Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies§ 4.88bUpdated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 6314Beriberi

Rated from 30% 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.

  1. 100%

    With congestive heart failure, anasarca, or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

  2. 60%

    With cardiomegaly, or; with peripheral neuropathy with footdrop or atrophy of thigh or calf muscles

  3. 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

Beriberi (VA Diagnostic Code 6314)

Body System: Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies · 38 CFR § 4.88b

Understanding Beriberi and How the VA Rates It

Beriberi is a nutritional deficiency condition that can affect the heart, nervous system, and muscles. The VA evaluates beriberi under Diagnostic Code 6314, assigning a disability rating based on the specific symptoms and complications a veteran experiences.

Below are the rating levels defined in the VA's schedule for this condition.

Available Rating Levels

100% Rating

Assigned when beriberi presents with:

  • Congestive heart failure, or
  • Anasarca (widespread swelling), or
  • Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

60% Rating

Assigned when beriberi presents with:

  • Cardiomegaly (enlarged heart), or
  • Peripheral neuropathy with footdrop or atrophy of thigh or calf muscles

30% Rating

Assigned when beriberi presents with:

  • Peripheral neuropathy with absent knee or ankle jerks and loss of sensation, or
  • Symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, anorexia, dizziness, heaviness and stiffness of legs, headache, or sleep disturbance

What the VA Looks For

When rating beriberi, the VA focuses on the presence and severity of specific findings, including:

  • Cardiac complications — such as congestive heart failure or cardiomegaly
  • Neurological involvement — including Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and peripheral neuropathy, along with related signs like absent knee or ankle jerks and loss of sensation
  • Muscular effects — such as footdrop or atrophy of the thigh or calf muscles
  • Systemic swelling — such as anasarca
  • General symptoms — including weakness, fatigue, anorexia, dizziness, heaviness and stiffness of the legs, headache, or sleep disturbance

The applicable rating is determined by matching the veteran's documented symptoms and complications to the criteria listed above.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.88b, diagnostic code 6314. The official version is the one that governs your rating.

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What next

How to claim this

Knowing the criteria is the first half. Getting your file to show them is the second.

  1. Find your level in the stack

    Read each rung against what your medical records already say. The level your records document today is the one the VA can support today.

  2. Name the gap

    Look at the rung above yours and write down exactly what it asks for that your file does not show yet — a diagnosis, a measurement, a prescribed brace, a doctor’s opinion linking it to service.

  3. Claim it by code

    File under diagnostic code 6314 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.

Find out which rating your evidence supports.

Six reads your records against these exact criteria and tells you what the VA is still missing.

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