38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.115b

Chronic renal disease requiring regular dialysis — VA Diagnostic Code 7530

Genitourinary

Diagnostic code

7530

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38 CFR § 4.115b lists Diagnostic Code 7530 as “Chronic renal disease requiring regular dialysis.” The only instruction on that row is “Rate as renal dysfunction.” The rating column is blank. Appendix B to Part 4 indexes the code as “Renal disease, chronic.” The percentage lines are in § 4.115a, under Renal dysfunction.

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

7530 Chronic renal disease requiring regular dialysis — the row this code prints

Rating %: —

Criteria (verbatim). Rate as renal dysfunction.

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

Renal dysfunction — § 4.115a, the area the DC 7530 row names

Rating %: 100

Criteria (verbatim). Chronic kidney disease with glomerular filtration rate (GFR) less than 15 mL/min/1.73 m² for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months; or requiring regular routine dialysis; or eligible kidney transplant recipient

Rating %: 80

Criteria (verbatim). Chronic kidney disease with GFR from 15 to 29 mL/min/1.73 m² for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months

Rating %: 60

Criteria (verbatim). Chronic kidney disease with GFR from 30 to 44 mL/min/1.73 m² for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months

Rating %: 30

Criteria (verbatim). Chronic kidney disease with GFR from 45 to 59 mL/min/1.73 m² for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months

Rating %: 0

Criteria (verbatim). GFR from 60 to 89 mL/min/1.73 m² and either recurrent red blood cell (RBC) casts, white blood cell (WBC) casts, or granular casts for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months; or GFR from 60 to 89 mL/min/1.73 m² and structural kidney abnormalities (cystic, obstructive, or glomerular) for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months; or GFR from 60 to 89 mL/min/1.73 m² and albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) ≥30 mg/g for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
100	Chronic kidney disease with glomerular filtration rate (GFR) less than 15 mL/min/1.73 m² for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months; or requiring regular routine dialysis; or eligible kidney transplant recipient
80	Chronic kidney disease with GFR from 15 to 29 mL/min/1.73 m² for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months
60	Chronic kidney disease with GFR from 30 to 44 mL/min/1.73 m² for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months
30	Chronic kidney disease with GFR from 45 to 59 mL/min/1.73 m² for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months
0	GFR from 60 to 89 mL/min/1.73 m² and either recurrent red blood cell (RBC) casts, white blood cell (WBC) casts, or granular casts for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months; or GFR from 60 to 89 mL/min/1.73 m² and structural kidney abnormalities (cystic, obstructive, or glomerular) for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months; or GFR from 60 to 89 mL/min/1.73 m² and albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) ≥30 mg/g for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months

Note: GFR, estimated GFR (eGFR), and creatinine-based approximations of GFR will be accepted for evaluation purposes under this section when determined to be appropriate and calculated by a medical professional.

The DC 7530 rating column is blank. The 100, 80, 60, 30, and 0 lines are the § 4.115a renal-dysfunction cells. The 2 in m² is a superscript in the regulation.

The code title says “requiring regular dialysis.” The 100 percent renal line says “requiring regular routine dialysis,” and it also names GFR less than 15 mL/min/1.73 m² and an eligible kidney transplant recipient. Those are the words on that line.

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.” DC 7530 names renal dysfunction. The same paragraph also says distinct disabilities may be evaluated separately under that section, pursuant to § 4.14, if the symptoms do not overlap. 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 7531 is kidney transplant. Following transplant surgery it is 100, and thereafter it says to rate on residuals as renal dysfunction, minimum rating 30. That minimum is a DC 7531 sentence. It is not a line of DC 7530. DC 7528 uses renal dysfunction for specified residuals of a malignant neoplasm. It is a different code.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.115b, Diagnostic Code 7530, and 38 CFR § 4.115a, renal dysfunction, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.

What the words mean in your records

Rate as renal dysfunction

Those are the only words in the DC 7530 criteria cell. The percentages live under the § 4.115a heading “Renal dysfunction.”

Regular dialysis and regular routine dialysis

The DC 7530 title says “requiring regular dialysis.” The 100 percent renal-dysfunction line says “requiring regular routine dialysis,” along with the GFR and transplant-recipient clauses. This page does not treat the shorter title as deleting the other clauses on that line.

Cardiovascular-renal disease

38 CFR § 3.309(a) says “Cardiovascular-renal disease, including hypertension.” The parenthetical says this term applies to combination involvement of the type of arteriosclerosis, nephritis, and organic heart disease. That row has no diagnostic code. The schedule title at DC 7530 is not that name. Hypertension has its own public page, hypertensive vascular disease.

Evidence that speaks to each level

The DC 7530 row

What the rater needs to see. A diagnosis placed on this code, and then the renal-dysfunction line that matches the findings.

Where that usually lives. The nephrology record and the GFR, dialysis, or transplant-eligibility finding the line names.

100 through 0 under renal dysfunction

What the rater needs to see. The GFR range for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months, regular routine dialysis, eligible transplant status, or the casts, structural abnormalities, or ACR the 0 percent line names.

Where that usually lives. Laboratory results calculated by a medical professional, as the renal note states.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
The DC 7530 row	A diagnosis placed on this code, and then the renal-dysfunction line that matches the findings.	The nephrology record and the GFR, dialysis, or transplant-eligibility finding the line names.
100 through 0 under renal dysfunction	The GFR range for at least 3 consecutive months during the past 12 months, regular routine dialysis, eligible transplant status, or the casts, structural abnormalities, or ACR the 0 percent line names.	Laboratory results calculated by a medical professional, as the renal note states.

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

The exam form

DC 7530 says to rate as renal dysfunction. This page does not say the form replaces the § 4.115a lines.

Related codes and how they interact

Kidney transplant is DC 7531.

The public page is not written yet. The schedule sentence is the one quoted above: a minimum rating of 30 after the post-transplant 100 percent. That minimum is not printed on DC 7530.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

Section 3.309(a) names cardiovascular-renal disease, including hypertension, as a chronic-disease group. It does not name “Chronic renal disease requiring regular dialysis,” and it does not assign DC 7530.

Short answers

What is the VA rating for chronic renal disease?

Under 38 CFR § 4.115b, Diagnostic Code 7530 says to rate chronic renal disease requiring regular dialysis as renal dysfunction under § 4.115a. Those lines are 100, 80, 60, 30, and 0 percent. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Does the DC 7531 minimum of 30 percent apply to DC 7530?

That minimum is in the DC 7531 sentence about residuals after kidney transplant. It is not printed on DC 7530.

FAQ

How does VA rate chronic renal disease under DC 7530?

The code says to rate as renal dysfunction. Those § 4.115a lines are 100, 80, 60, 30, and 0 percent, using GFR, regular routine dialysis, or eligible kidney transplant recipient at 100, and the cast, structure, or albumin/creatinine findings at 0. Education only.

Does the title mean only veterans on dialysis use this code?

The title includes “requiring regular dialysis.” The instruction is to rate as renal dysfunction, and that formula also prints GFR ranges and an eligible-transplant clause. The dialysis words in the title and the dialysis words on the 100 percent line are not identical.

Is this the cardiovascular-renal presumption?

Section 3.309(a) uses “Cardiovascular-renal disease, including hypertension,” and describes combination involvement of arteriosclerosis, nephritis, and organic heart disease. It does not assign DC 7530.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 7530 and which renal-dysfunction line was 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.

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 7530 • 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.