Gastroparesis

DC 7308Digestive38 CFR 4.114, DC 7308

A condition where your stomach cannot empty food at a normal pace, causing nausea, vomiting, bloating, and feeling full after eating very little. The VA rates gastroparesis under stomach condition criteria based on how much the symptoms affect your health and daily life.

Rating Levels

You have severe gastroparesis with near-constant nausea and vomiting, significant weight loss, and the need for gastric electrical stimulation or jejunostomy tube feeding to maintain nutrition.

What the VA looks for

Near-constant nausea and vomiting
Significant weight loss and malnutrition
Gastric electrical stimulation device implanted
Jejunostomy or feeding tube required
Frequent hospitalizations for dehydration or malnutrition
Anemia documented on lab work

Common Pitfalls

⚠Not getting a gastric emptying study (scintigraphy) to objectively confirm the diagnosis — the VA needs proof that your stomach empties too slowly, not just your reported symptoms.
⚠Not documenting weight loss over time with regular weigh-ins — weight loss is a key factor that separates higher ratings from lower ones.
⚠Not connecting gastroparesis to a service-connected condition like diabetes, which is a leading cause of gastroparesis and supports a secondary service connection claim.
⚠Not keeping a food and symptom diary showing how gastroparesis limits what you can eat, how often you vomit, and how it disrupts your daily life and work.
⚠Not reporting all treatments tried, including medications like metoclopramide or domperidone, dietary changes, and any surgical interventions — this shows the VA how severe your condition is.

Related DBQ Forms

DBQ Stomach and Duodenal Conditions

View evidence checklist →See secondary conditions →

Condition Rating Guides

Understand what the VA looks for at each rating level — loading conditions…

Gastroparesis

Rating Levels

You have severe gastroparesis with near-constant nausea and vomiting, significant weight loss, and the need for gastric electrical stimulation or jejunostomy tube feeding to maintain nutrition.

What the VA looks for

Near-constant nausea and vomiting
Significant weight loss and malnutrition
Gastric electrical stimulation device implanted
Jejunostomy or feeding tube required
Frequent hospitalizations for dehydration or malnutrition
Anemia documented on lab work

Common Pitfalls

⚠Not getting a gastric emptying study (scintigraphy) to objectively confirm the diagnosis — the VA needs proof that your stomach empties too slowly, not just your reported symptoms.

⚠Not documenting weight loss over time with regular weigh-ins — weight loss is a key factor that separates higher ratings from lower ones.

⚠Not connecting gastroparesis to a service-connected condition like diabetes, which is a leading cause of gastroparesis and supports a secondary service connection claim.

⚠Not keeping a food and symptom diary showing how gastroparesis limits what you can eat, how often you vomit, and how it disrupts your daily life and work.

⚠Not reporting all treatments tried, including medications like metoclopramide or domperidone, dietary changes, and any surgical interventions — this shows the VA how severe your condition is.