38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.117

Hodgkin's lymphoma — VA Diagnostic Code 7709

Hematologic / lymphatic

Diagnostic code

7709

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38 CFR § 4.117 lists Diagnostic Code 7709 as “Hodgkin's lymphoma.” The percentage line is 100 percent: “With active disease or during a treatment phase.” The note continues that evaluation beyond the end of treatment and sets a mandatory VA examination six months after treatment is discontinued. Sections 3.309(a) and 3.309(e) say “Hodgkin's disease,” not “Hodgkin's lymphoma.”

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 § 4.117 source note prints 60 FR 49227, Sept. 22, 1995, as amended at 77 FR 6467, Feb. 8, 2012; 79 FR 2100, Jan. 13, 2014; 83 FR 54254, Oct. 29, 2018; 83 FR 54881, Nov. 1, 2018; 87 FR 61248, Oct. 11, 2022.

The rating criteria at each level

Hodgkin's lymphoma — DC 7709

Rating %: 100

Criteria (verbatim). With active disease or during a treatment phase

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
100	With active disease or during a treatment phase

Note: A 100 percent evaluation shall continue beyond the cessation of any surgical therapy, radiation therapy, antineoplastic chemotherapy, or other therapeutic procedures. Six months after discontinuance of such treatment, the appropriate disability rating shall be determined by mandatory VA examination. Any reduction in evaluation based upon that or any subsequent examination shall be subject to the provisions of § 3.105(e) of this chapter. If there has been no local recurrence or metastasis, rate on residuals under the appropriate diagnostic code(s)

DC 7709 does not print a 0 percent line. 38 CFR § 4.31 says: “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.”

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.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.117, Diagnostic Code 7709, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.

What the words mean in your records

Active disease or a treatment phase

Those are the only words on the percentage line. The schedule does not print 10, 30, 60, or another percentage under DC 7709.

Six months after discontinuance

The note continues the 100 percent beyond cessation of surgical therapy, radiation, antineoplastic chemotherapy, or other therapeutic procedures. Six months after discontinuance, a mandatory VA examination determines the rating. A reduction is subject to § 3.105(e). DC 7715 uses two years, not six months.

Local recurrence or metastasis

If there has been no local recurrence or metastasis, the note says to rate on residuals under the appropriate diagnostic code or codes. The DC 7715 note says “if there has been no recurrence,” without the words “local recurrence or metastasis.”

Hodgkin's disease and Hodgkin's lymphoma

The schedule title is “Hodgkin's lymphoma.” 38 CFR § 3.309(a) and § 3.309(e) each list “Hodgkin's disease.” 38 CFR § 3.309(d)(2)(x) says “Lymphomas (except Hodgkin's disease).” That paragraph excludes Hodgkin's disease. It does not list it.

Evidence that speaks to each level

100 — active disease or treatment

What the rater needs to see. A diagnosis the schedule titles “Hodgkin's lymphoma,” and active disease or a treatment phase. Treatment dates set the six-month examination.

Where that usually lives. Pathology or the diagnosis report, and the start and end of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or another therapeutic procedure.

Six months after treatment stops

What the rater needs to see. The discontinuance date, the mandatory examination, and whether there has been local recurrence or metastasis. If there has not, the residuals and the code that rates them.

Where that usually lives. The treatment summary and the later examination.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
100 — active disease or treatment	A diagnosis the schedule titles “Hodgkin's lymphoma,” and active disease or a treatment phase. Treatment dates set the six-month examination.	Pathology or the diagnosis report, and the start and end of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or another therapeutic procedure.
Six months after treatment stops	The discontinuance date, the mandatory examination, and whether there has been local recurrence or metastasis. If there has not, the residuals and the code that rates them.	The treatment summary and the later examination.

VA’s public DBQ list, checked October 5, 2026, names “Hematologic and Lymphatic Conditions, Including Leukemia.” The file is Hematologic and Lymphatic Conditions, Including Leukemia.

