Secondary Condition Claim · VASRD 7801
A condition caused or aggravated by an already service-connected disability can be granted its own service connection as a secondary condition under 38 CFR § 3.310. Here's how that works for Scars With Underlying Soft Tissue Damage (Not of the Head, Face, or Neck) when it develops after Lupus Vulgaris (Cutaneous Tuberculosis).
Chronic lesions heal with permanent scarring.
Primary condition · VASRD 7811
Lupus Vulgaris (Cutaneous Tuberculosis)
Lupus vulgaris is tuberculosis of the skin. The schedule lists it as "Tuberculosis luposa (lupus vulgaris), active or inactive," so the code covers the disease in either state. DC 7811 states no percentages of its own: its entire entry is the instruction "Rate under §§ 4.88c or 4.89, whichever is appropriate," so the evaluation comes from those sections rather than from anything in this code.
Secondary condition · VASRD 7801
Scars With Underlying Soft Tissue Damage (Not of the Head, Face, or Neck)
DC 7801 covers burn scars, and scars from any other cause, that are not on the head, face, or neck and that are associated with underlying soft tissue damage. That association with the tissue beneath the scar is what places a scar under this code rather than DC 7802 — not how deep the scar looks and not whether it runs in a straight line. The rating is then set by area: how much of the body the qualifying scar or scars cover, starting at 6 square inches (39 sq. cm.).
The VA rates Scars With Underlying Soft Tissue Damage (Not of the Head, Face, or Neck) the same way whether it's claimed directly or as secondary to Lupus Vulgaris (Cutaneous Tuberculosis) — severity of Scars With Underlying Soft Tissue Damage (Not of the Head, Face, or Neck) itself determines the percentage.
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 40% | Total affected area of 144 square inches (929 sq. cm.) or more. |
| 30% | Total affected area of at least 72 but under 144 square inches (465–929 sq. cm.). |
| 20% | Total affected area of at least 12 but under 72 square inches (77–465 sq. cm.). |
| 10% | Total affected area of at least 6 but under 12 square inches (39–77 sq. cm.). Below 39 sq. cm. this code is noncompensable. |
Example combined rating
30% Lupus Vulgaris (Cutaneous Tuberculosis) + 20% Scars With Underlying Soft Tissue Damage (Not of the Head, Face, or Neck) = 44%
The VA combines ratings with Table I of 38 CFR 4.25, not simple addition — 30% and 20% combine to 44%, not 50%. These figures are illustrative; your actual rating for each condition depends on your own evaluation.
Get the rating criteria for Scars With Underlying Soft Tissue Damage (Not of the Head, Face, or Neck), the evidence a secondary claim needs, and why it is linked to Lupus Vulgaris (Cutaneous Tuberculosis) — delivered to your inbox.
Primary condition
Full Lupus Vulgaris (Cutaneous Tuberculosis) guide
Secondary condition
Full Scars With Underlying Soft Tissue Damage (Not of the Head, Face, or Neck) guide
See how Lupus Vulgaris (Cutaneous Tuberculosis) and Scars With Underlying Soft Tissue Damage (Not of the Head, Face, or Neck) combine with the rest of your service-connected conditions using the official VA combined-ratings formula.
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