Body system: SkinRegulation: 38 CFR § 4.118DBQ: DBQ Scars/Disfigurement
This rating covers burn scars or other scars anywhere on your body except your head, face, or neck, but only when the scarring goes deeper than just the skin surface and affects the soft tissue underneath (muscle, fat, or connective tissue). The VA rates these scars purely based on their total size in square inches - the bigger the scarred area, the higher your rating. Ratings range from 10% for scars covering at least 6 square inches up to 40% for scars covering 144 square inches or more.
Rating levels
- 40% — You qualify at this level if you have burn scars or other scars anywhere on your body except your head, face, or neck that cover at least 144 square inches total. The scars must go deeper than just the surface skin and affect the soft tissue underneath (muscle, fat, or connective tissue beneath the skin). To put the size in perspective, 144 square inches is about the size of a 12-inch by 12-inch square.
- 30% — You qualify for this rating if you have burn scars or other scars (not on your head, face, or neck) that cover at least 72 square inches but less than 144 square inches of your body. The scars must also have damaged the soft tissue underneath your skin (muscle, fat, or connective tissue beneath the surface). For scale, 72 square inches is about three quarters of a sheet of letter paper (93.5 square inches), and 144 square inches is about one and a half sheets.
- 20% — You qualify for this rating if you have burn scars or other scars anywhere on your body except your head, face, or neck, and these scars cover an area that's at least 12 square inches but less than 72 square inches. For scale, 12 square inches is about a 3-by-4-inch index card, and 72 square inches is about three quarters of a sheet of letter paper (which is 93.5 square inches). The scars must also involve damage to the soft tissue underneath (muscle, fat, or connective tissue beneath the skin), not just surface-level scarring.
- 10% — You qualify for this rating if you have burn scars or other scars anywhere on your body except the head, face or neck, the scars have damaged the soft tissue underneath (muscle, fat or other tissue below the skin), and together they cover at least 6 but less than 12 square inches (39 to 77 sq. cm.). For scale, 6 square inches is about a 2-by-3-inch photo and 12 square inches is about a 3-by-4-inch index card.
- Note — For this code the body is divided into six zones: each arm, each leg, the front of the trunk and the back of the trunk, split at the midaxillary line (the line down the side of the body from the armpit).
- Note — Scars in more than one zone, or one scar that crosses zones, can get a separate rating for each zone, and those ratings are combined under 38 CFR 4.25; or the scar areas are added together for a single rating, whichever gives the higher result.