Reference: 38 CFR 4.104

Sources & Related Guides

What is the VA rating for Raynaud's Disease / Raynaud's Syndrome?

Review Raynaud's Disease / Raynaud's Syndrome guidance covering DC 7117 (secondary Raynaud's, 5-tier ladder) and DC 7124 (primary Raynaud's, 2-tier table), the fourth slice built from RSCH-040's confirmed 14-code DC 7110-7124 'Diseases of the Arteries and Veins' range.

Condition Overview & Clinical Scope

MOST IMPORTANT TO KNOW FIRST: DC 7117 (secondary Raynaud's, 'Raynaud's syndrome') and DC 7124 (primary Raynaud's, 'Raynaud's disease') are mutually exclusive by the regulation's own codified text -- each code's own Note directs to the other for the opposite type. Both are evaluated as ONE whole-condition rating, regardless of how many extremities, the nose, or the ears are involved -- unlike Cold Injury Residuals (DC 7122) or Varicose Veins / Post-Phlebitic Syndrome (DC 7121), there is no per-part or bilateral-factor combination here. This hub covers DC 7117/7124 -- 2 of the 14 live diagnostic codes in 38 CFR 4.104's broader 'Diseases of the Arteries and Veins' range (DC 7110-7124), confirmed via RSCH-040's research. It is the fourth slice built from that range, per RSCH-040's own recommended build order.

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Explore Raynaud's Disease / Raynaud's Syndrome Criteria & Tools

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Common Questions & FAQs

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What are you trying to understand about raynaud's disease / raynaud's syndrome?

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Overview

About this condition

MOST IMPORTANT TO KNOW FIRST: DC 7117 (secondary Raynaud's, 'Raynaud's syndrome') and DC 7124 (primary Raynaud's, 'Raynaud's disease') are mutually exclusive by the regulation's own codified text -- each code's own Note directs to the other for the opposite type. Both are evaluated as ONE whole-condition rating, regardless of how many extremities, the nose, or the ears are involved -- unlike Cold Injury Residuals (DC 7122) or Varicose Veins / Post-Phlebitic Syndrome (DC 7121), there is no per-part or bilateral-factor combination here. This hub covers DC 7117/7124 -- 2 of the 14 live diagnostic codes in 38 CFR 4.104's broader 'Diseases of the Arteries and Veins' range (DC 7110-7124), confirmed via RSCH-040's research. It is the fourth slice built from that range, per RSCH-040's own recommended build order.

Regulatory authority: 38 CFR 4.104, Diagnostic Codes 7117/7124

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE, READ FIRST: DC 7117 and DC 7124 are mutually exclusive -- DC 7117 covers secondary Raynaud's (Raynaud's syndrome/phenomenon), DC 7124 covers primary Raynaud's (Raynaud's disease), and each code's own text directs to the other for the opposite type. This hub explains the published DC 7117/7124 schedule and common record language. It does not diagnose a condition, determine service connection, infer undocumented findings, estimate an outcome, or replace medical care or accredited representation. ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURES: (1) DC 7117 has NO explicit 0 percent tier -- 10 percent (attacks one to three times a week) is the floor. (2) DC 7124 DOES have a real, explicit 0 percent tier (attacks without trophic changes) -- genuinely different from its sibling, not assumed identical. (3) Both codes' own Notes state evaluations apply 'as a whole, regardless of the number of extremities involved or whether the nose and ears are involved' -- a single whole-condition rating, not a per-part combination. (4) This hub covers only 2 of the 14 live diagnostic codes in the broader DC 7110-7124 range.

Percentage Guides

Understanding Your Percentage

Select a pathway to see what the published criteria ask about, what records may clarify it, and what should not be assumed.

10% (DC 7117, real floor -- not 0 percent)

Next: 20%

Characteristic attacks occurring one to three times a week.

What separates the next level: 20 percent applies once attacks occur four to six times a week instead.

Review CFR criteria, examples, and evidence
Official CFR language
Characteristic attacks occurring one to three times a week -- 10.
Qualification explanation
Reached once characteristic attacks are documented at this minimum frequency.
Examples
Records document color-change episodes in the fingers occurring twice a week, precipitated by cold exposure.
Medical evidence
Artery and Vein Conditions DBQ; Records documenting attack frequency
Functional impact examples
Occasional characteristic attacks, at the lower end of the documented frequency range.
Common misconceptions
Confirmed via two independent primary sources: DC 7117 has NO 0 percent tier at all -- attacks less frequent than weekly do not resolve to 0 percent, they simply do not meet this code's threshold.
Related topics
mutual-exclusivity
Source context
38 CFR 4.104; 7117; Current DC 7117 educational pathway. No pending rulemaking found touching this range (RSCH-040).

