Reference: 38 CFR 4.97

Sources & Related Guides

What is the VA rating for Nasal-Structural Conditions?

Review nasal-structural condition guidance covering DC 6502 (traumatic deviation of the nasal septum, a single 10 percent tier) and DC 6504 (loss of part of the nose or scars, a 2-tier 30/10 percent criterion), two fully independent tables under the eCFR's 'Diseases of the Nose and Throat' header.

Condition Overview & Clinical Scope

VA rates 2 distinct diagnoses under this small header: DC 6502 (traumatic deviation of the nasal septum, a single-tier 10 percent criterion) and DC 6504 (loss of part of the nose, or scars, a 2-tier 30/10 percent criterion with a cross-reference to DC 7800, Scars, disfiguring, head, face, or neck).

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Overview

About this condition

VA rates 2 distinct diagnoses under this small header: DC 6502 (traumatic deviation of the nasal septum, a single-tier 10 percent criterion) and DC 6504 (loss of part of the nose, or scars, a 2-tier 30/10 percent criterion with a cross-reference to DC 7800, Scars, disfiguring, head, face, or neck).

Regulatory authority: 38 CFR 4.97, Diagnostic Codes 6502, 6504

This hub explains the published DC 6502 and DC 6504 schedule and common record language. It does not diagnose a condition, determine service connection, infer undocumented findings, estimate an outcome, or replace medical care or accredited representation. IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES: (1) DC 6502 only rates traumatic deviation of the nasal septum -- non-traumatic (congenital) deviation has no rateable criterion in this code at all, regardless of severity. (2) DC 6504's own Note directs an alternative evaluation as DC 7800 (Scars, disfiguring, head, face, or neck, already live in RatingScope's Scars hub) -- this is disclosed as a cross-reference to check, never auto-computed into the Scars hub's own facts. (3) A pending VA rulemaking (RIN 2900-AQ72) proposes relocating this entire range, with DC 6502 as a pure renumber (no criteria change) and DC 6504 as a substantive rewrite to a new 4-tier prosthesis-treatability scheme; not yet finalized, RatingScope does not assume how or whether it will apply. (4) DC 6503 does not appear anywhere in this range's Appendix A editorial history -- unlike a confirmed-removed code, it was likely never assigned as a code in this schedule at all. RatingScope discloses this distinction rather than treating it as an ordinary removed-code gap.

Percentage Guides

Understanding Your Percentage

Select a pathway to see what the published criteria ask about, what records may clarify it, and what should not be assumed.

30% (DC 6504)

Highest listed pathway

Loss of part of the nose or scarring that exposes both nasal passages.

What separates the next level: The 10% tier under this same code applies to loss of part of one ala, or other obvious disfigurement not reaching both-passage exposure.

Review CFR criteria, examples, and evidence
Official CFR language
6504 Nose, loss of part of, or scars: Exposing both nasal passages -- 30
Qualification explanation
The higher of DC 6504's two tiers, reached when the documented loss or scarring exposes both nasal passages rather than only affecting the ala (the outer wall of a nostril) on one side.
Examples
Records document nasal reconstruction after trauma, with both nasal passages exposed on examination.
Medical evidence
Sinusitis/Rhinitis and Other Conditions of the Nose, Throat, Larynx and Pharynx DBQ; Surgical or examination records documenting the extent of nasal tissue loss
Functional impact examples
Significant loss of nasal structure affecting both nasal passages.
Common misconceptions
A cosmetic description alone is not enough -- the finding must specifically be that both nasal passages are exposed, not simply visible scarring.
Related topics
dc6504-nose-loss; dc6504-dc7800-crossref
Source context
38 CFR 4.97; 6504; Current DC 6504 educational pathway. A pending rulemaking (RIN 2900-AQ72) proposes a substantive rewrite to a new 4-tier prosthesis-treatability scheme (proposed DC 6221); not yet finalized.

10% (DC 6504)

Next: 30% (DC 6504)

Loss of part of one ala (the outer wall of a nostril), or other obvious disfigurement, not reaching both-passage exposure.

What separates the next level: The 30% tier requires exposure of both nasal passages, a more extensive finding than one-sided ala loss or disfigurement.

