YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Scars, Other VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Scars, Other under diagnostic code 7805, in 38 CFR § 4.118 (skin conditions), and that code carries no rating ladder of its own. The percentage comes from elsewhere in Part 4 rather than from tiers under this code.
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A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Prepare for your examTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Scars, Other
DC 7805 is not a category of scar. The schedule titles it "Scars, other; and other effects of scars evaluated under diagnostic codes 7800, 7801, 7802, or 7804," and its whole entry is one instruction: evaluate any disabling effect of a scar that those four codes did not already account for, under whatever diagnostic code covers that effect. It states no percentages of its own.
DC 7805 has no criteria table and no percentages. Its entry in § 4.118 reads, in full: "Evaluate any disabling effect(s) not considered in a rating provided under diagnostic codes 7800-04 under an appropriate diagnostic code." The four codes it points back to each measure the scar itself. DC 7800 counts characteristics of disfigurement of the head, face, or neck and runs 10, 30, 50, and 80 percent as they accumulate. DC 7801 rates scars not of the head, face, or neck that are associated with underlying soft tissue damage, by area, from 10 percent at 6 square inches (39 sq. cm.) to 40 percent at 144 square inches (929 sq. cm.). DC 7802 gives 10 percent for an area of 144 square inches (929 sq. cm.) or greater where there is no such association. DC 7804 rates unstable or painful scars by count, 10 percent for one or two through 30 percent for five or more. Anything disabling that those measurements miss, such as limited motion where a scar crosses a joint, is what this code routes. DC 7800's Note (4) states the same rule from the other side for the head, face, and neck: separately evaluate disabling effects other than disfigurement, such as pain, instability, and residuals of associated muscle or nerve injury, under the appropriate diagnostic code(s), and apply § 4.25 to combine them. So the percentage reached through DC 7805 is whatever the code covering the affected function produces, and the evidence that decides it describes the effect rather than the scar.
- Diagnostic code
- 7805
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.118
- Schedule levels
- None under this code
IN THE REGULATION’S OWN WORDS
What 38 CFR also says about Scars, Other
The notes 38 CFR Part 4 prints with these criteria, quoted. They govern how the evaluation is made without being a rating level themselves.
- “Note (1): The 8 characteristics of disfigurement, for purposes of evaluation under § 4.118, are:”DC 7800
- “Note (2): Rate tissue loss of the auricle under DC 6207 (loss of auricle) and anatomical loss of the eye under DC 6061 (anatomical loss of both eyes) or DC 6063 (anatomical loss of one eye), as appropriate.”DC 7800
- “Note (3): Take into consideration unretouched color photographs when evaluating under these criteria.”DC 7800
- “Note (4): Separately evaluate disabling effects other than disfigurement that are associated with individual scar(s) of the head, face, or neck, such as pain, instability, and residuals of associated muscle or nerve injury, under the appropriate diagnostic code(s) and apply § 4.25 to combine the evaluation(s) with the evaluation assigned under this diagnostic code.”DC 7800
- “Note (5): The characteristic(s) of disfigurement may be caused by one scar or by multiple scars; the characteristic(s) required to assign a particular evaluation need not be caused by a single scar in order to assign that evaluation.”DC 7800
BUILD YOUR EVIDENCE, ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Evidence for your Scars, Other claim
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.
A LITTLE PREPARATION HELPS
What the C&P examiner will ask about Scars, Other
Think through your own experience before exam day. Open a question to see what the examiner is assessing and which details are useful to describe accurately.
Daily functionHow do your scars affect your daily activities, work, or cause pain/limitations?
Assessing scar-related functional limitations, pain, and cosmetic disfigurement.
- Measure scar dimensions and describe exact locations
- Describe any pain, itching, numbness, or tightness
- Mention functional limitations: reduced range of motion, inability to lift
- Describe impact on clothing choices or social situations
- Only focusing on appearance, not mentioning functional problems
- Not describing associated nerve damage or numbness
- Forgetting to mention if scars limit work duties
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Scars, Other?
VA's page says: “You can use these forms to submit medical evidence from your health care providers.”
