38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.104

Coronary bypass surgery — VA Diagnostic Code 7017

Cardiovascular

Diagnostic code

7017

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38 CFR § 4.104 lists Diagnostic Code 7017 as “Coronary bypass surgery:”. The title ends with a colon. The 100 percent line is “For three months following hospital admission for surgery”. That cell does not end with a period. The next line is “Thereafter, use the General Rating Formula.” That line ends with a period, and its rating cell is empty. DC 7017 does not print a mandatory-examination note. [DC 7016](/conditions/diagnostic-codes/dc-7016-heart-valve-replacement) prints one six months following discharge from inpatient hospitalization. The DC 7016 100 percent line is an indefinite period following the date of hospital admission for valve replacement.

Reviewed 2026-10-05. Text checked against the eCFR versioner full-text XML for 2026-10-01 on 2026-10-05. Title 38 was up to date as of 2026-10-01 and last amended on 2026-08-27. Section 4.104 was last amended at 86 FR 62095, Nov. 9, 2021. Section 4.100 was amended at 86 FR 67654, Nov. 29, 2021.

The rating criteria at each level

7017 Coronary bypass surgery

Rating %: 100

Criteria (verbatim). For three months following hospital admission for surgery

Rating %: —

Criteria (verbatim). Thereafter, use the General Rating Formula.

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
100	For three months following hospital admission for surgery
—	Thereafter, use the General Rating Formula.

General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart — where the thereafter line directs it

Rating %: 100

Criteria (verbatim). Workload of 3.0 METs or less results in heart failure symptoms

Rating %: 60

Criteria (verbatim). Workload of 3.1-5.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms

Rating %: 30

Criteria (verbatim). Workload of 5.1-7.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms; or evidence of cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation confirmed by echocardiogram or equivalent (e.g., multigated acquisition scan or magnetic resonance imaging)

Rating %: 10

Criteria (verbatim). Workload of 7.1-10.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms; or continuous medication required for control

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
100	Workload of 3.0 METs or less results in heart failure symptoms
60	Workload of 3.1-5.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms
30	Workload of 5.1-7.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms; or evidence of cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation confirmed by echocardiogram or equivalent (e.g., multigated acquisition scan or magnetic resonance imaging)
10	Workload of 7.1-10.0 METs results in heart failure symptoms; or continuous medication required for control

The Diseases of the Heart caption carries this headnote: “[Unless otherwise directed, use this general rating formula to evaluate diseases of the heart.]” The brackets are in the headnote.

Note (1): Evaluate cor pulmonale, which is a form of secondary heart disease, as part of the pulmonary condition that causes it.

Note (2): One MET (metabolic equivalent) is the energy cost of standing quietly at rest and represents an oxygen uptake of 3.5 milliliters per kilogram of body weight per minute. When the level of METs at which breathlessness, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope develops is required for evaluation, and a laboratory determination of METs by exercise testing cannot be done for medical reasons, a medical examiner may estimate the level of activity (expressed in METs and supported by specific examples, such as slow stair climbing or shoveling snow) that results in those symptoms.

Note (3): For this general formula, heart failure symptoms include, but are not limited to, breathlessness, fatigue, angina, dizziness, arrhythmia, palpitations, or syncope.

38 CFR § 4.31 says that in every instance where the schedule does not provide a zero percent evaluation for a diagnostic code, a zero percent evaluation shall be assigned when the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met. The general formula’s lowest printed line is 10. The DC 7017 100 percent line is three months following hospital admission for surgery. 38 CFR § 4.7 assigns the higher rating when the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating. Otherwise, the lower rating will be assigned. 38 CFR § 4.6 requires each element affecting the evidence to be studied so that decisions will be equitable and just.

38 CFR § 4.100 says whether or not cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation (documented by electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, or X-ray) is present and whether or not there is a need for continuous medication must be ascertained in all cases. Paragraph (b) says that even if the requirement for a 10% (based on the need for continuous medication) or 30% (based on the presence of cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation) evaluation is met, METs testing is required in all cases except: “(1) When there is a medical contraindication. (2) When a 100% evaluation can be assigned on another basis.”

The three months run following hospital admission for surgery. The cell does not say “following hospital discharge.” DC 7006 is three months following the myocardial infarction, confirmed by laboratory tests. That sentence is on DC 7006.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.104, Diagnostic Code 7017 and the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.

