The goal of this guide is to help you feel ready and equipped to file a VA disability claim for an eczema VA rating.
With more than 524,071 ratings awarded, Eczema is the third most common skin condition claimed by veterans (after scars and burns).
If your military service is responsible for your eczema, filing a claim could put up to an extra $1,361.88 in your pocket every month! (Veterans who receive the highest disability rating for their eczema may be eligible for this amount.)
Let’s dive in…
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
- Eczema is rated under Diagnostic Code 7806 using the General Rating Formula for the Skin.
- Eczema can be rated at 0%, 10%, 30%, or 60%, depending on factors such as the percentage of your body affected by lesions and treatment requirements.
- To qualify for an eczema VA rating, you need a current diagnosis, persistent symptoms, qualifying service, and proof of service connection.
- There are 3 ways to file a VA claim for eczema.
Table of Contents
Eczema VA Disability
Eczema is one of many skin conditions rated by the VA.
This means that if you meet the VA’s qualification criteria, you could receive VA disability for eczema, including VA disability compensation.
Eczema vs. Dermatitis
Dermatitis is also a VA disability and is rated in the same way as eczema.
“Eczema” and “dermatitis” are often used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same thing.
Dermatitis is a broad term that encompasses eczema as well as several other skin conditions.
See also: How to Win a Dermatitis VA Rating
How the VA Rates Eczema
Eczema is found in the Veterans Affairs Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD) under Diagnostic Code (DC) 7806. Diagnostic codes are unique, 4-digit codes the VA uses to identify ratable conditions.
The VASRD has hundreds of diagnostic codes, and each is usually accompanied by a rating chart (sometimes DCs will share a rating chart).
Rating charts list the symptoms associated with a condition. Next to each symptom, or set of symptoms, is a rating percentage that reflects the severity of the symptom(s).
When you submit a claim for eczema, the VA looks for evidence of your symptoms and compares it to the rating chart to decide what disability rating to assign you.
Eczema VA Rating Chart
Under Diagnostic Code 7806 is a little note that says, “Evaluate under the General Rating Formula for the Skin.”
This formula is how the VA rates most skin conditions, and it primarily considers these three factors:
- The extent to which lesions affect your body
- How often you need to take immunosuppressive drugs for treatment
- Whether topical therapy alone is sufficient for treatment, and if so, the extent of body involvement
Based on these factors, you can get an eczema VA disability rating of either 0%, 10%, 30%, or 60%.
| General Rating Formula for the Skin | Rating % |
| At least one of the following: Characteristic lesions involving more than 40 percent of the entire body or more than 40 percent of exposed areas affected; or Constant or near-constant systemic therapy including, but not limited to, corticosteroids, phototherapy, retinoids, biologics, photochemotherapy, psoralen with long-wave ultraviolet-A light (PUVA), or other immunosuppressive drugs required over the past 12-month period | 60 |
| At least one of the following: Characteristic lesions involving 20 to 40 percent of the entire body or 20 to 40 percent of exposed areas affected; or Systemic therapy including, but not limited to, corticosteroids, phototherapy, retinoids, biologics, photochemotherapy, PUVA, or other immunosuppressive drugs required for a total duration of 6 weeks or more, but not constantly, over the past 12-month period | 30 |
| At least one of the following: Characteristic lesions involving at least 5 percent, but less than 20 percent, of the entire body affected; or At least 5 percent, but less than 20 percent, of exposed areas affected; or Intermittent systemic therapy including, but not limited to, corticosteroids, phototherapy, retinoids, biologics, photochemotherapy, PUVA, or other immunosuppressive drugs required for a total duration of less than 6 weeks over the past 12-month period | 10 |
| No more than topical therapy required over the past 12-month period and at least one of the following: Characteristic lesions involving less than 5 percent of the entire body affected; or Characteristic lesions involving less than 5 percent of exposed areas affected Or rate as disfigurement of the head, face, or neck (DC 7800) or scars (DCs 7801, 7802, 7804, or 7805), depending upon the predominant disability. This rating instruction does not apply to DC 7824 | 0 |
“Systemic Therapy” Defined
For VA rating purposes, systemic therapy means “treatment that is administered through any route (orally, injection, suppository, intranasally) other than the skin.”
Any medication that’s applied directly to the skin isn’t considered systemic.
However, if topical treatments are extensively used to the extent that they impact the entire body, the VA may classify it as systemic therapy.
If this comes into question during your eczema claim, the VA will refer the case to a dermatology specialist for their opinion.
