38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.115b

Cystitis, chronic, includes interstitial and all etiologies, infectious and non-infectious — VA Diagnostic Code 7512

Genitourinary

Diagnostic code

7512

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38 CFR § 4.115b lists Diagnostic Code 7512 as “Cystitis, chronic, includes interstitial and all etiologies, infectious and non-infectious:”. The title ends with a colon. The next cell says: “Rate as voiding dysfunction.” That cell ends with a period. The code does not print a percentage of its own. Appendix B to Part 4 indexes “Cystitis, chronic.” and drops the words after “chronic.”

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. The § 4.115b source note prints 59 FR 2527, Jan. 18, 1994; 59 FR 14567, Mar. 29, 1994, as amended at 59 FR 46339, Sept. 8, 1994; 86 FR 54086, Sept. 30, 2021. The § 4.115a source note prints 59 FR 2527, Jan. 18, 1994; 59 FR 10676, Mar. 7, 1994; 86 FR 54085, Sept. 30, 2021.

The rating criteria at each level

7512 Cystitis, chronic — the cell this code prints

Rating %: —

Criteria (verbatim). Rate as voiding dysfunction.

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
—	Rate as voiding dysfunction.

Continual urine leakage, post surgical urinary diversion, urinary incontinence, or stress incontinence — § 4.115a

Rating %: 60

Criteria (verbatim). Requiring the use of an appliance or the wearing of absorbent materials which must be changed more than 4 times per day

Rating %: 40

Criteria (verbatim). Requiring the wearing of absorbent materials which must be changed 2 to 4 times per day

Rating %: 20

Criteria (verbatim). Requiring the wearing of absorbent materials which must be changed less than 2 times per day

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
60	Requiring the use of an appliance or the wearing of absorbent materials which must be changed more than 4 times per day
40	Requiring the wearing of absorbent materials which must be changed 2 to 4 times per day
20	Requiring the wearing of absorbent materials which must be changed less than 2 times per day

Urinary frequency — § 4.115a

Rating %: 40

Criteria (verbatim). Daytime voiding interval less than one hour, or; awakening to void five or more times per night

Rating %: 20

Criteria (verbatim). Daytime voiding interval between one and two hours, or; awakening to void three to four times per night

Rating %: 10

Criteria (verbatim). Daytime voiding interval between two and three hours, or; awakening to void two times per night

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
40	Daytime voiding interval less than one hour, or; awakening to void five or more times per night
20	Daytime voiding interval between one and two hours, or; awakening to void three to four times per night
10	Daytime voiding interval between two and three hours, or; awakening to void two times per night

Obstructed voiding — § 4.115a

Rating %: 30

Criteria (verbatim). Urinary retention requiring intermittent or continuous catheterization

Rating %: 10

Criteria (verbatim). Marked obstructive symptomatology (hesitancy, slow or weak stream, decreased force of stream) with any one or combination of the following: 1. Post void residuals greater than 150 cc. 2. Uroflowmetry; markedly diminished peak flow rate (less than 10 cc/sec). 3. Recurrent urinary tract infections secondary to obstruction. 4. Stricture disease requiring periodic dilatation every 2 to 3 months

Rating %: 0

Criteria (verbatim). Obstructive symptomatology with or without stricture disease requiring dilatation 1 to 2 times per year

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
30	Urinary retention requiring intermittent or continuous catheterization
10	Marked obstructive symptomatology (hesitancy, slow or weak stream, decreased force of stream) with any one or combination of the following: 1. Post void residuals greater than 150 cc. 2. Uroflowmetry; markedly diminished peak flow rate (less than 10 cc/sec). 3. Recurrent urinary tract infections secondary to obstruction. 4. Stricture disease requiring periodic dilatation every 2 to 3 months
0	Obstructive symptomatology with or without stricture disease requiring dilatation 1 to 2 times per year

Voiding dysfunction: Rate particular condition as urine leakage, frequency, or obstructed voiding

That voiding-dysfunction sentence does not end with a period. The DC 7512 cell does.

The 10 percent obstructed-voiding number is printed on the row that begins “4. Stricture disease requiring periodic dilatation every 2 to 3 months.” The marked-symptomatology sentence and items 1 through 3 are the rows above that number.

DC 7515 says “Rate as voiding dysfunction” and does not print the period that DC 7512 prints.

