Thyroid cancer

For the initial 30% rating period, medical records confirming the date of your diagnosis are the most direct evidence, since the rating runs for six months from that date. After six months, the evidence that matters most depends on which residuals or treatment complications you have. Records documenting ongoing symptoms in a specific body system, specialist notes, laboratory results, and imaging can all show how the disease or its treatment has affected you. If you have neck disfigurement from surgery or other treatment, photographs and physician descriptions of the scar or disfigurement support a separate rating under DC 7800. For heart-related complications, cardiology records and diagnostic test results are relevant to a separate DC 7008 evaluation. For eye involvement, ophthalmology records showing diplopia or changes in central visual acuity support separate ratings. Statements from you or people who know you, describing how symptoms affect your daily activities and work, can help show the severity of residuals across any of these body systems.