100% (DC 7117, ceiling tier)

Highest listed pathway

Two or more digital ulcers, plus auto-amputation of one or more digits, and a history of characteristic attacks.

What separates the next level: 60 percent applies with two or more digital ulcers and attack history, but without auto-amputation.

Review CFR criteria, examples, and evidence
Official CFR language
With two or more digital ulcers plus auto-amputation of one or more digits and history of characteristic attacks -- 100.
Qualification explanation
Reached when both digital ulceration (2+) and auto-amputation are documented alongside a history of characteristic attacks.
Examples
Records document loss of a fingertip through auto-amputation, with multiple digital ulcers and a documented history of cold-triggered attacks.
Medical evidence
Artery and Vein Conditions DBQ; Surgical or clinical records documenting ulceration and any auto-amputation
Functional impact examples
Severe secondary Raynaud's with tissue loss and digit auto-amputation.
Common misconceptions
This is DC 7117 (secondary Raynaud's/Raynaud's syndrome)'s own ceiling -- DC 7124 (primary Raynaud's disease) tops out at only 10 percent, since it does not include an ulcer/amputation axis.
Related topics
whole-condition-evaluation
Source context
38 CFR 4.104; 7117; Current DC 7117 educational pathway.

0% (DC 7124, real explicit floor -- contrast with DC 7117)

Next: 10%

Characteristic attacks without trophic changes (such as tight, shiny skin).

What separates the next level: 10 percent applies once trophic changes (such as tight, shiny skin) are also documented.

Review CFR criteria, examples, and evidence
Official CFR language
Characteristic attacks without trophic change(s) -- 0.
Qualification explanation
A genuine, explicitly stated 0 percent outcome for primary Raynaud's disease without trophic skin changes.
Examples
Records document classic color-change attacks in the fingers with no associated skin texture changes.
Medical evidence
Artery and Vein Conditions DBQ; Records documenting the presence or absence of trophic skin changes
Functional impact examples
Characteristic attacks without any associated tissue or skin texture change.
Common misconceptions
Confirmed via two independent primary sources: unlike sibling DC 7117 (which has NO 0 percent tier), DC 7124 genuinely does have one -- the two codes are not identical in floor structure, even though both cover Raynaud's.
Related topics
7124-real-zero
Source context
38 CFR 4.104; 7124; Current DC 7124 educational pathway.

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Understand the details behind the criteria

Use these short guides to connect published terms with the records and observations that may clarify them.

DC 7117 versus DC 7124: primary and secondary Raynaud's are mutually exclusive (read this first)

DC 7117 covers Raynaud's syndrome (secondary Raynaud's phenomenon). DC 7124 covers Raynaud's disease (primary Raynaud's). Each code's own codified text directs to the other for the opposite type.

  • Confirmed via two independent primary sources: DC 7117's own Note states, 'For evaluation of Raynaud's disease (primary Raynaud's), see DC 7124.' DC 7124's own Note states the inverse.
  • This resolves RSCH-040's own flagged open question about whether mutual exclusivity is stated in the codified text itself (not just rulemaking preamble) -- confirmed yes, via direct cross-reference language in both codes' own Notes, even though it is not phrased as an explicit 'shall not combine' prohibition.
  • This hub's diagnosis-label selection IS the exclusivity mechanism -- a veteran selects one type or the other, never both at once, mirroring the regulation's own structure.

Records to review: Records documenting the specific Raynaud's diagnosis (primary or secondary) and, if secondary, the underlying condition.

DC 7124 has a real 0 percent tier -- DC 7117 does not

DC 7124 (primary Raynaud's disease) has a genuine, explicitly stated 0 percent tier (attacks without trophic changes). DC 7117 (secondary Raynaud's syndrome) has NO 0 percent tier at all -- its floor is 10 percent.

  • Confirmed via two independent primary sources for both codes -- these two siblings are NOT structurally identical, despite covering the same underlying phenomenon (Raynaud's).
  • DC 7117's floor (10 percent, attacks one to three times a week) requires a minimum attack frequency to reach any rating at all; DC 7124 rates attacks at any frequency, distinguishing only by the presence of trophic skin changes.

Records to review: Records documenting attack frequency (DC 7117) or the presence/absence of trophic changes (DC 7124).

One whole-condition rating, not a per-extremity combination

Both DC 7117 and DC 7124 carry their own verbatim Note: evaluations apply 'as a whole, regardless of the number of extremities involved or whether the nose and ears are involved.'

