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Erectile dysfunction (ED)

Erectile dysfunction (ED) and SMC-K

What it is

ED means trouble getting or keeping an erection.

VA's code numbers for this: 7522

What the examiner will do

Who does it: A VA doctor or a VA contract examiner. VA's exam page (updated Aug 15, 2025) names four contract companies: Loyal Source Government Services, OptumServe Health Services, Leidos QTC Health Services, and Veterans Evaluation Services (VES). (LHI is an older name; it is now part of OptumServe.) You can't pick which one. Answer every call or letter about scheduling.

  • A VA or contract doctor, NP, or PA. Often 15-20 minutes.
  • Questions: Can you get an erection firm enough for intercourse? With medicine? When did it start? What other conditions and medicines do you have? Any urinary problems?
  • A genital exam may be offered. You can decline, but tell them why.

Tests, in plain words

Mostly history
The examiner asks if you can get an erection firm enough for sex, with or without medicine. A physical exam may be offered; you can say if you'd rather not.
Secondary connection
ED is often caused by another service-connected problem or its medicine - diabetes, high blood pressure medicine, PTSD or depression medicine, back or nerve injuries, prostate treatment. The examiner may give an opinion on that link.

The examiner fills out a form called a DBQ. You can read it ahead of time: Male Reproductive Organ Conditions (Including Prostate Cancer) DBQ (opens VA's site).

The rating levels, in plain words

VA picks the level that best matches how often and how badly the condition affects you.

  • 0%

    ED itself is rated 0%. But that's not the end: VA must check for extra monthly pay called SMC-K for 'loss of use of a creative organ.' SMC-K is paid on top of your regular disability pay.

    VA's exact words

    7522 Erectile dysfunction, with or without penile deformity ... 0. [Footnote 1: Review for entitlement to special monthly compensation under § 3.350 of this chapter.] Note: For the purpose of VA disability evaluation, a disease or traumatic injury of the penis resulting in scarring or deformity shall be rated under diagnostic code 7522.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.115b, DC 7522; 38 CFR 3.350(a)

  • 0%

    SMC-K (not a percent - a set extra dollar amount). Paid for loss of use of one or more creative organs, which includes ED caused by a service-connected condition.

    VA's exact words

    Special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C. 1114(k) is payable for each anatomical loss or loss of use of ... one or more creative organs ...

    Rule: 38 CFR 3.350(a)

What to track before your exam

What to write down: Whether you can get or keep an erection, what treatment you've tried, and when it started relative to other conditions or new medicines.

How: Write down when ED started, what medicines you were on then, and treatments tried (pills, injections, pumps) and whether they worked. Get your pharmacy list. This is private; your notes can be brief.

Your log: what to write each time

  1. When it started (month/year)
  2. Conditions/medicines at that time
  3. Treatments tried
  4. Did treatment work? (no / partly / yes)
  5. Doctor who diagnosed it

Tap Print this page to get a blank log sheet and your exam-day checklist on paper.

Exam-day checklist

Tick each one off. Nothing you tick is saved or sent anywhere.

What to bring: Bring a photo ID, your list of medicines and doses, your home log, and any new private records you have not sent to VA yet. VA says you don't have to bring anything, but your notes help you remember. A spouse or caregiver may come along. VA says you can ask the examiner if they can stay in the room. The examiner may ask them to wait outside.

Tell the examiner

Honest exam rules

  • Tell the whole truth. Don't add to it. Don't shrink it.
  • Describe a normal day AND your worst days. Say how often the worst days happen.
  • Answer the question you were asked. Skip the habit of saying 'I'm fine' or 'it's not that bad' when it is.
  • It's OK to read from your log or notes. Hand the examiner a copy if they will take it.
  • Don't act out symptoms or guess at numbers. If you don't know or can't remember, say so.
  • If something hurts or makes you worse during the exam, say so right then.
  • Fraud warning: knowingly giving VA false information is a federal crime (18 U.S.C. 1001) and can cost you all your benefits (38 U.S.C. 6103). Honest, complete answers protect you.
  • It can feel awkward. Examiners discuss this every day. Short, plain answers are fine.

Common mistakes

  • Not claiming ED because it rates 0%. The SMC-K extra pay can be worth it.

    Where this comes from: 38 CFR 4.115b footnote; 38 CFR 3.350(a)

  • No medical opinion linking ED to a service-connected condition or its medicine. Secondary claims need that link.

    Where this comes from: 38 CFR 3.310(a)

  • Thinking SMC-K is denied because a pill helps. How VA treats medicine that partly works is set in M21-1; ask an accredited representative (open question below).

    Where this comes from: M21-1 (verify current section on KnowVA)

Questions to ask together

A spouse, grown child or friend can read these out loud. Talk about each one before the exam, so nothing gets left out.

  1. Is it hard to get or keep an erection firm enough for sex?
  2. Do pills or other treatments work? Fully, partly, not at all?
  3. When did this start? Did anything else start or change then?
  4. Do you take medicine for blood pressure, diabetes, depression, PTSD, or pain?
  5. Do you have trouble with urination too?

Sources

Checked against VA's rules on October 30, 2026.

Helping The Brave doesn't file or prepare claims. This guide is free education, not medical or legal advice. The VA examiner measures and VA decides your rating.