38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.117

Aplastic anemia — VA Diagnostic Code 7716

Hematologic / lymphatic

Diagnostic code

7716

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38 CFR § 4.117 lists Diagnostic Code 7716 as “Aplastic anemia:”. The title ends with a colon. The rating cell on that title is empty. The lines are 100, 60, and 30. None of those three cells ends with a period. Note (1) and Note (2) do not end with a period. Appendix B to Part 4 indexes “Aplastic anemia.”

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

7716 Aplastic anemia

Rating %: 100

Criteria (verbatim). Requiring peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cell transplant; or requiring transfusion of platelets or red cells, on average, at least once every six weeks per 12-month period; or infections recurring, on average, at least once every six weeks per 12-month period

Rating %: 60

Criteria (verbatim). Requiring transfusion of platelets or red cells, on average, at least once every three months per 12-month period; or infections recurring, on average, at least once every three months per 12-month period; or using continuous therapy with immunosuppressive agent or newer platelet stimulating factors

Rating %: 30

Criteria (verbatim). Requiring transfusion of platelets or red cells, on average, at least once per 12-month period; or infections recurring, on average, at least once per 12-month period

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
100	Requiring peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cell transplant; or requiring transfusion of platelets or red cells, on average, at least once every six weeks per 12-month period; or infections recurring, on average, at least once every six weeks per 12-month period
60	Requiring transfusion of platelets or red cells, on average, at least once every three months per 12-month period; or infections recurring, on average, at least once every three months per 12-month period; or using continuous therapy with immunosuppressive agent or newer platelet stimulating factors
30	Requiring transfusion of platelets or red cells, on average, at least once per 12-month period; or infections recurring, on average, at least once per 12-month period

Note (1): A 100 percent evaluation for peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cell transplant shall be assigned as of the date of hospital admission and shall continue with a mandatory VA examination six months following hospital discharge. Any change in evaluation based upon that or any subsequent examination shall be subject to the provisions of § 3.105(e) of this chapter

Note (2): The term “newer platelet stimulating factors” includes medication, factors, or other agents approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration

Note (1) is about a 100 percent evaluation for peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cell transplant. It dates that evaluation from hospital admission and requires a VA examination six months following hospital discharge. Any change based on that or any subsequent examination is subject to § 3.105(e). The note does not put that hospital-admission sentence on the transfusion or infection alternatives in the 100 percent cell.

The words “newer platelet stimulating factors” appear in the 60 percent cell. Note (2) defines that term. The 100 and 30 percent cells do not use it.

DC 7716 does not print a 0 percent line.

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. 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.

The 100 percent cell has three alternatives, separated by “or”: stem cell transplant; transfusion of platelets or red cells, on average, at least once every six weeks per 12-month period; or infections recurring, on average, at least once every six weeks per 12-month period.

The 60 percent cell has three alternatives: transfusion on average at least once every three months per 12-month period; infections recurring on that same average; or using continuous therapy with immunosuppressive agent or newer platelet stimulating factors. The 30 percent cell has the transfusion alternative and the infection alternative, each “at least once per 12-month period.” It does not include the continuous-therapy alternative.

DC 7720 is iron deficiency anemia. DC 7725 is myelodysplastic syndromes. DC 7703 is leukemia. Those titles are not the DC 7716 title.

38 CFR § 3.309(f) lists “Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes.” That sentence does not print DC 7716 or DC 7725. This page does not assign the sentence to one code.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.117, Diagnostic Code 7716, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.

What the words mean in your records

On average, per 12-month period

The transfusion and infection alternatives on all three lines use “on average” and “per 12-month period.” The intervals are every six weeks, every three months, and at least once.

Continuous therapy is on the 60

“Using continuous therapy with immunosuppressive agent or newer platelet stimulating factors” is the third alternative on the 60 percent line. Note (2) says the quoted term includes medication, factors, or other agents approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Note (1) names the transplant

The six-month examination and the hospital-admission date in Note (1) are for the stem-cell-transplant evaluation. The note does not reprint the every-six-weeks transfusion or infection alternatives.

Evidence that speaks to each level

100 — transplant

What the rater needs to see. Peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cell transplant, with the admission date Note (1) uses.

Where that usually lives. The hospital admission and the examination six months following discharge.

100, 60, or 30 — transfusion or infection

What the rater needs to see. The average frequency over a 12-month period: at least once every six weeks, at least once every three months, or at least once.

Where that usually lives. The transfusion record or the infection record for that period.

60 — continuous therapy

What the rater needs to see. Continuous therapy with an immunosuppressive agent or with newer platelet stimulating factors as Note (2) defines that term.

Where that usually lives. The treatment record. This alternative is not printed on the 100 or 30 percent lines.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
100 — transplant	Peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cell transplant, with the admission date Note (1) uses.	The hospital admission and the examination six months following discharge.
100, 60, or 30 — transfusion or infection	The average frequency over a 12-month period: at least once every six weeks, at least once every three months, or at least once.	The transfusion record or the infection record for that period.
60 — continuous therapy	Continuous therapy with an immunosuppressive agent or with newer platelet stimulating factors as Note (2) defines that term.	The treatment record. This alternative is not printed on the 100 or 30 percent lines.

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

The exam form

DC 7716 prints 100, 60, and 30, and two notes. This page does not say the form replaces those lines.

Related codes and how they interact

Myelodysplastic syndromes are DC 7725.

Section 3.309(f) lists “Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes” as one sentence. The schedule titles are separate. DC 7716 does not print the DC 7725 criteria, and this page does not assign that § 3.309 sentence to one code.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

Section 3.309(f) lists aplastic anemia together with other myelodysplastic syndromes and does not print a diagnostic code. Iron deficiency anemia remains DC 7720. 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 aplastic anemia?

Under 38 CFR § 4.117, Diagnostic Code 7716 is 100, 60, or 30 percent on the transplant, transfusion, infection, and continuous-therapy lines printed there. Note (1) times the transplant evaluation from hospital admission, with an examination six months after discharge. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Does § 3.309 assign DC 7716 by number?

Section 3.309(f) lists “Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes.” That sentence does not print DC 7716 or DC 7725. This page does not assign it to one code.

FAQ

How does VA rate aplastic anemia under DC 7716?

The lines are 100, 60, and 30. They use stem cell transplant, the average frequency of platelet or red-cell transfusion, the average frequency of recurring infections, and, on the 60 line only, continuous therapy with an immunosuppressive agent or newer platelet stimulating factors. Education only.

Does Note (1) apply the six-month exam to every 100 percent alternative?

Note (1) says a 100 percent evaluation for peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cell transplant is assigned as of the date of hospital admission and continues with a mandatory VA examination six months following hospital discharge. The 100 percent cell also lists transfusion and infection alternatives. The note does not put the admission-date sentence on those alternatives.

What does “newer platelet stimulating factors” include?

Note (2) says the term includes medication, factors, or other agents approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. The term is used on the 60 percent line. The note does not end with a period.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 7716, which alternative was used, and whether Note (1) discussed a transplant admission date.
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 7716 • va.gov

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