  • Confirmed via two independent primary sources for both codes -- this is the OPPOSITE structure from this repository's Varicose Veins / Post-Phlebitic Syndrome (DC 7121) and Cold Injury Residuals (DC 7122) hubs, both of which require separate per-extremity or per-part evaluation and combination under 38 CFR 4.25/4.26.
  • This also explains why RSCH-040's own §4.26 bilateral-factor list (DC 7114, 7115, 7121, 7122) correctly excludes DC 7117/7124 -- confirmed independently during this hub's own research, not merely assumed from the earlier list.

Records to review: Records documenting all affected sites collectively, since one evaluation covers all of them together.

This hub covers 2 of 14 codes in the broader arteries-and-veins schedule

38 CFR 4.104's 'Diseases of the Arteries and Veins' range spans 14 live diagnostic codes (DC 7110-7124, excluding DC 7101, which is Hypertension, already its own hub). This hub covers only DC 7117 and DC 7124.

  • The Varicose Veins / Post-Phlebitic Syndrome (DC 7120/7121) and Cold Injury Residuals (DC 7122) hubs were built first from this same range; arterial disease (DC 7114 and dependents) is already live in its own sibling hub, and soft tissue sarcoma of vascular origin (DC 7123), along with the rest of RSCH-040's slice (e), is covered in the Aneurysm, Arteriovenous Fistula, Angioneurotic Edema, Erythromelalgia, and Vascular Sarcoma hub, closing out the full 14-code range.
  • This is disclosed clearly, the same 'don't assume comprehensive' discipline already applied throughout this repository's peripheral-vascular and peripheral-nerve hubs.

Records to review: Records confirming the specific vascular diagnosis documented.

Evidence

Evidence that may clarify the published criteria

Records documenting whether the diagnosis is primary or secondary Raynaud's

Establishes which of DC 7117 or DC 7124 applies -- the two are mutually exclusive.

Not required beyond the diagnosis itself once one type is confirmed.

Records documenting attack frequency, digital ulcers, or auto-amputation (DC 7117)

The core evidence distinguishing DC 7117's five tiers.

Only relevant to a secondary Raynaud's (DC 7117) diagnosis.

Records documenting the presence or absence of trophic changes (DC 7124)

The single fact distinguishing DC 7124's two tiers.

Only relevant to a primary Raynaud's (DC 7124) diagnosis.

Artery and Vein Conditions DBQ

VA's examination form covering this section's diagnostic codes, including Raynaud's disease and syndrome.

A DBQ is one common evidence source, not the only way to document these findings.

Official VA Forms & DBQs

Downloadable DBQs & Supporting Claim Forms

Take the public DBQ to your private physician or review it prior to your C&P examination.

Terminology

Plain-English terms

Characteristic attacks (DC 7117, Raynaud's syndrome)

Episodes where fingers or toes change color (often white, then blue, then red) in a sequential pattern, in response to cold or stress, lasting minutes to hours.

DC 7117's own Note (1) definition of characteristic attacks -- confirmed via primary source. DC 7124 uses materially different wording of its own; see the separate DC 7124 entry rather than assuming both codes share one definition.

Artery and Vein Conditions DBQ; mutual-exclusivity

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Characteristic attacks (DC 7124, Raynaud's disease)

Episodes where fingers or toes change color, occurring intermittently, lasting minutes or longer, in response to cold or stress -- DC 7124's own wording, not a reuse of DC 7117's definition.

DC 7124's own Note (1) definition of characteristic attacks -- confirmed via primary source. Distinguished from DC 7117's own wording ('sequential' changes 'lasting minutes to hours') by its 'intermittent and episodic' phrasing and 'minutes or longer' duration.

Artery and Vein Conditions DBQ; 7124-real-zero

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Trophic changes

Skin or tissue texture changes caused by reduced blood flow over time.

The single distinguishing fact between DC 7124's two tiers (10 percent with trophic changes, 0 percent without).

Records documenting the presence or absence of trophic changes; 7124-real-zero

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TDIU

Even if the schedular rating for Raynaud's Disease / Raynaud's Syndrome does not reach 100 percent, TDIU may still provide a pathway to compensation at the 100 percent rate, based on unemployability from this and/or other service-connected disabilities combined.

A lower schedular percentage does not by itself foreclose TDIU eligibility -- this hub computes only the schedular percentage for this specific condition and does not determine TDIU eligibility.