Source: VA: Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs), read September 18, 2026.
SMALL DETAILS. BETTER PREPARATION.
Preparing your Scars, Other claim
Start with the practical tips, then explore the common oversights. You don’t need to work through everything at once.
Practical tips for your claim3 tips
- 01
Claim the effect, not the scar. DC 7805 assigns no percentage, so what is reached through it is a documented disabling effect the scar codes did not already account for: limited motion at a joint the scar crosses, a nerve or muscle deficit beneath it, or a contracture.
- 02
Ask the examiner to measure the function rather than describe the skin. A range-of-motion measurement, a strength or sensation finding, or a note that a graft site restricts movement is what the code covering that function needs. The scar's appearance is already counted under DC 7800, 7801, and 7802.
- 03
For a scar of the head, face, or neck, DC 7800's Note (4) is the provision to cite: it directs that disabling effects other than disfigurement, such as pain, instability, and residuals of associated muscle or nerve injury, be evaluated under the appropriate diagnostic code and combined under § 4.25.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind2 tips
- 01
Describing only the scar's appearance. Appearance is what DC 7800, 7801, and 7802 measure; this code needs the effect those measurements do not reach.
- 02
Letting the exam end without a range-of-motion measurement when the scar crosses a joint, which leaves the effect unrecorded and gives this code nothing to route.
Common filing mistakes2 tips
- 01
Claiming DC 7805 expecting a percentage from it. The code assigns none. It sends the effect to the diagnostic code covering the function involved, and that code's criteria decide the evaluation.
- 02
Assuming pain or instability belongs here. Those are DC 7804's criteria, which rates unstable or painful scars by count, and that is the code to claim for them.
When symptoms may first appear1 tips
- 01
This code is reached after a scar has already been evaluated under DC 7800, 7801, 7802, or 7804 and something it does remains uncompensated. A scar that crosses a joint, tethers to underlying tissue, or overlies a nerve is the shape that produces such an effect.
YOUR SERVICE STORY
Military jobs associated with Scars, Other
More by branch: Army
THE BROADER PICTURE
Scars, Other by the numbers
- Veterans service-connected
- ~4,800 veterans
Vetrify editorial estimates informed by VA published claims data (VBA Annual Benefits Report) and the VA rating schedule, not official VA statistics.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Common questions about Scars, Other
Is Scars, Other a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Scars, Other under VASRD diagnostic code 7805 (Skin Conditions). DC 7805 is not a category of scar. The schedule titles it "Scars, other; and other effects of scars evaluated under diagnostic codes 7800, 7801, 7802, or 7804," and its whole entry is one instruction: evaluate any disabling effect of a scar that those four codes did not already account for, under whatever diagnostic code covers that effect. It states no percentages of its own.
What evidence helps prove Scars, Other for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Scars, Other claim includes: A measured range of motion for any joint the scar crosses, taken by the examiner rather than estimated; A clinical finding naming the specific deficit: reduced strength, altered sensation, contracture, or tethering to underlying tissue; The operative, burn, or injury treatment record establishing where the scar is and what tissue it involved; Unretouched color photographs, which DC 7800's Note (3) directs be taken into consideration when evaluating a scar of the head, face, or neck.
Which DBQ is used for Scars, Other?
VA's Scars Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) is on its public list of DBQs. VA's page says: "You can use these forms to submit medical evidence from your health care providers."
What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Scars, Other?
Common pitfalls when filing for Scars, Other: Claiming DC 7805 expecting a percentage from it. The code assigns none. It sends the effect to the diagnostic code covering the function involved, and that code's criteria decide the evaluation; Assuming pain or instability belongs here. Those are DC 7804's criteria, which rates unstable or painful scars by count, and that is the code to claim for them.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.118, Schedule of ratings, skin conditions (Diagnostic Code 7805)
Criteria in quotation marks are the regulation’s own words; everything else on this page is Vetrify’s summary of it. The eCFR text is authoritative. See how Vetrify derives its numbers.
How these figures are checked: our methodology and the open dataset.
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