Body system: Neurological Conditions and Convulsive DisordersRegulation: 38 CFR § 4.124aDBQ: DBQ NEURO Central Nervous System and Neuromuscular Diseases
DC 8007 covers brain vessel embolism, a stroke caused when a clot or other material lodges in a brain artery and blocks blood flow. Per 38 CFR § 4.124a, the rating ladder under DCs 8007 through 8009 is: 100% for 6 months following the vascular event (active recovery), then 10% minimum thereafter rated on residuals. After the 6-month window, the rating shifts to whichever residual neurological deficits (motor, sensory, cognitive, speech, cranial-nerve, or peripheral-nerve impairment) are present, rated under their own diagnostic codes with the 10% minimum from DC 8007 preserved as a floor.
Rating levels
- 100% — For the first 6 months following the vascular event (brain, vessels, embolism of), the rating is 100%. This 6-month window covers acute recovery: hospitalization, post-stroke rehab, and the period during which residuals have not yet stabilized. The 100% runs from the date of the event, not from the date of claim.
- 10% — After the 6-month 100% window ends, the rating shifts to whatever residual neurological deficits remain (motor weakness or hemiplegia, sensory loss, cognitive impairment, aphasia or other speech deficit, cranial-nerve damage, peripheral-nerve damage), rated under their own diagnostic codes per 38 CFR § 4.124a. Under the note to DCs 8000 to 8025, the 10% minimum requires ascertainable residuals; it is not automatic for life. Residuals that cannot be measured, such as headaches, dizziness or fatigue, still count when they are consistent with the stroke and not more likely due to something else. If residuals rate higher than 10% on their own, the higher rating applies.