The exam form

The schedule text is the 100 percent line and the six-month note. This page does not say the form replaces that text.

Related codes and how they interact

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma uses a different note

DC 7715 adds “indolent and non-contiguous phase of low grade NHL” to its 100 percent line and sets the examination at two years. Section 3.309(e) lists the two names separately.

38 CFR § 4.14 says the evaluation of the same disability under various diagnoses is to be avoided.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

38 CFR § 3.309(a) lists “Hodgkin's disease” among the chronic diseases. 38 CFR § 3.307(a)(3) says the disease must have become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more within 1 year from the date of separation, except for the longer periods that sentence names for Hansen's disease, tuberculosis, and multiple sclerosis. Hodgkin's disease is not one of those three exceptions.

38 CFR § 3.309(e) lists “Hodgkin's disease” for herbicide exposure when § 3.307(a)(6) is met, subject to § 3.307(d). Paragraph (a)(6)(ii) requires manifestation to a degree of 10 percent or more at any time after service, except for chloracne or other acneform disease consistent with chloracne, porphyria cutanea tarda, and early-onset peripheral neuropathy. Hodgkin's disease is not one of those three.

38 U.S.C. § 1116(a)(2)(D), read on the Legal Information Institute page on 2026-10-05, names “Hodgkin’s disease becoming manifest to a degree of disability of 10 percent or more.”

Section 3.309(f) does not name Hodgkin's disease or Hodgkin's lymphoma. Section 3.309(d)(2)(x) excepts Hodgkin's disease from “Lymphomas.” 38 U.S.C. § 1120(b)(2)(F) says “Lymphoma cancer of any type” and does not assign DC 7709. 38 CFR § 3.320 does not name this condition. 38 CFR § 3.316 does not name it. 38 CFR § 3.320a does not name it.

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 DC 7709?

Under 38 CFR § 4.117, Hodgkin's lymphoma is 100 percent with active disease or during a treatment phase. The note sets a VA examination six months after treatment stops. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Where does the name Hodgkin's disease appear?

38 CFR § 3.309(a) and § 3.309(e) list Hodgkin's disease. 38 U.S.C. § 1116(a)(2)(D) names Hodgkin's disease. The schedule title at DC 7709 is Hodgkin's lymphoma. Section 3.309(f) does not name it, and § 3.309(d)(2)(x) excepts it.

FAQ

How does VA rate Hodgkin's lymphoma under DC 7709?

The percentage line is 100 percent with active disease or during a treatment phase. The note continues that evaluation past the end of treatment. Six months after treatment stops, a mandatory VA examination sets the rating. If there has been no local recurrence or metastasis, VA rates residuals. Education only.

Why do some lists say Hodgkin's disease?

The schedule title is “Hodgkin's lymphoma.” Sections 3.309(a) and 3.309(e), and 38 U.S.C. § 1116(a)(2)(D), say “Hodgkin's disease.” This page does not treat those phrases as a definition printed in one sentence.

Is Hodgkin's disease a Camp Lejeune presumption?

Section 3.309(f) names non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at paragraph (f)(3). It does not name Hodgkin's disease or Hodgkin's lymphoma. The radiation paragraph (d)(2)(x) excepts Hodgkin's disease.

Is the chronic-disease time limit seven years?

Section 3.307(a)(3) names a seven-year period for multiple sclerosis, and three years for Hansen's disease and tuberculosis. Hodgkin's disease is not one of those exceptions. The period in that sentence for Hodgkin's disease is 1 year from separation. The herbicide rule in § 3.307(a)(6)(ii) is a different sentence.

Next steps

Read the decision for the schedule title, the treatment stop date, and the six-month examination in the DC 7709 note.
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 hemic and lymphatic codes are on the hematologic and lymphatic 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 Hematologic / lymphatic, ordered by diagnostic code number. All Hematologic / lymphatic codes

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

Source: 38 CFR Part 4, Diagnostic Code 7709 • 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.