Review CFR criteria, examples, and evidence
Official CFR language
Loss of part of one ala, or other obvious disfigurement -- 10
Qualification explanation
The lower of DC 6504's two tiers.
Examples
Records document loss of part of one nostril's ala following injury.
Medical evidence
Sinusitis/Rhinitis and Other Conditions of the Nose, Throat, Larynx and Pharynx DBQ; Surgical or examination records
Functional impact examples
Visible one-sided nasal disfigurement.
Common misconceptions
This code has no 0 percent row -- facts documented below this tier fall to the shared no-qualifying-criterion result, and the DC 7800 cross-reference is worth checking separately (see below).
Related topics
dc6504-nose-loss; dc6504-dc7800-crossref
Source context
38 CFR 4.97; 6504; Current DC 6504 educational pathway.

10% (DC 6502)

Highest listed pathway

Traumatic deviation of the nasal septum causing 50 percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides, or complete obstruction on one side.

What separates the next level: There is no lower tier under this code. A non-traumatic (congenital) deviation, or a traumatic deviation not meeting the obstruction threshold, has no rateable criterion under DC 6502 at all.

Review CFR criteria, examples, and evidence
Official CFR language
6502 Septum, nasal, deviation of: Traumatic only, With 50-percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides or complete obstruction on one side -- 10
Qualification explanation
DC 6502's single named tier -- a flat 10 percent, reached only when the deviation is traumatic (caused by an injury) and meets the stated obstruction threshold.
Examples
Records document a nasal fracture in service, with current examination confirming complete obstruction of one nasal passage.
Medical evidence
Sinusitis/Rhinitis and Other Conditions of the Nose, Throat, Larynx and Pharynx DBQ; Examination records documenting the cause and the specific obstruction percentage
Functional impact examples
Nasal breathing obstruction from a documented traumatic septal deviation.
Common misconceptions
A deviated septum alone is not enough -- the deviation must be traumatic in origin, and the obstruction threshold (50 percent bilateral or complete unilateral) must be documented.; There is no 0 percent row and no lower compensable tier -- a deviation that does not meet both the traumatic-origin and obstruction-threshold requirements does not qualify under DC 6502.
Related topics
dc6502-traumatic-only
Source context
38 CFR 4.97; 6502; Current DC 6502 educational pathway. A pending rulemaking (RIN 2900-AQ72) proposes a pure renumber (proposed DC 6220) with no criteria change; not yet finalized.

Learn

Understand the details behind the criteria

Use these short guides to connect published terms with the records and observations that may clarify them.

DC 6502 only rates traumatic deviation

DC 6502's single 10 percent tier applies only to a nasal septum deviation caused by trauma (an injury) -- a congenital or non-traumatic deviation has no rateable criterion under this code, no matter how severe the obstruction.

  • The eCFR text reads "Traumatic only," as its own qualifying clause directly under the DC 6502 heading, before the obstruction-percentage criterion.
  • The obstruction threshold itself is an either/or test: 50 percent obstruction on both sides, or complete obstruction on one side -- either independently qualifies.
  • There is no 0 percent row and no lower tier -- a documented deviation that is non-traumatic, or traumatic but below the obstruction threshold, does not resolve to a rateable percentage under this code.

Records to review: Examination records documenting the cause and the specific obstruction percentage.

DC 6504's two tiers: extent of nasal tissue loss

DC 6504 rates loss of part of the nose or scarring on a 2-tier scale (30 percent for exposure of both nasal passages, 10 percent for loss of part of one ala or other obvious disfigurement), with no 0 percent row.

  • Unlike DC 6502, DC 6504 carries no traumatic-origin requirement in its own text.
  • "Ala" refers to the outer wall of a nostril -- loss of part of one ala is the code's lower, 10 percent tier.
  • "Exposing both nasal passages" is a more extensive finding than one-sided ala loss, and is the code's higher, 30 percent tier.

Records to review: Surgical or examination records documenting the extent of nasal tissue loss.

The DC 7800 (Scars) cross-reference

DC 6504's own Note directs: "Or evaluate as DC 7800, scars, disfiguring, head, face, or neck." This is a real cross-reference to RatingScope's already-live Scars hub, disclosed here rather than automated.

  • RatingScope does not auto-compute a DC 7800 result from this hub's own facts -- doing so would require the Scars hub's own distinct scar-measurement facts (surface area, number of characteristics of disfigurement, etc.), which this hub does not collect.
  • If your records document facial scarring associated with nasal tissue loss, it is worth separately reviewing RatingScope's Scars hub, since DC 7800 uses a different rating structure that may reach a different result.
  • This is the same disclosure discipline already established for other cross-code Notes in this repository -- never silently dispatched into another hub's own facts.

