates this condition from 0% to 80% based on how severely it affects your ability to absorb nutrients and maintain your health. Higher ratings go to veterans who need intravenous nutrition (TPN) or have severe diarrhea, malnutrition, and anemia that require constant medical management.
Rating levels
- 80% — You qualify for this rating if you've had part of your small intestine surgically removed and, as a result, you're malnourished (undernutrition) and have low red blood cell counts (anemia). You must also need to receive all your nutrition through an IV line directly into your bloodstream (total parenteral nutrition or TPN) because your digestive system can't properly absorb nutrients from food.
- 60% — You've had part of your small intestine surgically removed, and as a result you're malnourished and have anemia (low red blood cell count). Because of these ongoing problems, you need to take prescribed nutritional supplements by mouth, take medications continuously, and sometimes receive nutrition directly into your bloodstream through an IV (total parenteral nutrition or TPN) when your digestive system can't handle regular food.
- 40% — You've had surgery to remove part of your small intestine, and as a result you're having four or more episodes of diarrhea every day. This frequent diarrhea is causing you to become malnourished (not getting enough nutrients from food) and anemic (low red blood cell count), so you need to take prescribed nutritional supplements by mouth and stay on continuous medication to manage your condition.
- 20% — You qualify for this rating if you've had part of your small intestine surgically removed and you experience four or more episodes of diarrhea every day. The intestinal resection (surgical removal of a portion of the small intestine) must have resulted in ongoing digestive problems that cause frequent, loose bowel movements throughout each day.
- 0% — You had surgery to remove part of your small intestine, but you're not experiencing any symptoms or problems related to that surgery now. This means your digestive system is working normally despite having had the intestinal resection (surgical removal of a section of intestine), and you don't have ongoing issues like pain, diarrhea, weight loss, or digestive problems from the procedure.