38 CFR § 4.115a says: “Where diagnostic codes refer the decision maker to these specific areas of dysfunction, only the predominant area of dysfunction shall be considered for rating purposes.” The percentages above are the voiding-dysfunction lines. DC 7512 does not name urinary tract infection. The urinary-tract-infection block, including “Poor renal function: Rate as renal dysfunction,” is not the DC 7512 cell. 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.

DC 7515 is calculus in the bladder, with symptoms interfering with function, and it says “Rate as voiding dysfunction” without a period. DC 7542 is neurogenic bladder and adds “or urinary tract infection, whichever is predominant.” DC 7527 uses that same longer sentence. Those words are not on DC 7512.

The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “cystitis.” Paragraph (f) lists “Bladder cancer.” for Camp Lejeune. The chronic-disease list includes “Calculi of the kidney, bladder, or gallbladder.” Neither sentence assigns DC 7512.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.115b, Diagnostic Code 7512, and 38 CFR § 4.115a, voiding dysfunction, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.

What the words mean in your records

The long title is the rating title

The schedule title includes interstitial cystitis and all etiologies, infectious and non-infectious. Appendix B stops at “Cystitis, chronic.”

One area, not two

The cell names voiding dysfunction only. It does not say “whichever is predominant,” because it does not name a second area.

Three ways to rate voiding dysfunction

Section 4.115a says to rate the particular condition as urine leakage, frequency, or obstructed voiding. Those are the three blocks under that heading.

Evidence that speaks to each level

The DC 7512 cell

What the rater needs to see. The diagnosis the long title names, rated as voiding dysfunction.

Where that usually lives. The urology diagnosis, including interstitial cystitis if that is the record.

Leakage, frequency, or obstructed voiding

What the rater needs to see. The line inside the one voiding area the schedule uses for the particular condition.

Where that usually lives. The voiding record, absorbent-material or appliance use, daytime and nighttime frequency, or the catheterization and obstruction findings the lines name.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
The DC 7512 cell	The diagnosis the long title names, rated as voiding dysfunction.	The urology diagnosis, including interstitial cystitis if that is the record.
Leakage, frequency, or obstructed voiding	The line inside the one voiding area the schedule uses for the particular condition.	The voiding record, absorbent-material or appliance use, daytime and nighttime frequency, or the catheterization and obstruction findings the lines name.

VA’s public DBQ list, checked October 5, 2026, names “Urinary Tract Conditions” under Genitourinary. The file is Urinary Tract Conditions.

The exam form

DC 7512 prints one sentence and no percentage of its own. This page does not say the form replaces that sentence.

Related codes and how they interact

The period is on this cell.

DC 7512 ends “Rate as voiding dysfunction.” DC 7515 uses the same words and does not print that period. DC 7542 and DC 7527 add urinary tract infection.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

Section 3.309 does not contain “cystitis,” and it does not assign DC 7512. Bladder cancer and calculi of the bladder are different sentences.

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

What is the VA rating for chronic cystitis?

Under 38 CFR § 4.115b, Diagnostic Code 7512 says to rate chronic cystitis, including interstitial and all etiologies, infectious and non-infectious, as voiding dysfunction. The leakage, frequency, and obstructed-voiding percentages are in § 4.115a. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Is cystitis the bladder-cancer presumptive?

Section 3.309(f) lists “Bladder cancer.” for Camp Lejeune. The 2026-10-01 text does not contain “cystitis,” and it does not assign DC 7512.

FAQ

How does VA rate chronic cystitis under DC 7512?

The cell says “Rate as voiding dysfunction.” Section 4.115a then rates that area as urine leakage, frequency, or obstructed voiding. DC 7512 does not print its own percentage. Education only.

Does the title include interstitial cystitis?

Yes. The rating-table title is “Cystitis, chronic, includes interstitial and all etiologies, infectious and non-infectious:”. Appendix B says “Cystitis, chronic.”

Is urinary tract infection part of this cell?

No. The DC 7512 cell does not name it. Codes such as DC 7542 and DC 7527 do.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 7512 and which voiding-dysfunction block it used.
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 genitourinary codes are on the genitourinary diagnostic-code index. The category page is genitourinary 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 Genitourinary, ordered by diagnostic code number. All Genitourinary codes

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

Source: 38 CFR Part 4, Diagnostic Code 7512 • va.gov

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