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Qualifying for an Eczema VA Rating
To qualify for VA disability benefits for any condition, you need these four things:
- A current diagnosis in a medical record (Service Treatment Records, VA medical records, or private medical records). “Current” means that you still have symptoms. If you were diagnosed with eczema in the past, but it got better, your diagnosis is no longer current. The VA has a “duty to assist,” which means they’ll help you find the records you need to support your claim.
- Proof your condition was caused or made worse by your military service or a disability already rated by the VA. This is known as “service connection.”
- Persistent and recurring symptoms. If you were diagnosed with eczema in the past, but your symptoms went away, you aren’t eligible for a VA rating. You must have eczema in the present day.
- Qualifying service. This varies depending on the benefit.
How to Get an Eczema Diagnosis
The VA accepts diagnoses from any qualified medical professional, private or VA-affiliated. There are many telemedicine services out there ready and able to assist veterans with an eczema diagnosis.
You can also make an appointment with a VA healthcare center near you. If you’re already enrolled in VA Healthcare and registered as a patient, you may be able to get a diagnosis for free.
Service Connecting Your Eczema
The VA only rates conditions caused or made worse by your military service (or by a disability already rated by the VA). This is known as service connection, and it’s the hardest part of the VA claims process for many veterans.
There are five types of service connection, but only three apply to most eczema claims:
- Direct service connection. This is when you’re able to prove your military service is directly responsible for causing your current condition.
- Secondary service connection refers to a condition that is caused or aggravated by a direct service-connected (primary) disability. These are known as “secondary conditions.”
- Aggravating pre-existing condition applies to pre-existing disabilities that worsened due to your time in the military.
Direct Service Connection
If you already have an eczema diagnosis, you need two other things to establish direct service connection:
- Evidence of an in-service event, injury, or illness. This is the incident you’re claiming is responsible for your eczema. This could be found in your military medical records or other military records. It can also come in the form of personal statements from yourself, your family, or others who were there at the time. It must have happened during and because of your military service.
- A medical “nexus” (link) between your dermatitis and your in-service event, injury, or illness. Based on the evidence, can a medical professional be at least 50% certain that your in-service event, injury, or illness is the cause of your eczema? If you get a Nexus Letter, the link will be expressed as one of these statements of probability:
- “Is due to” = 100% certain
- “More likely than not” = greater than 50% certain
- “At least as likely as not” = equal to 50% certain
- “Was less likely” = less than 50% certain
- “Is not due to” = 0% chance
If you’re pursuing service connection for an aggravated pre-existing condition, you need to provide the two elements above, as well as proof that your condition existed before entering the military.
NOTE: All VA claims require a probability of “at least as likely as not” or higher to be considered service-connected.
Secondary Service Connection
Secondary service connection requires the same elements as direct service connection, except for two small changes:
- For secondary conditions, your primary disability (a disability you already have a VA rating for) serves as your in-service event, injury, or illness. All you need is to show the VA proof of your rating. This proof could be in the form of your rating decision letter.
- You still need to provide a medical nexus, but the nexus should be between the secondary condition you’re claiming and the primary disability you believe caused or aggravated it.
Service Requirements
Service requirements vary depending on the benefit. For monthly compensation, the service requirements include:
- Have served at least 90 days on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty for training
- Not have received an Other Than Honorable, Bad Conduct, or Dishonorable discharge
You’ll need to submit your DD-214 with your VA claim to show that you have qualifying service.
How to Apply for an Eczema VA Rating
There are three ways to apply for VA benefits:
- Online at VA.gov. Check out our post How to File a VA Claim Online (17-Step Tutorial) for detailed instructions for the online submission tool!
- Mailing a completed VA Form 21-526EZ to:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
PO Box 4444
Janesville, WI 53547-4444
- You can also submit VA Form 21-526EZ in person at your local regional VA office.
NEED MORE ASSISTANCE?
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Our process takes the guesswork out of filing a VA disability claim and supports you every step of the way in building a fully-developed claim (FDC)—so you can increase your rating FAST!
If you’ve filed your VA disability claim and have been denied or have received a low rating—or you’re unsure how to get started—reach out to us! Take advantage of a FREE VA Claim Discovery Call.
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Clay Huston
Clay Huston is a former U.S. Army Reserves Blackhawk Pilot and officer. Clay enlisted in the Army in 2013 and was commissioned as a 2LT in 2017 after earning a business degree from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.
Since separating from the military, Clay has pursued a career as a writer. He also runs the nonprofit notfatherless.org, which fundraises for Children’s Homes in Mexico.
