VA Disability Rating for Hemorrhoids: DC 7336 Explained

Hemorrhoids rank among the most common — and most under-claimed — VA disability conditions. Veterans avoid filing because the condition feels embarrassing to document, seems too minor to bother with, or they simply never connect their chronic hemorrhoids to military service. That is a costly mistake. Under Diagnostic Code 7336, hemorrhoids can be rated at 0%, 10%, or 20%, and even a 10% rating added to an existing combined score can push a veteran into a higher benefit tier worth hundreds of dollars per month. This guide explains exactly how DC 7336 works, how to establish service connection through the physical demands and conditions of military life, and how to build an evidence record that maximizes your rating.

Why Veterans Don't Claim This — And Why They Should

The simple truth is that hemorrhoids are an embarrassing topic. Veterans who would file claims for knee pain, back injuries, and hearing loss without hesitation often skip hemorrhoids entirely because they don't want to discuss it at a C&P exam or have it documented in their VA file. This reluctance is understandable — and it is costing veterans real money.

Consider the math. A veteran currently rated at a combined 70% disability receives $1,716.28 per month (2025 rates, no dependents). If that veteran files and wins a 10% hemorrhoids claim, the new combined rating under VA math becomes 73%, which rounds to 70% — no change. But a veteran at 75% combined who adds 10% reaches 77.5%, rounding to 80%, and jumps to $1,933.15 per month. Same logic applies at the 80-to-90% threshold, which is even more dramatic. Adding a legitimate 10% claim at the right moment can be worth over $600 per month.

Beyond the financial calculation, there is a principle at stake: if a condition was caused by or aggravated by military service, a veteran is legally entitled to compensation for it. Hemorrhoids caused by the physical demands of military life are a legitimate service-connected disability, and the VA's rating schedule explicitly provides for them.

DC 7336: Hemorrhoids

Diagnostic Code 7336 governs the rating of hemorrhoids under 38 CFR Part 4, Schedule for Rating Disabilities. The code falls under the digestive system section and applies to both internal and external hemorrhoids, as well as combinations of the two. It also covers related anorectal conditions that often accompany hemorrhoids, including anal fissures.

Hemorrhoids are enlarged, inflamed veins in the rectum and anus. Internal hemorrhoids develop above the pectinate line inside the rectum; external hemorrhoids develop below it, under the skin around the anus. The grading system used in clinical medicine (Grades I through IV) is not the same as the VA rating system — what matters for VA purposes is the symptom profile, not the clinical grade.

Key symptoms that affect the VA rating under DC 7336 include:

• Bleeding: Rectal bleeding during or after bowel movements — can be bright red blood on tissue, coating stool, or dripping into toilet water
• Prolapse: Internal hemorrhoids that descend through the anus during straining, visible externally — Grade III prolapse requires manual reduction; Grade IV is irreducible
• Thrombosis: Blood clots forming within external hemorrhoids, causing sudden severe pain and a firm, tender external nodule
• Anal fissures: Small tears in the lining of the anus, often co-occurring with hemorrhoids, causing pain and bleeding
• Redundant tissue: Skin tags or excess tissue remaining after hemorrhoids or previous hemorrhoidal surgery

The Three Tiers: 0%, 10%, 20%

Rating	DC 7336 Criteria	What to Document
0%	Mild or moderate hemorrhoids, without bleeding or prolapse	Diagnosis confirmed; symptoms present but no active bleeding, prolapse, or fissures at time of examination. Establishes service connection even without compensation — a critical foundation.
10%	Mild or moderate hemorrhoids with persistent bleeding, prolapse, or fissures	History of rectal bleeding; prolapse during straining documented by examiner; fissures visible on anoscopy or colonoscopy; intermittent symptoms requiring treatment (over-the-counter creams, sitz baths, fiber supplements)
20%	Large or thrombotic hemorrhoids, irreducible, with excessive redundant tissue, evidencing frequent recurrences	Grade III/IV internal hemorrhoids documented on endoscopy; thrombosis episodes documented; irreducibility confirmed by examiner; frequent recurrences requiring repeated medical treatment; may include surgical history

The progression from 10% to 20% hinges on three things: severity (large or thrombotic, not just mild/moderate), irreducibility (cannot be manually reduced), and frequency (frequent recurrences, not occasional). If your hemorrhoids require repeated interventions — rubber band ligation, sclerotherapy, multiple ER visits for thrombosed hemorrhoids — this pattern of frequent recurrence supports the 20% tier.

Hemorrhoidectomy and Surgical Residuals

If you underwent a hemorrhoidectomy — surgical removal of hemorrhoids — during or after military service, the rating rules change. The VA does not necessarily rate post-surgical hemorrhoids under DC 7336 alone; instead, the examiner must rate the residuals of the surgery.

