Cancer (Active Malignancy)
Active malignancies are rated 100% under 38 CFR § 4.96, Note (a), for the duration of active treatment (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy). After treatment ends, the VA rates any residuals using the relevant body system's diagnostic code. Many cancers are presumptive under Agent Orange, PACT Act (burn pit exposure), or other exposure presumptions.
VA Rating Levels
Active and continuous malignancy — during and for 6 months following completion of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or other antineoplastic therapy.
Resolved cancer with no residuals — compensable but 0%. However, most post-cancer treatment has residuals that are separately rated (fatigue, organ damage, incontinence, etc.).
Exam Tips & Key Evidence
- →File your cancer claim immediately — you should receive 100% from the date of diagnosis if service-connected
- →After treatment, file for all residuals by body system: fatigue, incontinence, neuropathy, lymphedema
- →Agent Orange presumptives include: prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, lung cancer, bladder cancer, AL amyloidosis, and more
- →PACT Act adds numerous cancers presumptively linked to burn pit/particulate matter exposure
- →Keep records of all treatment — surgery reports, chemotherapy logs, radiation reports
Commonly Related Conditions
38 CFR Reference
38 CFR § 4.96, Note (a); DC 7343 and condition-specific codes