Skin§ 4.118Updated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 7833Malignant melanoma:

Rated under § 4.118. No rating levels have been extracted for this code yet — use the official source.

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In short

Summary

Rate as scars (DC's 7801, 7802, 7803, 7804, or 7805), disfigurement of the head, face, or neck (DC 7800), or impairment of function (under the appropriate body system)

The ladder

What each rating requires

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This code has no itemised criteria in our copy of the schedule. Use the official source link for the controlling text.

From the schedule

Notes on this code

These notes are part of the regulation. They change how the levels above are applied.

  • Note: If a skin malignancy requires therapy that is comparable to that used for systemic malignancies, i.e., systemic chemotherapy, X-ray therapy more extensive than to the skin, or surgery more extensive than wide local excision, a 100-percent evaluation will be assigned from the date of onset of treatment, and will continue, with a mandatory VA examination six months following the completion of such antineoplastic treatment, and any change in evaluation based upon that or any subsequent examination will be subject to the provisions of § 3.105(e). If there has been no local recurrence or metastasis, evaluation will then be made on residuals. If treatment is confined to the skin, the provisions for a 100-percent evaluation do not apply.

Malignant Melanoma (VA Diagnostic Code 7833)

Malignant melanoma is a skin condition rated by the VA under 38 CFR § 4.118, the section of the rating schedule that covers the skin body system.

Understanding How Malignant Melanoma Is Rated

Unlike some conditions that use a single fixed set of percentage levels, malignant melanoma does not have its own standalone rating ladder. Instead, the VA rates it based on how the condition and its effects present. Under Diagnostic Code 7833, malignant melanoma is rated as:

  • Scars — using Diagnostic Codes 7801, 7802, 7803, 7804, or 7805
  • Disfigurement of the head, face, or neck — using Diagnostic Code 7800
  • Impairment of function — evaluated under the appropriate body system affected

This means the rating reflects the specific residuals and effects of the melanoma in each individual case.

The 100-Percent Evaluation During Treatment

There is an important provision for active treatment. If a skin malignancy requires therapy that is comparable to that used for systemic malignancies — for example:

  • Systemic chemotherapy
  • X-ray therapy more extensive than to the skin
  • Surgery more extensive than wide local excision

then a 100-percent evaluation is assigned from the date treatment begins.

This 100-percent evaluation continues, with a mandatory VA examination six months following the completion of that antineoplastic treatment. Any change in evaluation based on that examination — or any subsequent examination — is subject to the provisions of § 3.105(e).

If there has been no local recurrence or metastasis, the evaluation is then made based on the residuals of the condition.

Note: If treatment is confined to the skin, the provisions for a 100-percent evaluation do not apply.

What the VA Looks For

When rating malignant melanoma, the VA considers:

  • The nature of the treatment — whether it is comparable to therapy used for systemic malignancies, or confined to the skin
  • Whether treatment is ongoing — which can trigger a 100-percent evaluation during active antineoplastic therapy
  • The results of the mandatory follow-up examination six months after treatment ends
  • Whether there has been local recurrence or metastasis
  • The residuals of the condition, which may be rated as scars, disfigurement of the head/face/neck, or functional impairment of an affected body system

Because the rating depends on your specific circumstances — the treatment you received and the residuals that remain — the way malignant melanoma is evaluated can differ from one person to another.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.118, diagnostic code 7833. 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 7833 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Skin codes may cover your secondary conditions.

Find out which rating your evidence supports.

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