Dental and Oral Conditions§ 4.150Updated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 9915Maxilla, loss of half or less

Rated from 0% to 40% under § 4.150. Here is what the VA requires at each level.

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What each rating requires

The VA assigns the highest level your evidence actually supports. Read up the stack until your records stop matching.

  1. 40%

    Loss of 25 to 50 percent: Not replaceable by prosthesis

  2. 30%

    Loss of 25 to 50 percent: Replaceable by prosthesis

  3. 20%

    Loss of less than 25 percent: Not replaceable by prosthesis

  4. 0%

    Loss of less than 25 percent: Replaceable by prosthesis

From the schedule

Notes on this code

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

  • Note (1): For VA compensation purposes, diagnostic imaging studies include, but are not limited to, conventional radiography (X-ray), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), radionuclide bone scanning, or ultrasonography
  • Note (2): Separately evaluate loss of vocal articulation, loss of smell, loss of taste, neurological impairment, respiratory dysfunction, and other impairments under the appropriate diagnostic code and combine under § 4.25 for each separately rated condition

Maxilla, Loss of Half or Less (VA Diagnostic Code 9915)

Understanding This Rating

The maxilla is the upper jaw bone. When a portion of it is lost — up to half or less — the VA evaluates the impact under Diagnostic Code 9915, part of the Dental and Oral Conditions body system (§ 4.150).

Two key factors shape how this condition is rated:

  1. How much of the maxilla was lost — measured as a percentage (less than 25 percent, or 25 to 50 percent).
  2. Whether the loss can be replaced by a prosthesis — a device used to restore the missing portion.

Available Rating Levels

The VA assigns a disability rating based on the extent of loss and whether it is replaceable by prosthesis:

RatingCriteria
40%Loss of 25 to 50 percent: Not replaceable by prosthesis
30%Loss of 25 to 50 percent: Replaceable by prosthesis
20%Loss of less than 25 percent: Not replaceable by prosthesis
0%Loss of less than 25 percent: Replaceable by prosthesis

What the VA Looks For

When evaluating maxilla loss, the VA considers the amount of bone lost and whether that loss can be corrected with a prosthesis. A greater percentage of loss, and loss that cannot be replaced by a prosthesis, correspond to higher rating levels.

Diagnostic Imaging

For VA compensation purposes, diagnostic imaging studies may be used to assess the condition. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Conventional radiography (X-ray)
  • Computed tomography (CT)
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • Positron emission tomography (PET)
  • Radionuclide bone scanning
  • Ultrasonography

Related Impairments Rated Separately

Loss of the maxilla can affect other functions. Under this diagnostic code, the following are separately evaluated under the appropriate diagnostic code and combined under § 4.25 for each separately rated condition:

  • Loss of vocal articulation
  • Loss of smell
  • Loss of taste
  • Neurological impairment
  • Respiratory dysfunction
  • Other impairments

This information is provided for general educational purposes and is drawn from the VA rating schedule (§ 4.150, Diagnostic Code 9915). Individual ratings depend on the specific facts of each case.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.150, diagnostic code 9915. 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 9915 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Dental and Oral Conditions codes may cover your secondary conditions.

Find out which rating your evidence supports.

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