What the words mean in your records

Admission, not discharge

The 100 percent line starts from hospital admission for surgery and runs for three months. It does not print a discharge date.

Thereafter is the formula

The next line says to use the General Rating Formula. The formula lines are 100, 60, 30, and 10. DC 7017 does not print a minimum rating of its own.

Evidence that speaks to each level

100 for three months

What the rater needs to see. Hospital admission for coronary bypass surgery, for three months following that admission.

Where that usually lives. The admission date in the hospital record.

Thereafter

What the rater needs to see. The general formula: METs, or cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation, or continuous medication required for control.

Where that usually lives. The heart examination after that three-month period. Section 4.100 applies to the formula.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
100 for three months	Hospital admission for coronary bypass surgery, for three months following that admission.	The admission date in the hospital record.
Thereafter	The general formula: METs, or cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation, or continuous medication required for control.	The heart examination after that three-month period. Section 4.100 applies to the formula.

VA’s public DBQ list, checked October 5, 2026, names “Heart Conditions” under Cardiovascular. The file linked from that list is Heart Conditions.

The exam form

DC 7017 prints a three-month 100 percent line measured from hospital admission, and a thereafter sentence. This page does not say the form replaces either sentence.

Related codes and how they interact

Valve replacement is a different timing sentence.

DC 7016 is 100 percent for an indefinite period following the date of hospital admission for valve replacement. Its note requires a mandatory VA examination six months following discharge from inpatient hospitalization, using the General Rating Formula, and it applies § 3.105(e) to a change in evaluation. DC 7017 does not print that note.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

Section 3.309(e) includes “coronary bypass surgery” inside the ischemic-heart-disease parenthetical, together with acute, subacute, and old myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, and stable, unstable and Prinzmetal's angina. The research row for ischemic heart disease points at DC 7005. This page does not move that row to DC 7017. Note 2 of § 3.309(e) limits what the term ischemic heart disease includes.

A separate question, when a presumption does not decide it, is a medical question on the facts under 38 CFR § 3.310. Paragraph (a) covers disability proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disease or injury. Paragraph (b) covers increase in severity and requires a medical baseline.

Short answers

How does VA rate coronary bypass surgery under DC 7017?

Under 38 CFR § 4.104, coronary bypass surgery is 100 percent for three months following hospital admission for surgery. Thereafter the evaluation uses the General Rating Formula for Diseases of the Heart. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Is coronary bypass surgery named in section 3.309?

Yes, inside the ischemic-heart-disease parenthetical of § 3.309(e). That sentence does not print DC 7017. The research row for ischemic heart disease points at DC 7005.

FAQ

What does DC 7017 print for coronary bypass surgery?

100 percent for three months following hospital admission for surgery. Thereafter, use the General Rating Formula. Education only.

Does the three months start at discharge?

The printed line says “following hospital admission for surgery.” It does not say following discharge.

What are the percentages after those three months?

The general formula: 100, 60, 30, and 10, by METs that result in heart failure symptoms, with hypertrophy or dilatation on the 30 percent line and continuous medication on the 10 percent line.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 7017, the hospital admission date, and whether the evaluation has moved to the general formula.
The free worksheet is a place to write the code, the findings, and the records you already have. It does not file a claim or protect a filing date. An accredited representative is at find a VSO.
Other cardiovascular codes are on the cardiovascular diagnostic-code index. The category page is cardiovascular conditions.

Education only. Not legal or medical advice. My Claim Packet is not a VA-accredited representative and does not file claims. VA decides every claim on its own evidence.

Other codes in this body system

Nearby catalog entries in Cardiovascular, ordered by diagnostic code number. All Cardiovascular codes

Also: DC code lookup (tools) lists the same index in a compact layout.

Source: 38 CFR Part 4, Diagnostic Code 7017 • va.gov

⚠️ Important Disclaimer

This page provides general educational information based on public VA regulations and VA.gov resources. It is not legal or medical advice, and My Claim Packet is not a VA-accredited representative. Any worksheets or draft documents produced by the tools must be reviewed for accuracy and are not filed with VA for you. Ratings and service connection are decided case-by-case from the individual record. Consult a VA-accredited VSO, claims agent, attorney, or qualified clinician for help with your situation, and verify current rules using the linked official source.