What VA disability rating do I get for cancer residuals after the 100% rating period ends?

VA rates malignant neoplasms of the digestive system, including neuroendocrine tumors of the small intestine, under 38 CFR 4.114, Diagnostic Code 7343. While there is active antineoplastic treatment — including chemotherapy, radiation, or other therapy aimed at the malignancy itself — VA assigns a mandatory 100% rating. That 100% continues for six months after treatment ends. After that point, VA is required to schedule a Compensation and Pension (C&P) examination, and the condition is then re-rated based on residuals rather than the cancer diagnosis itself.

A key issue is what counts as "treatment" for purposes of extending the 100% rating. Ongoing maintenance therapy, such as a monthly somatostatin analog injection to slow tumor growth, is sometimes treated differently from chemotherapy or radiation by VA adjudicators, because the regulation's language focuses on treatment "such as chemotherapy, radiation, or antineoplastic therapy." Whether a continuous hormone-suppressing injection qualifies as antineoplastic therapy for rating-extension purposes can depend on the specific medical evidence and the rater, so it is worth having your oncologist document in the record exactly how the medication functions and why it is part of ongoing cancer management.

Once the mandatory period ends, VA rates whatever residuals remain. For bowel resection and intestinal effects, this typically falls under the digestive system codes (such as those addressing resection of the small intestine, malabsorption, weight loss, or bowel dysfunction) under 4.114. Liver resection residuals are rated separately under the liver-specific diagnostic codes in that same section. Surgical scars — including a large abdominal scar that becomes painful, unstable, or limits motion — are rated separately under 38 CFR 4.118, Diagnostic Codes 7801–7805, and can be combined with the other residual ratings. Depending on your case, VA may also evaluate secondary issues such as anemia, nutritional deficiencies, fatigue, or endocrine effects if they are medically linked to the cancer or its treatment.

Because outcomes genuinely vary based on the specific residuals documented at the post-treatment exam, there is no fixed combined rating you should expect; it depends entirely on what the C&P examiner finds and how well your medical records establish ongoing impairment.

The concrete next step is to make sure your oncologist's records clearly describe the ongoing injection therapy's purpose and your current functional residuals, and to attend the eventual VA re-evaluation exam with that documentation in hand, ideally with help from an accredited Veterans Service Officer.