Hemorrhoidectomy residuals can include:

• Persistent anal pain or fissuring post-surgery
• Anal stenosis (narrowing) as a surgical complication
• Fecal incontinence if sphincter muscle was affected
• Recurrence of hemorrhoids after surgery (frequent recurrence supports 20%)
• Chronic pruritus ani (itching) from skin tag residuals

Post-surgical recurrence is particularly important: if hemorrhoids return after a hemorrhoidectomy, this is objective evidence of "frequent recurrences" as required for the 20% rating. The recurrence after surgical treatment is stronger evidence of severity than a first-time presentation at the same stage.

If the surgical outcome resulted in fecal incontinence — even partial loss of bowel control — this opens a separate rating pathway under DC 7334 (Rectum and anus, impairment of sphincter control), which can be rated at higher percentages based on the degree of incontinence. Do not let the VA bundle all surgical residuals under DC 7336 alone if there is a more favorable DC available for your specific residuals.

Direct Service Connection Pathways

The physical demands of military service create real, documented risk factors for hemorrhoid development and aggravation. This is not a stretch — it is the reality of what service members do every day. The key is translating that reality into a documented nexus between your MOS, your service activities, and your hemorrhoid condition.

Heavy Lifting and Physical Strain

Physical training is a constant of military life — from basic training through end of service. Beyond PT, many MOS specialties involve daily heavy lifting:

• Infantry and combat arms: Rucksack loads of 60–100+ pounds, bearing crew-served weapons, carrying ammunition and equipment over terrain
• Logistics and supply (92 series, 88M, etc.): Loading and unloading heavy cargo, palletized ammunition, equipment containers
• Aviation maintenance (15 series): Lifting and positioning aircraft components, engine assemblies, and ground support equipment
• Engineers (12 series): Construction materials, engineer equipment, explosive ordnance

Heavy lifting increases intra-abdominal pressure. Repeated episodes of elevated intra-abdominal pressure are the primary mechanical cause of hemorrhoid development and aggravation. This is the same mechanism that makes hemorrhoids common in powerlifters, laborers, and pregnant women — populations that exert consistent downward pressure on the anorectal venous plexus.

Your MOS description from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, or Air Force occupational specifications can serve as evidence of the physical demands you faced. Combined with service treatment records (STRs) showing hemorrhoid treatment during service, this establishes the pattern of service exposure that connects to your current diagnosis.

Prolonged Sitting

Equally important — and often overlooked — is the risk from prolonged sitting, which reduces venous return from the anal region and contributes to hemorrhoid development:

• Vehicle operators (88M, 19D, 11B in Stryker/Bradley/MRAP): Hours in vehicle seats on rough terrain, often with body armor adding compressive pressure
• Aviation (fixed-wing and rotary): Pilots and crew spending extended periods strapped into cockpit and crew seats
• Administrative and signal MOS: Extended desk duty with limited mobility breaks
• Guard duty and fixed post assignments: Prolonged standing or sitting without adequate bathroom access

Irregular Diet and Limited Bathroom Access During Field Operations

During field operations, deployments, and training exercises, dietary consistency and bathroom access are compromised:

• MREs (Meals, Ready-to-Eat) are low in fiber and high in binding agents — constipation is a documented and universal complaint among troops in the field
• Dehydration from physical exertion, heat, and limited water availability compounds constipation
• Suppressing bowel movements due to lack of privacy or tactical situations — straining during defecation is a primary driver of hemorrhoid development
• Irregular meal timing during operations disrupts GI motility

These conditions are well-documented in military medical literature and are an accepted part of the service environment. If your STRs include any treatment for constipation, diarrhea, or GI complaints during service — even separate from hemorrhoids — this context supports the service connection argument for hemorrhoids that developed or worsened during that same period.

Secondary Service Connection

Even if your hemorrhoids were not treated during service or your STRs are incomplete, secondary service connection may be available through an already service-connected condition.

Secondary to Opioid-Induced Constipation

Veterans with service-connected chronic pain conditions — back injuries, joint conditions, nerve damage — who are prescribed opioid medications face a near-universal side effect: constipation. Opioids slow GI motility, causing chronic constipation and the straining that directly causes and aggravates hemorrhoids. If you are prescribed opioids (morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, tramadol, or similar medications) for a service-connected condition, your hemorrhoids can be filed as secondary to the opioid-induced constipation.

The argument is a two-step chain: (1) service-connected condition → opioid prescription; (2) opioid prescription → chronic constipation → hemorrhoid development or aggravation. This is a recognized and well-documented pharmacological mechanism. A gastroenterologist familiar with your treatment history can provide the nexus opinion connecting your hemorrhoids to the medication regimen prescribed for your service-connected condition.

