Chorea, Huntington's (DC 8106)

Rating levels

• -1% — Huntington's chorea is hereditary (autosomal-dominant), but because symptoms typically emerge in adult life rather than at birth, VA treats it as a ratable disability when manifestation occurs during or after service. The rating itself is assigned using the 5-tier Sydenham's chorea ladder (DC 8105): 100% / 80% / 50% / 30% / 10% based on severity. The same severity descriptors (pronounced grave, severe, moderately severe, moderate, mild) apply to the involuntary-movement component. Cognitive decline (dementia, rated under § 4.130) and psychiatric symptoms (depression, psychosis) often accompany Huntington's and may be rated separately under their own diagnostic codes when they produce distinct functional impairment.
• 100% — You qualify for 100% if your Huntington's chorea is pronounced, progressive, and of the grave type, meaning the involuntary movements are severe and unrelenting, the disease is actively worsening, and the overall clinical picture is life-threatening or completely disabling. At this level the veteran is typically nonambulatory, unable to perform self-care, and may have superimposed cognitive, swallowing, or respiratory impairment.
• 80% — You qualify for 80% if your Huntington's chorea is severe: continuous or near-continuous involuntary movements that markedly interfere with most activities (eating, dressing, writing, ambulation), with substantial loss of motor control. The veteran can perform only limited self-care and cannot sustain work-like activity.
• 50% — You qualify for 50% if your Huntington's chorea is moderately severe: frequent involuntary movements that significantly interfere with fine motor tasks (handwriting, buttoning, manipulating small objects) and gait, and intermittently disrupt larger activities. The veteran can still perform basic self-care but with frequent assistance or adaptation.
• 30% — You qualify for 30% if your Huntington's chorea is moderate: noticeable involuntary movements that occur regularly and interfere with some daily activities but do not preclude most self-care or work. The movements are visible to observers and may worsen with stress, fatigue, or voluntary activity.
• 10% — You qualify for 10% if your Huntington's chorea is mild: occasional or low-amplitude involuntary movements that are perceptible on examination but cause little to no functional limitation in daily activities. The movements may be brought out by stress, fatigue, or attention but do not interfere with most tasks.