VA Diagnostic Code 6828Eosinophilic granuloma of lung

Eosinophilic Granuloma of Lung (VA Diagnostic Code 6828)

Understanding This Respiratory Condition

Eosinophilic granuloma of lung is a respiratory system condition rated by the VA under 38 CFR § 4.97, Diagnostic Code 6828. It is evaluated using the General Rating Formula for Interstitial Lung Disease.

Because it falls under the interstitial lung disease formula, the VA assigns a disability rating based on how much the condition affects your lung function and your ability to breathe and exercise. Ratings are measured largely through pulmonary function tests and related clinical findings.

Available Rating Levels

The VA can assign one of the following ratings for this condition:

100%

Any one of the following:

• 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%

Any one of the following:

• 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%

Any one of the following:

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

10%

Any one of the following:

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

What the VA Looks For

When rating this condition, the VA focuses on objective measures of lung function, including:

• Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) — the percent of predicted lung capacity you are able to exhale.
• Diffusion Capacity (DLCO (SB)) — how well your lungs transfer oxygen into your blood, measured by the single breath method, as a percent of predicted.
• Maximum exercise capacity — measured in ml/kg/min of oxygen consumption, particularly where there is cardiorespiratory limitation.
• Additional clinical findings — such as cor pulmonale, pulmonary hypertension, or a need for outpatient oxygen therapy.

The higher the impairment shown by these measures, the higher the rating level that may apply. Because the criteria at each level are connected by "or," meeting any one of the listed findings for a given level can support that rating.