Asthma VA rating
The VA rates asthma under DC 6602 / 6604, and most ratings land in the 0–100% range. What decides yours is the criteria below and what your record actually documents.
What the criteria ask for at each level
DC 6602 — 38 CFR §4.97
| Rating | What the record has to show |
|---|---|
| 10% | FEV-1 71–80% predicted, or FEV-1/FVC 71–80%, or intermittent inhalational or oral bronchodilator therapy. |
| 30% | FEV-1 56–70% predicted, or FEV-1/FVC 56–70%, or daily inhalational or oral bronchodilator therapy, or inhalational anti-inflammatory medication. |
| 60% | FEV-1 40–55% predicted, or FEV-1/FVC 40–55%, or at least monthly physician visits for exacerbations, or at least three courses of systemic corticosteroids a year. |
| 100% | FEV-1 under 40% predicted, or FEV-1/FVC under 40%, or more than one attack a week with episodes of respiratory failure, or daily high-dose systemic corticosteroids or immunosuppressives. |
The schedule's own words
Ratings turn on specific terms, and a record that describes the same reality in different language often reads as a lower rating. These are the words this code measures:
- FEV-1 percent predicted
- daily inhalational or oral bronchodilator therapy
- courses of systemic corticosteroids
Evidence that moves this rating
- A pulmonary function test (PFT) — the rating cannot move without it
- Pharmacy refill history showing therapy frequency
What your statement has to cover
Doctors chart symptoms; they rarely chart consequences. That part is yours, and it is usually what separates a documented rating from a reported one.
- List every medication and how often you actually use your inhaler.
- PACT Act: asthma diagnosed AFTER service is PRESUMPTIVE for qualifying burn-pit service.
Our Statement Builderwalks through the questions that produce that kind of statement, in the schedule's own terms.
What asthma can lead to2 documented pathways
A secondary claim runs through a condition the VA already accepts, so the argument about your service is already won. What is left is the medical link — and a nexus opinion has to name the mechanism, not just the pair.
| Can lead to | The mechanism a nexus has to state |
|---|---|
| GERD (acid reflux) | Airway inflammation, chronic coughing, and thoracic pressure changes aggravate reflux. |
| Sleep apnea | Airway inflammation and weight gain from steroid inhalers both raise obstructive sleep apnea risk. Caution: if your respiratory rating is already high, the VA may deny this as pyramiding — respiratory conditions often share one rating. |
A pathway existing in the literature is not the same as your claim being granted — your records and the VA decide that. How secondary claims work covers the argument.
Before you spend money on this claim
VA ratings do not add. Each new rating applies only to the part of you the VA still counts as unimpaired, then rounds to the nearest ten — so from 70%, a new 10% condition leaves you at exactly 70% and changes your payment by nothing.
That does not make the claim worthless; it can still matter for TDIU, for SMC, or later when something else is added. But it is worth knowing before you pay for a nexus letter rather than after. Check what one more condition does at your rating — it takes a minute.