YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
HIV-Related IllnessVA disability rating & claim guide
DC 6351 is written so that a diagnosis alone is already an evaluation: 0 percent for asymptomatic HIV infection following the initial diagnosis, with or without lymphadenopathy or a decreased T4 cell count. Above that the code moves on three things the medical record already holds — constitutional symptoms, the T4 cell count, and whether approved medication is being used — and two of its tiers are stated as minimums rather than as descriptions, so a T4 count under 200 is at least 30 percent and an AIDS-related opportunistic infection or neoplasm is at least 60 percent whatever else the examination says.
A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Plan your preparationTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates HIV-Related Illness
The VA rates HIV-Related Illness under diagnostic code 6351, in 38 CFR § 4.88b (infectious diseases, immune disorders, and nutritional deficiencies), and the schedule publishes five evaluation levels for it: 100%, 60%, 30%, 10% and 0%.
DC 6351 states five evaluations. 100 percent: AIDS with recurrent opportunistic infections, or with secondary diseases afflicting multiple body systems; or HIV-related illness with debility and progressive weight loss. 60 percent: refractory constitutional symptoms, diarrhea, and pathological weight loss; or minimum rating following development of AIDS-related opportunistic infection or neoplasm. 30 percent: recurrent constitutional symptoms, intermittent diarrhea, and use of approved medication(s); or minimum rating with T4 cell count less than 200. 10 percent: 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 percent: asymptomatic, following initial diagnosis of HIV infection, with or without lymphadenopathy or decreased T4 cell count. Note 1: in addition to standard therapies and regimens, the term "approved medication(s)" includes treatment regimens and medications prescribed as part of a research protocol at an accredited medical institution. Note 2: diagnosed psychiatric illness, central nervous system manifestations, opportunistic infections, and neoplasms may be rated separately under the appropriate diagnostic codes if a higher overall evaluation results, provided the disability symptoms do not overlap with evaluations otherwise assignable above. Note 3 lists the AIDS-defining conditions, a diagnosis of AIDS following if a person has HIV and one or more of them regardless of the CD4 count.
- Diagnostic code
- 6351
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.88b
- Ratings published
- 100%, 60%, 30%, 10% and 0%
How does the VA choose a rating level?
Which level applies is set by the criteria the evidence meets, not by the diagnosis. Where there is a question as to which of two evaluations applies, 38 CFR § 4.7 assigns the higher one if the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating.
EXPLORE THE PERCENTAGES
VA Rating Tiers
Choose a percentage to see what that level means. Open the full comparison to read all the criteria in one place.
These are published rating criteria. Selecting a level does not predict your VA decision.
FROM READING TO READY
Build your evidence, one piece at a time.
A long list feels easier when you have a place to start. Use this checklist to see what you have and what still needs gathering.
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MAKE YOUR NEXT STEP COUNT
Small details. Better preparation.
Start with the practical tips, then explore the common oversights. You don’t need to work through everything at once.
Practical tips for your claim4 tips
- 01
Put the T4 count history in the file rather than the latest value. The bands the criteria use are 200 and 500.
- 02
Name every opportunistic infection and neoplasm. One AIDS-defining condition from Note 3 makes the AIDS diagnosis follow regardless of the CD4 count, and development of an AIDS-related opportunistic infection or neoplasm is a 60 percent minimum.
- 03
Claim the psychiatric and neurological manifestations separately under their own codes, which is what Note 2 is for, and keep their symptoms distinct from the ones supporting this evaluation.
- 04
Record participation in a research protocol as medication. Note 1 says it counts.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind5 tips
- 01
A T4 cell count taken once and never repeated. The criteria are written about counts under 200 and between 200 and 500, and a single figure cannot show which band the disability has settled in.
- 02
Constitutional symptoms recorded without saying whether they are recurrent or refractory. That word is the difference between the 30 and the 60 percent criteria.
- 03
Approved medication not written down as such. It appears in two tiers, and Note 1 defines the term more broadly than a standard formulary.
- 04
Depression or memory loss noted with no comment on employment. The 10 percent criterion asks specifically for employment limitations, and Note 2 opens a separate evaluation for a diagnosed psychiatric illness.
- 05
An opportunistic infection named in a discharge summary and never carried into the rating. Note 3 exists so that its presence is decisive on its own.
