VA Diagnostic Code 6308Relapsing Fever
Rated from 0% to 100% under § 4.88b. Here is what the VA requires at each level.
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What each rating requires
The VA assigns the highest level your evidence actually supports. Read up the stack until your records stop matching.
- 100%
For active disease
- 100%
As active disease
- 100%
As active disease
- 100%
As active disease
- 100%
As active disease
- 100%
Marked mental changes, moist dermatitis, inability to retain adequate nourishment, exhaustion, and cachexia
- 60%
With all of the symptoms listed below, plus mental symptoms and impaired bodily vigor
- 40%
With stomatitis, diarrhea, and symmetrical dermatitis
- 20%
With stomatitis, or achlorhydria, or diarrhea
- 10%
Confirmed diagnosis with nonspecific symptoms such as: decreased appetite, weight loss, abdominal discomfort, weakness, inability to concentrate and irritability
- 100%
With congestive heart failure, anasarca, or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
- 60%
With cardiomegaly, or; with peripheral neuropathy with footdrop or atrophy of thigh or calf muscles
- 30%
With peripheral neuropathy with absent knee or ankle jerks and loss of sensation, or; with symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, anorexia, dizziness, heaviness and stiffness of legs, headache or sleep disturbance
- 100%
Marked mental changes, moist dermatitis, inability to retain adequate nourishment, exhaustion, and cachexia
- 60%
With all of the symptoms listed below, plus mental symptoms and impaired bodily vigor
- 40%
With stomatitis, diarrhea, and symmetrical dermatitis
- 20%
With stomatitis, or achlorhydria, or diarrhea
- 10%
Confirmed diagnosis with nonspecific symptoms such as: decreased appetite, weight loss, abdominal discomfort, weakness, inability to concentrate and irritability
- 100%
As active disease
- 0%
As acute or asymptomatic chronic disease
- 100%
Not to be combined with ratings under DC 7809 Acute, with frequent exacerbations, producing severe impairment of health
- 60%
Exacerbations lasting a week or more, 2 or 3 times per year
- 10%
Exacerbations once or twice a year or symptomatic during the past 2 years
- 100%
AIDS with recurrent opportunistic infections (see Note 3) or with secondary diseases afflicting multiple body systems; HIV-related illness with debility and progressive weight loss
- 60%
Refractory constitutional symptoms, diarrhea, and pathological weight loss; or minimum rating following development of AIDS-related opportunistic infection or neoplasm
- 30%
Recurrent constitutional symptoms, intermittent diarrhea, and use of approved medication(s); or minimum rating with T4 cell count less than 200
- 10%
Following development of HIV-related constitutional symptoms; T4 cell count between 200 and 500; use of approved medication(s); or with evidence of depression or memory loss with employment limitations
- 0%
Asymptomatic, following initial diagnosis of HIV infection, with or without lymphadenopathy or decreased T4 cell count
- 100%
Which are nearly constant and so severe as to restrict routine daily activities almost completely and which may occasionally preclude self-care
- 60%
Which are nearly constant and restrict routine daily activities to less than 50 percent of the pre-illness level; or which wax and wane, resulting in periods of incapacitation of at least six weeks total duration per year
- 40%
Which are nearly constant and restrict routine daily activities from 50 to 75 percent of the pre-illness level; or which wax and wane, resulting in periods of incapacitation of at least four but less than six weeks total duration per year
- 20%
Which are nearly constant and restrict routine daily activities by less than 25 percent of the pre-illness level; or which wax and wane, resulting in periods of incapacitation of at least two but less than four weeks total duration per year
- 10%
Which wax and wane but result in periods of incapacitation of at least one but less than two weeks total duration per year; or symptoms controlled by continuous medication
General rating formula
General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases
Notes on this code
These notes are part of the regulation. They change how the levels above are applied.
- Note: Rate under the appropriate body system any residual disability of infection, which includes, but is not limited to, liver or spleen damage, iritis, uveitis, or central nervous system involvement.
Relapsing Fever — VA Disability Rating (Diagnostic Code 6308)
Body system: Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies · CFR reference: § 4.88b · Rated under the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases
What This Condition Is
Relapsing Fever is an infectious disease rated by the VA under Diagnostic Code 6308, within the group of Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies. Under the framework the VA uses, the way the condition is evaluated depends largely on whether the disease is currently active and on the nature and severity of any lasting effects it leaves behind.
An important part of how the VA approaches this condition is captured in its official note:
Note: Rate under the appropriate body system any residual disability of infection, which includes, but is not limited to, liver or spleen damage, iritis, uveitis, or central nervous system involvement.
In plain terms: while the infection itself is evaluated under this code, any lingering damage the infection causes to other parts of the body may be evaluated separately under the body system that applies to that damage.
The Rating Levels
The VA assigns a percentage rating that reflects the current status and severity of the condition. Based on the criteria for this diagnostic code, the available levels include:
100% — Active Disease
A 100% evaluation applies for active disease.
0% — Inactive Disease
A 0% evaluation applies for the condition as acute or asymptomatic chronic disease — that is, when the disease is not producing ongoing disabling symptoms.
What the VA Looks For
When evaluating Relapsing Fever, the VA focuses on:
- Whether the disease is active. Active disease supports the 100% evaluation.
- Whether the disease is acute or an asymptomatic chronic condition, which corresponds to the 0% evaluation.
- Any residual disability caused by the infection. As the official note explains, lasting effects — such as liver or spleen damage, iritis, uveitis, or central nervous system involvement — are rated under the appropriate body system for that specific damage rather than under this code alone.
Documentation That Supports a Claim
Because the evaluation turns on the status of the disease and its residual effects, records that reflect the following can help the VA understand the full picture:
- A confirmed diagnosis and documentation of whether the disease is currently active
- Medical evidence describing whether the condition is acute or an asymptomatic chronic disease
- Records of any residual disability affecting other body systems — for example, the liver or spleen, the eyes (iritis or uveitis), or the central nervous system
This information summarizes how the VA describes and rates Relapsing Fever under Diagnostic Code 6308. It is provided for general educational purposes and is drawn directly from the VA rating criteria. Individual evaluations depend on your specific medical evidence.
These criteria are a rendering of § 4.88b, diagnostic code 6308. The official version is the one that governs your rating.
View official sourceHow to claim this
Knowing the criteria is the first half. Getting your file to show them is the second.
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File under diagnostic code 6308 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies codes may cover your secondary conditions.
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