VA Diagnostic Code 6331Coxiella burnetii infection (Q 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
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- 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, chronic hepatitis, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, post Q-fever chronic fatigue syndrome, or vascular infections.
Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii Infection) — VA Disability Rating (Diagnostic Code 6331)
Rated under 38 CFR § 4.88b — Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies, using the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases.
What This Condition Is
Q fever is an infection caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Under the VA rating schedule, it is listed as Diagnostic Code 6331 within the body system covering Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies.
The VA evaluates Q fever using the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases. In addition to rating the infection itself, the schedule directs that any residual disability left behind by the infection be rated under the appropriate body system.
Important note from the schedule: Rate under the appropriate body system any residual disability of the infection. This includes, but is not limited to, chronic hepatitis, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, post Q-fever chronic fatigue syndrome, or vascular infections.
Available Rating Levels
Under the general formula for infectious diseases, active disease is recognized at the top of the scale:
| Rating | What the VA Looks For |
|---|---|
| 100% | For active disease |
| 0% | As acute or asymptomatic chronic disease |
Once the active infection resolves, the VA turns to any lasting effects. Residual disability is rated under the body system it affects, rather than under this code.
What the VA Looks For
- Active disease. While the disease is active, a total (100%) evaluation applies.
- Acute or asymptomatic chronic disease. When the condition is acute or is a chronic infection without symptoms, a noncompensable (0%) evaluation applies.
- Residuals. Any residual disability of the infection is evaluated under the appropriate body system. Examples named in the schedule include chronic hepatitis, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, post Q-fever chronic fatigue syndrome, and vascular infections.
This information is drawn directly from the VA rating schedule entry for Diagnostic Code 6331. It describes the criteria the VA uses and does not predict any individual outcome.
These criteria are a rendering of § 4.88b, diagnostic code 6331. The official version is the one that governs your rating.
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