YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Scars, Unstable or Painful VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Scars, Unstable or Painful under diagnostic code 7804, in 38 CFR § 4.118 (skin conditions), and the schedule provides three evaluation levels for it: 30%, 20% and 10%.
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A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Plan your preparationTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Scars, Unstable or Painful
DC 7804 evaluates scars that are unstable, painful, or both, and it rates them by count — how many scars qualify, not their size, location, or appearance. Note (1) defines an unstable scar as one where, for any reason, there is frequent loss of covering of skin over the scar. A painful scar and an unstable scar count the same toward the tier, and where a single scar is both, Note (2) adds 10 percent on top.
The tiers are a straight count of scars that are unstable or painful: 10 percent for one or two, 20 percent for three or four, and 30 percent for five or more. Note (1) supplies the definition that decides whether a scar counts as unstable — "An unstable scar is one where, for any reason, there is frequent loss of covering of skin over the scar" — while a painful scar counts on the pain alone; neither the size nor the appearance of the scar figures into the tier. Note (2) adds a further step: "If one or more scars are both unstable and painful, add 10 percent to the evaluation that is based on the total number of unstable or painful scars." Note (3) makes this code additive rather than exclusive: scars already evaluated under DC 7800, 7801, 7802, or 7805 may also receive an evaluation under DC 7804 when applicable.
- Diagnostic code
- 7804
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.118
- Schedule levels
- 30%, 20% and 10%
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.
This code prints no 0% row. Under 38 CFR § 4.31, a 0% evaluation is assigned where the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met.
EXPLORE THE PERCENTAGES
Scars, Unstable or Painful VA rating criteria (DC 7804)
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.
IN THE REGULATION’S OWN WORDS
What 38 CFR also says about Scars, Unstable or Painful
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): An unstable scar is one where, for any reason, there is frequent loss of covering of skin over the scar.”DC 7804
- “Note (2): If one or more scars are both unstable and painful, add 10 percent to the evaluation that is based on the total number of unstable or painful scars”DC 7804
- “Note (3): Scars evaluated under diagnostic codes 7800, 7801, 7802, or 7805 may also receive an evaluation under this diagnostic code, when applicable”DC 7804
BUILD YOUR EVIDENCE, ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Evidence for your Scars, Unstable or Painful 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.
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Scars, Unstable or Painful?
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, Unstable or Painful 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 claim4 tips
- 01
Have each claimed scar counted individually in the record, identified as painful, unstable, or both. The tiers are a count, so a note reading "multiple painful scars" does not establish which tier applies.
- 02
Instability has a specific meaning here. Note (1) ties it to frequent loss of covering of skin over the scar, so what documents it is wound-care and treatment records covering the episodes where the scar lost its skin covering — a single photograph of an intact scar cannot show frequency.
- 03
Where one scar is both unstable and painful, Note (2)'s additional 10 percent sits on top of the count-based evaluation, so both features need to be recorded against that same scar rather than described in general terms.
- 04
A scar already evaluated for disfigurement or area under DC 7800, 7801, 7802, or 7805 is not out of reach here — Note (3) permits an evaluation under this code as well, when applicable.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind4 tips
- 01
An exam that reports one aggregate finding — "scars are painful" — with no scar-by-scar count. Every tier of this code is a number of scars.
- 02
An exam that treats the claim as being about painful scars only and leaves instability unaddressed, even though the code's title and all three criteria rows read "unstable or painful."
- 03
A scar that is both unstable and painful recorded as only one or the other, which leaves out the additional 10 percent Note (2) provides.
- 04
Instability captured loosely — the scar "looks bad" or is "irritated" — rather than in Note (1)'s terms, frequent loss of covering of skin over the scar.
Common filing mistakes3 tips
- 01
Filing this as a claim about how the scars look. Appearance on the head, face, or neck is DC 7800's subject and area is DC 7801's and DC 7802's; DC 7804 counts scars that are unstable or painful.
- 02
Not listing every scar being claimed, since a scar left off the list is not in the count that sets the tier.
- 03
Assuming a scar already rated under another scar code cannot be claimed here, when Note (3) says scars evaluated under DC 7800, 7801, 7802, or 7805 may also receive an evaluation under this code when applicable.
When symptoms may first appear2 tips
- 01
Pain and instability are properties of the healed scar rather than of the original wound, so they may be documented at any point after the burn, laceration, or surgical incision that left the scar.
- 02
Note (1)'s phrase "for any reason" means the cause of the skin loss over the scar is not what this code asks about — only that the loss is frequent.
YOUR SERVICE STORY
Military jobs associated with Scars, Unstable or Painful
THE BROADER PICTURE
Scars, Unstable or Painful by the numbers
- Veterans service-connected
- ~72,000 veterans
- Typical rating awarded
- ~10%
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, Unstable or Painful
Is Scars, Unstable or Painful a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Scars, Unstable or Painful under VASRD diagnostic code 7804 (Skin Conditions). DC 7804 evaluates scars that are unstable, painful, or both, and it rates them by count — how many scars qualify, not their size, location, or appearance. Note (1) defines an unstable scar as one where, for any reason, there is frequent loss of covering of skin over the scar. A painful scar and an unstable scar count the same toward the tier, and where a single scar is both, Note (2) adds 10 percent on top.
What VA disability rating can I get for Scars, Unstable or Painful?
Possible VA ratings for Scars, Unstable or Painful are 30%, 20%, 10%, 0%. The 0% level comes from 38 CFR 4.31, which assigns it wherever no compensable level is met. Examples: 30%: Five or more scars that are unstable or painful; 20%: Three or four scars that are unstable or painful; 10%: One or two scars that are unstable or painful.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Scars, Unstable or Painful?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Scars, Unstable or Painful at around 10%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 72,000 veterans are service-connected for Scars, Unstable or Painful.
What evidence helps prove Scars, Unstable or Painful for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Scars, Unstable or Painful claim includes: Exam or treatment notes that identify each scar separately and state, for each one, whether it is painful on examination, unstable, or both; Wound-care or dermatology records covering the occasions when a scar lost its covering of skin, since Note (1) makes the frequency of that loss the test for instability; Photographs of each scar with its location, taken at more than one point in time where instability is at issue; A clear total count of the qualifying scars, which is the figure the tiers are drawn on.
Which DBQ is used for Scars, Unstable or Painful?
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, Unstable or Painful?
Common pitfalls when filing for Scars, Unstable or Painful: Filing this as a claim about how the scars look. Appearance on the head, face, or neck is DC 7800's subject and area is DC 7801's and DC 7802's; DC 7804 counts scars that are unstable or painful; Not listing every scar being claimed, since a scar left off the list is not in the count that sets the tier; Assuming a scar already rated under another scar code cannot be claimed here, when Note (3) says scars evaluated under DC 7800, 7801, 7802, or 7805 may also receive an evaluation under this code when applicable.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.118, Schedule of ratings, skin conditions (Diagnostic Code 7804)
- 38 CFR § 4.7, higher of two evaluations
- 38 CFR § 4.31, zero percent evaluations
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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