Common filing mistakes4 tips
- 01
Waiting for symptoms to file. The 0 percent criterion is asymptomatic HIV infection following the initial diagnosis, so service connection can be established before anything is compensable and every later increase runs from it.
- 02
Claiming only the HIV. Note 2 allows diagnosed psychiatric illness, central nervous system manifestations, opportunistic infections and neoplasms to be rated separately where the overall evaluation is higher, provided the symptoms do not overlap.
- 03
Overlapping the separate evaluations with this one. Note 2’s condition is that the disability symptoms do not overlap with evaluations otherwise assignable above, which is what keeps the separate ratings available.
- 04
Reading the 60 and 30 percent tiers as descriptions. Both are written as minimum ratings, so they are floors that the rest of the record can only raise.
When symptoms may first appear2 tips
- 01
The schedule writes this code as a progression: asymptomatic infection, then constitutional symptoms, then recurrent symptoms with treatment, then refractory symptoms with weight loss, then AIDS. The evaluations follow that order.
- 02
Two of the steps are laboratory rather than clinical — a T4 cell count between 200 and 500, and a count below 200 — so the evaluation can move on a blood test alone.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Common questions about HIV-Related Illness
Is HIV-Related Illness a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates HIV-Related Illness under VASRD diagnostic code 6351 (Infectious Diseases and Immune Disorders). DC 6351 is written so that a diagnosis alone is already an evaluation: 0 percent for asymptomatic HIV infection following the initial diagnosis, with or without lymphadenopathy or a decreased T4 cell coun…
What VA disability rating can I get for HIV-Related Illness?
Possible VA ratings for HIV-Related Illness are 100%, 60%, 30%, 10%, 0%. Examples: 100%: AIDS with recurrent opportunistic infections or disease across several body systems, or HIV-related illness with debility and progressive weight loss.; 60%: Constitutional symptoms that do not respond to treatment, with diarrhea a…
What evidence helps prove HIV-Related Illness for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a HIV-Related Illness claim includes: T4 (CD4) cell counts over time. Two tiers are written directly around the number — under 200 is a stated minimum of 30 percent, and between 200 and 500 reaches 10 percent.; The medication record. "Use of approved medication(s)" appears in both the 30 and the 10…
What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming HIV-Related Illness?
Common pitfalls when filing for HIV-Related Illness: Waiting for symptoms to file. The 0 percent criterion is asymptomatic HIV infection following the initial diagnosis, so service connection can be established before anything is compensable and every later increase runs from it.; Claiming only the HIV. Note 2 allows…
Can I be rated for HIV if I have no symptoms?
Yes, at 0 percent, and it is written into the code rather than being a technicality. DC 6351's lowest criterion is "asymptomatic, following initial diagnosis of HIV infection, with or without lymphadenopathy or decreased T4 cell count". A 0 percent evaluation is still service connection, which is what every later increase is filed against, and it is also what carries entitlement to VA health care for the condition. Filing at the point of diagnosis rather than waiting for symptoms is the practical consequence.
What does a T4 (CD4) cell count do to the VA rating for HIV?
It sets a floor in two places. DC 6351's 30 percent criterion includes "minimum rating with T4 cell count less than 200", and its 10 percent criterion includes a "T4 cell count between 200 and 500". Both are written as alternatives to the clinical descriptions beside them, so the laboratory value alone can place a claim on the ladder. Because they are bands rather than a single measurement, a count history is worth more to a claim than the most recent value.
Can depression, neuropathy or an opportunistic infection be rated separately from HIV?
Yes, where the overall evaluation comes out higher and the symptoms do not double-count. DC 6351's Note 2 says diagnosed psychiatric illness, central nervous system manifestations, opportunistic infections, and neoplasms may be rated separately under the appropriate diagnostic codes if a higher overall evaluation results, provided the disability symptoms do not overlap with evaluations otherwise assignable above. The overlap condition is the part that gets claims into trouble: the same weight loss or fatigue cannot support both this code's tier and a separate evaluation. Note 3 matters here too - it lists the AIDS-defining conditions, and a diagnosis of AIDS follows from any one of them regardless of the CD4 count.
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Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.88b, Schedule of ratings, infectious diseases, immune disorders, and nutritional deficiencies (Diagnostic Code 6351)
- 38 CFR § 4.7, higher of two evaluations
Rating criteria on this page are an educational summary of the cited regulation. The eCFR text is authoritative. See how Vetrify derives its numbers.
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