Respiratory System§ 4.97Updated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 6825Diffuse interstitial fibrosis (interstitial pneumonitis, fibrosing alveolitis)

Rated from 10% to 100% under § 4.97. Here is what the VA requires at each level.

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The ladder

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%

    Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) less than 50-percent predicted, or; Diffusion Capacity of the Lung for Carbon Monoxide by the Single Breath Method (DLCO (SB)) less than 40-percent predicted, or; maximum exercise capacity less than 15 ml/kg/min oxygen consumption with cardiorespiratory limitation, or; cor pulmonale or pulmonary hypertension, or; requires outpatient oxygen therapy

  2. 60%

    FVC of 50- to 64-percent predicted, or; DLCO (SB) of 40- to 55-percent predicted, or; maximum exercise capacity of 15 to 20 ml/kg/min oxygen consumption with cardiorespiratory limitation

  3. 30%

    FVC of 65- to 74-percent predicted, or; DLCO (SB) of 56- to 65-percent predicted

  4. 10%

    FVC of 75- to 80-percent predicted, or; DLCO (SB) of 66- to 80-percent predicted

How it is applied

General rating formula

General Rating Formula for Interstitial Lung Disease (diagnostic codes 6825 through 6833)

VA Disability Rating for Diffuse Interstitial Fibrosis (Diagnostic Code 6825)

Also known as interstitial pneumonitis or fibrosing alveolitis

Body System: Respiratory System · Regulation: 38 CFR § 4.97

Understanding the Condition

Diffuse interstitial fibrosis is a lung condition affecting the interstitial tissue of the lungs. It is one of the interstitial lung diseases evaluated by the VA under Diagnostic Code 6825.

The VA rates this condition using the General Rating Formula for Interstitial Lung Disease. Ratings are assigned at four levels — 10%, 30%, 60%, and 100% — based primarily on the results of pulmonary function tests and related clinical findings.

Rating Levels

The VA assigns a rating based on whichever qualifying criterion applies. Below are the levels and the measurements associated with each.

100%

  • Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) less than 50-percent predicted, or
  • Diffusion Capacity of the Lung for Carbon Monoxide by the Single Breath Method (DLCO (SB)) less than 40-percent predicted, or
  • Maximum exercise capacity less than 15 ml/kg/min oxygen consumption with cardiorespiratory limitation, or
  • Cor pulmonale or pulmonary hypertension, or
  • Requires outpatient oxygen therapy

60%

  • FVC of 50- to 64-percent predicted, or
  • DLCO (SB) of 40- to 55-percent predicted, or
  • Maximum exercise capacity of 15 to 20 ml/kg/min oxygen consumption with cardiorespiratory limitation

30%

  • FVC of 65- to 74-percent predicted, or
  • DLCO (SB) of 56- to 65-percent predicted

10%

  • FVC of 75- to 80-percent predicted, or
  • DLCO (SB) of 66- to 80-percent predicted

What the VA Looks For

When rating diffuse interstitial fibrosis, the VA focuses on objective clinical measurements, including:

  • Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) expressed as a percentage of the predicted value
  • Diffusion Capacity of the Lung for Carbon Monoxide, Single Breath Method (DLCO (SB)) expressed as a percentage of the predicted value
  • Maximum exercise capacity, measured in ml/kg/min of oxygen consumption, where there is cardiorespiratory limitation
  • The presence of cor pulmonale or pulmonary hypertension
  • Whether the condition requires outpatient oxygen therapy

Because the criteria within each level are connected by "or," meeting any single qualifying measurement can support that rating level.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.97, diagnostic code 6825. 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 6825 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Respiratory System codes may cover your secondary conditions.

Find out which rating your evidence supports.

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