YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Lyme DiseaseVA disability rating & claim guide
DC 6319 sends Lyme disease to the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases, which pays 100 percent for active disease and 0 percent for the infection once it has resolved. Almost every Lyme claim is therefore decided somewhere other than this code, and the code says where: its note directs any residual disability of the infection to be rated under the appropriate body system, and names arthritis, Bell’s palsy, radiculopathy, ocular and cognitive dysfunction as examples. Those are the evaluations a veteran with post-treatment Lyme should be filing for.
A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Plan your preparationTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Lyme Disease
The VA rates Lyme Disease under diagnostic code 6319, in 38 CFR § 4.88b (infectious diseases, immune disorders, and nutritional deficiencies), and the schedule publishes two evaluation levels for it: 100% and 0%.
DC 6319 states one instruction — evaluate under the General Rating Formula — and the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases states two lines. 100 percent: for active disease. Then: after active disease has resolved, rate at 0 percent for infection, and rate any residual disability of infection within the appropriate body system. The code’s own note repeats the direction and names what it has in mind: rate under the appropriate body system any residual disability of infection, which includes, but is not limited to, arthritis, Bell’s palsy, radiculopathy, ocular, or cognitive dysfunction. 38 CFR 4.31 supplies the 0 percent where the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met. So the infection itself is compensable only while it is active, and the lasting disability is rated under the musculoskeletal, neurological, eye or mental-disorders schedules as the case requires.
- Diagnostic code
- 6319
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.88b
- Ratings published
- 100% 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.
Check off what you’ve gathered. Progress stays on this page until you leave or refresh.
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
Claim the residuals by name, using the note’s own list as the starting point.
- 02
Keep the record of active disease intact — it is what the 100 percent tier is for, and it is also what ties every residual back to service.
- 03
Ask for each residual to be examined under its own body system rather than in the infectious-disease examination.
- 04
Do not let the claim close at 0 percent. An increase on an existing service-connected condition is a different fight from a new claim.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind4 tips
- 01
An examination that confirms past Lyme disease and stops there. Once the infection has resolved this code pays 0 percent, so an examination that never reaches the residuals leaves the compensable part of the claim unexamined.
- 02
Joint pain attributed to Lyme and left unmeasured. Arthritis is rated on the joint, which means range of motion and the findings the musculoskeletal schedule asks for.
- 03
Residual neurological deficits described in general terms. They are rated by nerve, and an examination that does not identify the nerve cannot support an evaluation.
- 04
Cognitive complaints recorded as subjective with no testing. The note names cognitive dysfunction as a residual in its own right.
Common filing mistakes4 tips
- 01
Filing only for Lyme disease. The schedule routes the residuals to other body systems, so they have to be claimed to be rated.
- 02
Reading the 0 percent as a denial. It is service connection for the infection, and the residual evaluations are filed against it.
- 03
Expecting a standing evaluation for a past infection. This code has no tier for a history of Lyme disease.
- 04
Claiming the residuals as one condition. Arthritis, radiculopathy, an ocular residual and cognitive dysfunction are four different schedules.
When symptoms may first appear2 tips
- 01
The schedule describes this code in two phases rather than as a course: active disease, and everything after it has resolved.
- 02
Its note treats lasting disability as the normal outcome rather than the exception, and names five kinds of it.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Common questions about Lyme Disease
Is Lyme Disease a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Lyme Disease under VASRD diagnostic code 6319 (Infectious Diseases and Immune Disorders). DC 6319 sends Lyme disease to the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases, which pays 100 percent for active disease and 0 percent for the infection once it has resolved. Almost every Lyme claim is theref…
What VA disability rating can I get for Lyme Disease?
Possible VA ratings for Lyme Disease are 100%, 0%. Examples: 100%: While the infection is active.; 0%: Once the infection has resolved. What it left behind is rated under the body system it affects, not here..
What evidence helps prove Lyme Disease for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Lyme Disease claim includes: The dates the disease was active, with the treatment given. The only compensable evaluation under this code is for active disease.; Joint findings, with the joints named. The note puts arthritis first among the residuals, and it is rated under the musculoskeletal sche…
What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Lyme Disease?
Common pitfalls when filing for Lyme Disease: Filing only for Lyme disease. The schedule routes the residuals to other body systems, so they have to be claimed to be rated.; Reading the 0 percent as a denial. It is service connection for the infection, and the residual evaluations are filed against it.; Expecting a st…
Why is my Lyme disease rated at 0 percent?
Because the infection itself is compensable only while it is active. DC 6319 says to evaluate under the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases, which reads: 100 percent for active disease, and after active disease has resolved, rate at 0 percent for infection and rate any residual disability of infection within the appropriate body system. A 0 percent evaluation here is service connection for the infection, not a denial. What it does not do is rate the lasting problems, and DC 6319's own note names them: arthritis, Bell's palsy, radiculopathy, ocular, or cognitive dysfunction. Each of those is claimed and rated under its own body system, which is where a post-treatment Lyme claim is actually decided.
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Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.88b, Schedule of ratings, infectious diseases, immune disorders, and nutritional deficiencies (Diagnostic Code 6319)
- 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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