VA BENEFITS REFERENCE
DC 7800: Burn Scar(S) Of The Head, Face, Or Neck; Scar(S) Of The Head, Face, Or Neck Due To Other Causes; Or Other Disfigurement Of The Head, Face, Or Neck
Read VA diagnostic code 7800 for Burn scar(s) of the head, face, or neck; scar(s) of the head, face, or neck due to other causes; or other disfigurement of the head, face, or neck: published criteria, regulatory notes, related codes and official sources checked October 25, 2026.
Published criteria from 38 CFR 4.118, current through 2026-10-22. Historical decisions may require a different version. This reference does not diagnose a condition or determine an evaluation.
The Skin · All Diagnostic Codes
DC 7800: Burn Scar(S) Of The Head, Face, Or Neck; Scar(S) Of The Head, Face, Or Neck Due To Other Causes; Or Other Disfigurement Of The Head, Face, Or Neck
Diagnostic code 7800 addresses Burn scar(s) of the head, face, or neck; scar(s) of the head, face, or neck due to other causes; or other disfigurement of the head, face, or neck. Read its specific instructions together with any shared formula, notes and linked provisions. These criteria describe evaluation after the applicable entitlement requirements are met; this reference does not diagnose a condition or determine a claim.
| Rating | |
|---|---|
| 7800 Burn scar(s) of the head, face, or neck; scar(s) of the head, face, or neck due to other causes; or other disfigurement of the head, face, or neck: | |
| With visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of three or more features or paired sets of features (nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips), or; with six or more characteristics of disfigurement | 80 |
| With visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of two features or paired sets of features (nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips), or; with four or five characteristics of disfigurement | 50 |
| With visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of one feature or paired set of features (nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips), or; with two or three characteristics of disfigurement | 30 |
| With one characteristic of disfigurement | 10 |
| Note (1): The 8 characteristics of disfigurement, for purposes of evaluation under § 4.118, are: | |
| Scar 5 or more inches (13 or more cm.) in length. | |
| Scar at least one-quarter inch (0.6 cm.) wide at widest part. | |
| Surface contour of scar elevated or depressed on palpation. | |
| Scar adherent to underlying tissue. | |
| Skin hypo-or hyper-pigmented in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.). | |
| Skin texture abnormal (irregular, atrophic, shiny, scaly, etc.) in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.). | |
| Underlying soft tissue missing in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.). | |
| Skin indurated and inflexible in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.). | |
| 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. | |
| Note (3): Take into consideration unretouched color photographs when evaluating under these criteria. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. |
What The Criteria Measure
- Does the decision identify diagnostic code 7800, and does the medical record describe the condition named by this code?
- Have the code-specific notes and cross-references been read before comparing any listed evaluation?
Related Public DBQs
Editorial subject matches, not official VA code-to-form assignments. Read the form scope and clinician instructions.
Regulatory Cross-References
Shared Rules And Regulatory Context
Context provisions do not create an additional evaluation automatically assigned to every condition.
Related Guides
Official Sources
Last verified 2026-10-25. Source publication or legal effective dates are shown separately where available.
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