One line, and it points somewhere else

Under the current §4.114, DC 7346, hiatal and paraesophageal hernia says simply: rate as esophagus, stricture of (DC 7203).

There are no separate hiatal hernia percentages in the current schedule. Whatever your diagnosis is called, the criteria applied are the stricture ones — documented stricture, dysphagia, dilatation frequency and method, daily medication, and at the top the serious combination of complications with surgical correction or a feeding tube.

The Schatzki ring page sets out the full DC 7203 ladder and the definitions of recurrent and refractory that the middle levels turn on.

The date matters here

The digestive schedule was revised effective 19 May 2024. The previous DC 7346 text was structured quite differently, and a rating period before that date may call for it.

So do not apply this ladder backwards without checking which version governs the period VA is deciding. The effective date of a regulatory amendment and the effective date of an individual award are different questions — see when criteria change.

What to gather

Imaging or endoscopy identifying the hernia. Swallowing and reflux findings. Any documented stricture, since that is what the current criteria are built on. Treatment dates, procedures, and the code and period shown on your decision.

A GERD diagnosis and a hiatal hernia often coexist. Whether any manifestation is separately evaluated needs a §4.14 analysis rather than an assumption.

The Esophageal Disorders DBQ is a clinical form. It documents findings; it does not decide the relationship to service.

Reviewed October 6, 2026