Employment history; vocational impact documentation; occupational impairment

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Common Questions

Questions veterans commonly ask

Are Raynaud's disease and Raynaud's syndrome the same thing?

No. Raynaud's disease (DC 7124) is primary -- occurring on its own. Raynaud's syndrome (DC 7117) is secondary -- occurring due to an underlying condition. Each code's own text directs to the other for the opposite type, making them mutually exclusive.

How does VA rate Raynaud's syndrome (secondary, DC 7117)?

By a 5-tier ladder from 100 percent (two or more digital ulcers, auto-amputation, and attack history) down to a 10 percent floor (attacks one to three times a week). There is no 0 percent tier.

Does DC 7124 (primary Raynaud's disease) have a 0 percent tier?

Yes -- genuinely, unlike its sibling DC 7117. Characteristic attacks without trophic changes (such as tight, shiny skin) rate 0 percent; with trophic changes, 10 percent.

Does this combine across multiple affected extremities?

No. Both DC 7117 and DC 7124 are evaluated as a single whole-condition rating, regardless of how many extremities, the nose, or the ears are involved -- unlike Varicose Veins / Post-Phlebitic Syndrome (DC 7121) or Cold Injury Residuals (DC 7122), which require per-part combination.

Does this hub cover the whole arteries-and-veins schedule?

Yes, across five hubs. This hub covers 2 of the 14 live diagnostic codes in 38 CFR 4.104's broader DC 7110-7124 range. The remaining codes (arterial disease, varicose veins/post-phlebitic syndrome, cold injury residuals, aneurysms, and others) are all covered elsewhere across the other four sibling hubs.

If my schedular rating for Raynaud's Disease / Raynaud's Syndrome is below 100%, can I still be compensated at the 100% rate?

Possibly, through TDIU (Total Disability rating based on Individual Unemployability, 38 CFR 4.16) -- a separate pathway to 100 percent compensation based on unemployability, from this and/or other service-connected disabilities combined, independent of whether the schedular rating itself reaches 100 percent. This hub computes only the schedular percentage and does not determine TDIU eligibility.

What separates the 10% (DC 7117, real floor -- not 0 percent) rating from adjacent levels?

20 percent applies once attacks occur four to six times a week instead.

What separates the 100% (DC 7117, ceiling tier) rating from adjacent levels?

60 percent applies with two or more digital ulcers and attack history, but without auto-amputation.

What separates the 0% (DC 7124, real explicit floor -- contrast with DC 7117) rating from adjacent levels?

10 percent applies once trophic changes (such as tight, shiny skin) are also documented.

Related Conditions

Continue learning through connected topics

Cold Injury Residuals

Both hubs are built from the same 38 CFR 4.104 'Diseases of the Arteries and Veins' range, but with opposite evaluation structures -- Cold Injury Residuals requires per-part combination, while Raynaud's uses one whole-condition rating. DC 7122's own Note (1) also names Raynaud's syndrome specifically as a residual that must be evaluated separately -- UNLESS the same finding is already being used to support a DC 7122 evaluation, in which case it cannot also be separately rated as Raynaud's. This is a real anti-double-counting rule confirmed on the Cold Injury Residuals hub itself, not a general pyramiding caution.

Ready when you are

Compare documented Raynaud's disease and syndrome findings

Use the diagnosis and attack-frequency/trophic-change language already documented in your records. Do not upload records or enter Social Security numbers, claim numbers, full dates of birth, or other sensitive identifiers. RatingScope does not infer missing findings or determine whether a case is primary or secondary.

Informational guidance only. RatingScope does not predict, decide, or guarantee VA outcomes.

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RatingScope resource

Fibromyalgia (38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5025)

DC 5025's qualifying condition lists Raynaud's-like symptoms as a symptom that may accompany fibromyalgia. RatingScope discloses this as a pyramiding consideration (38 CFR 4.14) -- different diagnosis names do not automatically create separate percentages when the same symptoms overlap -- not a computed dispatch rule between the two hubs.

Open Fibromyalgia (38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5025)

Secondary conditions

Conditions commonly connected to Raynaud's Disease / Raynaud's Syndrome

This reflects regulatory and clinical relationships already explained elsewhere on this site. It is not a diagnosis, not a prediction that you have or will develop a connected condition, and not personalized medical or legal advice.

Regulatory relationship

Raynaud's Disease / Raynaud's Syndrome Fibromyalgia

DC 5025's own qualifying-condition text lists Raynaud's-like symptoms as a symptom that may accompany fibromyalgia.

38 CFR 4.14

View Fibromyalgia

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Understand common evidence categories and what they can clarify without treating them as a checklist.

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