VA Diagnostic Code 6320Parasitic diseases otherwise not specified

VA Disability Rating for Parasitic Diseases (Not Otherwise Specified)

Diagnostic Code 6320 · 38 CFR § 4.88b Body System: Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies Rated under the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases

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What This Condition Covers

Diagnostic Code 6320 addresses parasitic diseases that are not specifically listed elsewhere in the VA rating schedule. Parasitic infections can affect the body in a wide range of ways, from active infection to lingering symptoms and complications that touch different organ systems.

Because the effects of a parasitic disease can vary so widely, the VA uses the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases to assign a rating. In general, this means:

• Active disease is recognized at the highest level.
• As the disease resolves, any residual (lasting) disability left behind by the infection is rated under the body system it affects.

Note: Any residual disability of the infection is rated under the appropriate body system.

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Available Rating Levels

The rating levels below reflect the criteria associated with this code. Ratings range from 0% to 100%, generally reflecting whether the disease is active and how severe the symptoms and lasting effects are.

100% — Active Disease and Most Severe Presentations

A 100% rating applies to active disease, and to the most severe presentations, which may include:

• Marked mental changes, moist dermatitis, inability to retain adequate nourishment, exhaustion, and cachexia
• Congestive heart failure, anasarca, or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
• Acute disease with frequent exacerbations producing severe impairment of health
• Symptoms that are nearly constant and so severe as to restrict routine daily activities almost completely, and which may occasionally preclude self-care

60%

• All of the symptoms listed for lower levels, plus mental symptoms and impaired bodily vigor
• Cardiomegaly, or peripheral neuropathy with footdrop or atrophy of thigh or calf muscles
• Exacerbations lasting a week or more, 2 or 3 times per year
• Symptoms that are nearly constant and restrict routine daily activities to less than 50 percent of the pre-illness level; or that wax and wane, resulting in periods of incapacitation of at least six weeks total duration per year

40%

• Stomatitis, diarrhea, and symmetrical dermatitis
• Symptoms that are nearly constant and restrict routine daily activities from 50 to 75 percent of the pre-illness level; or that wax and wane, resulting in periods of incapacitation of at least four but less than six weeks total duration per year

30%

• 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

20%

• Stomatitis, or achlorhydria, or diarrhea
• Symptoms that are nearly constant and restrict routine daily activities by less than 25 percent of the pre-illness level; or that wax and wane, resulting in periods of incapacitation of at least two but less than four weeks total duration per year

10%

• Confirmed diagnosis with nonspecific symptoms such as decreased appetite, weight loss, abdominal discomfort, weakness, inability to concentrate, and irritability
• Exacerbations once or twice a year, or symptomatic during the past 2 years
• Symptoms that 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

0%

• Acute or asymptomatic chronic disease

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What the VA Looks For

When rating a parasitic disease under Diagnostic Code 6320, the VA generally considers:

• Whether the disease is currently active. Active disease is recognized at the 100% level.
• The specific symptoms present, such as stomatitis, diarrhea, dermatitis, achlorhydria, or nonspecific symptoms like weight loss, weakness, and difficulty concentrating.
• The severity and complications, including mental changes, nutritional problems, cardiac effects, or peripheral neuropathy.
• How much the condition restricts routine daily activities, and whether symptoms are nearly constant or wax and wane.
• Periods of incapacitation measured over the course of a year.
• Whether symptoms are controlled by continuous medication.
• Any residual disability left by the infection, which is rated under the appropriate body system.

This information is drawn directly from the VA rating criteria for Diagnostic Code 6320. It is provided for general educational purposes and does not guarantee any particular rating or outcome. Every claim is evaluated on its own facts.