38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.104

Cardiac transplantation — VA Diagnostic Code 7019

Cardiovascular

Diagnostic code

7019

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38 CFR § 4.114 is the digestive schedule. Cardiac transplantation is in 38 CFR § 4.104. Diagnostic Code 7019 is “Cardiac transplantation:”. The 100 percent line is “For a minimum of one year from the date of hospital admission for cardiac transplantation”. That cell does not end with a period. The next heading is “Thereafter:”. Under it, one line is “Evaluate under the General Rating Formula.” and the next line is “Minimum,” rated 30. The Note measures the mandatory examination from discharge, not from admission.

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

7019 Cardiac transplantation

Rating %: 100

Criteria (verbatim). For a minimum of one year from the date of hospital admission for cardiac transplantation

Rating %: —

Criteria (verbatim). Thereafter: Evaluate under the General Rating Formula.

Rating %: 30

Criteria (verbatim). Minimum

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
100	For a minimum of one year from the date of hospital admission for cardiac transplantation
—	Thereafter: Evaluate under the General Rating Formula.
30	Minimum

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.

Note: One year following discharge from inpatient hospitalization, determine the appropriate disability rating by mandatory VA examination. Apply the provisions of § 3.105(e) of this chapter to any change in evaluation based upon that or any subsequent examination.

The 100 percent line is a minimum of one year from the date of hospital admission. The Note’s examination is one year following discharge from inpatient hospitalization. Those are two dates. 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 thereafter block prints a minimum of 30. The general formula’s lowest printed line is 10. 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.”

A change based on that examination, or a later one, follows § 3.105(e). DC 7351 is liver transplant. Its timing sentences are in § 4.114. They are not DC 7019.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.104, Diagnostic Code 7019 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 for the 100 percent, discharge for the exam

The 100 percent line runs for a minimum of one year from the date of hospital admission for cardiac transplantation. The Note sets the mandatory VA examination one year following discharge from inpatient hospitalization.

Minimum 30 thereafter

Under “Thereafter:”, the schedule says to evaluate under the General Rating Formula, and it prints “Minimum” at 30. The formula itself still prints a 10 percent line.

Evidence that speaks to each level

100

What the rater needs to see. Cardiac transplantation, for a minimum of one year from the date of hospital admission for that surgery.

Where that usually lives. The admission date.

Thereafter, minimum 30

What the rater needs to see. The general formula, with the minimum of 30 printed under the thereafter heading, after the examination the Note requires.

Where that usually lives. The discharge date, the examination one year following discharge, and the METs or medication findings.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
100	Cardiac transplantation, for a minimum of one year from the date of hospital admission for that surgery.	The admission date.
Thereafter, minimum 30	The general formula, with the minimum of 30 printed under the thereafter heading, after the examination the Note requires.	The discharge date, the examination one year following discharge, and the METs or medication findings.

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 7019 prints the one-year minimum from admission, the thereafter formula, the minimum of 30, and the examination note measured from discharge. This page does not say the form replaces those lines.

Related codes and how they interact

A pacemaker is a shorter 100 percent.

DC 7018 is 100 percent for one month following hospital discharge for implantation or re-implantation, then DC 7010, DC 7011, or DC 7015, with a minimum of 10. That month is not the DC 7019 year.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “transplantation.” Ischemic heart disease in paragraph (e) names myocardial infarction and coronary bypass surgery. It does not name cardiac transplantation. This page does not add DC 7019 to that parenthetical.

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 cardiac transplantation under DC 7019?

Under 38 CFR § 4.104, cardiac transplantation is 100 percent for a minimum of one year from the date of hospital admission. Thereafter it is evaluated under the General Rating Formula, with a minimum of 30. A mandatory VA examination is set one year following discharge. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Is a heart transplant the same code as a liver transplant?

No. DC 7019 is cardiac transplantation in § 4.104. DC 7351 is liver transplant in § 4.114. Each code prints its own timing sentences.

FAQ

What does DC 7019 print for cardiac transplantation?

100 percent for a minimum of one year from the date of hospital admission for cardiac transplantation. Thereafter, evaluate under the General Rating Formula, with a minimum of 30. Education only.

Which date starts the examination?

The Note says one year following discharge from inpatient hospitalization. The 100 percent line is measured from hospital admission. The schedule prints both dates.

Does the minimum of 30 replace the formula’s 10 percent line?

The formula still prints 10. The thereafter block of DC 7019 also prints “Minimum” at 30. Both lines are in § 4.104.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 7019, the admission date, the discharge date, and whether the evaluation is still in the one-year period.
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 7019 • 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.