Secondary to IBS or Service-Connected GI Conditions

Veterans with service-connected irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease, or other GI conditions that cause chronic diarrhea, constipation, or irregular bowel habits have a direct physiological pathway to hemorrhoid development. Chronic diarrhea causes excessive straining and irritation of the anorectal region. Chronic constipation causes the same. Either pattern, sustained over time, leads to hemorrhoidal enlargement and symptomatic hemorrhoids.

If you have service-connected IBS or another GI condition, a gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon can provide an opinion that your hemorrhoids are at least as likely as not a result of the bowel dysfunction associated with your service-connected GI condition.

Evidence You Need to File

A well-built hemorrhoids claim requires several layers of documentation:

Current Diagnosis from a Specialist

The most authoritative diagnosis comes from a gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon. Primary care documentation is acceptable, but specialist evaluation carries more weight and provides more detailed clinical findings that map to the rating criteria. The specialist's records should document:

• Hemorrhoid grade and type (internal, external, combined)
• Whether prolapse is present and whether it is reducible or irreducible
• History of bleeding — frequency, volume, triggers
• Presence of thrombosis (current or historical)
• Presence of fissures
• Treatment history and treatment response
• Frequency of recurrences

Endoscopic Findings

Colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy reports provide objective documentation of hemorrhoid severity. The endoscopist's findings are difficult for the VA to dispute — they are direct visualization of the condition. If you haven't had a colonoscopy and your symptoms warrant one (rectal bleeding especially), request the referral from your VA primary care provider. The procedural findings will document your hemorrhoid severity in objective clinical language.

Medical Nexus Opinion

For direct service connection, you need a physician's opinion stating that your hemorrhoids are at least as likely as not related to your military service. The opinion should reference your MOS, your known service activities (heavy lifting, prolonged sitting, field diet), and any relevant STR entries. For secondary connection, the opinion should trace the chain from the service-connected condition to the constipating medication or GI dysfunction to hemorrhoid development.

Personal Statement

Your personal statement should document the onset of hemorrhoid symptoms in relation to your service activities, the progression of symptoms over time, the impact on daily activities (physical exercise limitations, dietary restrictions, discomfort during prolonged sitting or driving), and the treatment history. Be specific about symptoms — "rectal bleeding requiring medical evaluation three times in the past year" is more compelling than "I have hemorrhoids."

The SMC-K Connection

In the most severe cases, hemorrhoid disease can progress to a point requiring a colostomy — surgical creation of an abdominal stoma through which bowel movements occur. This is not a common outcome of hemorrhoid disease alone, but it can occur as a result of combined anorectal conditions, severe hemorrhoidal disease with rectal prolapse, or post-surgical complications.

If you have a service-connected anorectal condition that has resulted in a colostomy, you may qualify for Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) under SMC-K, which pays an additional $121.06 per month (2025 rate) on top of your combined disability compensation. SMC-K covers "anatomical loss or loss of use" of certain organs and bodily functions, including when a colostomy replaces normal bowel function.

Discuss SMC-K eligibility with a VA-accredited claims agent or VSO if your anorectal disease has reached this severity level.

How 10% Changes Your Combined Rating

The VA uses a "whole person" combined rating formula rather than simply adding percentages. This means adding a 10% rating to an existing combined rating does not always increase your overall percentage by 10 points — but it can push you over the rounding threshold into the next rating tier, which represents a meaningful compensation increase.

Here are examples of where a 10% hemorrhoids rating creates the most impact:

Current Combined Rating	After Adding 10% Hemorrhoids	New Monthly Rate (2025, no dependents)
55%	60% (rounded up)	$1,361.88 (+$168/mo)
65%	70% (rounded up)	$1,716.28 (+$186/mo)
75%	80% (rounded up)	$1,933.15 (+$216/mo)
85%	90% (rounded up)	$2,241.91 (+$308/mo)

Use the rating estimator to see how adding a hemorrhoids rating affects your specific combined percentage, and the disability calculator to calculate the exact monthly compensation at each tier.

2025 Filing Tip

If you had hemorrhoids documented and treated during military service — even as a single sick call visit — and you still have hemorrhoids today, you have the two foundational elements of a VA disability claim: an in-service event and a current disability. The missing piece is the nexus opinion connecting them, and that is obtainable from any gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon who treats you.

Do not assume the VA will reject this claim because it seems minor. The VA is legally required to apply the benefit of the doubt in your favor when evidence is approximately balanced. A single STR entry, a current gastroenterologist evaluation documenting persistent hemorrhoids, and a straightforward nexus letter from that physician is a package that VA raters see succeed regularly.

File it. The filing itself costs nothing. The potential payoff — depending on your current combined rating — can be substantial and permanent.

Veterans who want to model the impact of a hemorrhoids claim on their total combined rating should use the free rating estimator at claim.vet. The tool walks you through your existing ratings and shows exactly what a 10% or 20% hemorrhoids rating would do to your combined percentage and monthly benefit amount.