---
title: "DC 6335 - West Nile virus infection"
diagnostic_code: "6335"
body_system: "Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies"
cfr_section: "§ 4.88b"
canonical: "https://veteranai.co/va-rating-schedule/infectious-and-immune/6335-west-nile-virus-infection"
source: "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.88b"
updated: "2026-07-21T20:32:57.695174Z"
---

# DC 6335 - West Nile virus infection

Rated under § 4.88b. Body system: Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies.

General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases

## Rating criteria

| Rating | Criteria |
| --- | --- |
| 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 |

## Notes

- Note: Rate under the appropriate body system any residual disability of infection, which includes, but is not limited to, variable physical, functional, or cognitive disabilities.

# West Nile Virus Infection (VA Diagnostic Code 6335)

**Body System:** Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies
**Regulation:** 38 CFR § 4.88b
**Rated under:** General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases

---

## What This Condition Is

West Nile virus infection is a condition the VA evaluates under Diagnostic Code 6335, within the group of infectious diseases, immune disorders, and nutritional deficiencies. Because the effects of an infection can differ widely from person to person, the VA rates this condition using the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases.

An important part of how this condition is handled involves what happens after the active infection. Per the rating notes:

> **Note:** Rate under the appropriate body system any residual disability of infection, which includes, but is not limited to, variable physical, functional, or cognitive disabilities.

In plain terms: while the infection is active, it is rated as active disease. Once the active phase has passed, any lasting effects — physical, functional, or cognitive — are rated under the body system that they affect.

---

## Available Rating Levels

Under the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases, this condition may be evaluated at the following levels:

| Rating | What It Reflects |
|--------|------------------|
| **100%** | For active disease. |
| **0%** | As acute or asymptomatic chronic disease. |

After the active disease phase, any residual disability is evaluated separately under the body system it affects, rather than under this code.

---

## What the VA Looks For

When rating West Nile virus infection, the VA considers:

- **Whether the disease is active.** Active disease is rated at 100%.
- **Whether the disease is acute or an asymptomatic chronic condition**, which is rated at 0%.
- **Any residual disability that remains after the infection.** These can include physical, functional, or cognitive effects. Rather than being rated under this code, such residuals are evaluated under the body system they impact.

---

*This information is drawn directly from the VA rating schedule for Diagnostic Code 6335. It is provided for general educational purposes and describes how the condition is categorized and rated. Individual evaluations depend on the specific medical evidence in each case.*

Source: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.88b