Records to review: Surgical or examination records documenting scarring; RatingScope's Scars hub.

DC 6503 was never assigned, not removed

DC 6503 does not appear anywhere in 38 CFR 4.97's editorial history -- no removal date, no criterion ever recorded. This is a distinct situation from a code that was assigned and later removed.

  • Appendix A to Part 4 (the Table of Amendments and Effective Dates Since 1946) lists neither a "Criterion..." entry nor a "Removed..." entry for DC 6503, unlike other codes in this same eCFR header confirmed removed at a specific date.
  • The numbering simply skips from DC 6502 to DC 6504 in the current schedule -- there is no rateable criterion to build or disclose beyond noting the gap.
  • This distinction matters for accuracy: a removed code once existed and applied to some historical population, while a never-assigned code never had any content at all.

Records to review: Appendix A to 38 CFR Part 4, Table of Amendments and Effective Dates Since 1946.

Evidence

Evidence that may clarify the published criteria

Examination records documenting cause and obstruction percentage

Needed to establish DC 6502's traumatic-origin requirement and its specific obstruction threshold.

Only relevant to a deviated-septum diagnosis; not required for DC 6504.

Surgical or examination records documenting extent of nasal tissue loss

Needed to distinguish DC 6504's two tiers (both-passage exposure vs. one-sided ala loss or disfigurement).

Only relevant to a nose-loss or scarring diagnosis; not required for DC 6502.

Sinusitis/Rhinitis and Other Conditions of the Nose, Throat, Larynx and Pharynx Disability Benefits Questionnaire

The standardized VA exam form covering deviated septum and nose-loss/scar findings, among other nose/throat conditions.

A DBQ is one common evidence source, not the only way to document these findings.

Official VA Forms & DBQs

Downloadable DBQs & Supporting Claim Forms

Take the public DBQ to your private physician or review it prior to your C&P examination.

Terminology

Plain-English terms

Traumatic deviation

A crooked nasal septum resulting from an injury, not something a person was born with.

DC 6502 rates only traumatic deviation -- a congenital deviation has no rateable criterion under this code.

Examination records documenting cause; dc6502-traumatic-only

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TDIU

Even if the schedular rating for Nasal-Structural Conditions does not reach 100 percent, TDIU may still provide a pathway to compensation at the 100 percent rate, based on unemployability from this and/or other service-connected disabilities combined.

A lower schedular percentage does not by itself foreclose TDIU eligibility -- this hub computes only the schedular percentage for this specific condition and does not determine TDIU eligibility.

Employment history; vocational impact documentation; occupational impairment

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Common Questions

Questions veterans commonly ask

How does VA rate a deviated nasal septum?

DC 6502 provides a single flat 10 percent rating, but only when the deviation is traumatic (caused by an injury) and causes 50 percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides, or complete obstruction on one side. There is no lower tier and no 0 percent row.

What if my deviated septum isn't from an injury?

DC 6502's text specifically limits this code to traumatic deviation. A non-traumatic (congenital) deviation has no rateable criterion under this code, regardless of severity.

How does VA rate loss of part of the nose or nasal scarring?

DC 6504 provides two tiers: 30 percent when the loss or scarring exposes both nasal passages, and 10 percent for loss of part of one ala or other obvious disfigurement not reaching that extent.

What is the DC 7800 cross-reference under DC 6504?

DC 6504's own Note directs an alternative evaluation as DC 7800 (Scars, disfiguring, head, face, or neck). RatingScope discloses this as a cross-reference worth reviewing separately in the Scars hub -- it does not automatically compute a DC 7800 result from this hub's facts.

What happened to DC 6503?

DC 6503 was never assigned as a code in this schedule -- it doesn't appear anywhere in 38 CFR 4.97's editorial history, with no removal date and no criterion ever recorded. This is different from a code that was assigned and later removed.

If my schedular rating for Nasal-Structural Conditions is below 100%, can I still be compensated at the 100% rate?

Possibly, through TDIU (Total Disability rating based on Individual Unemployability, 38 CFR 4.16) -- a separate pathway to 100 percent compensation based on unemployability, from this and/or other service-connected disabilities combined, independent of whether the schedular rating itself reaches 100 percent. This hub computes only the schedular percentage and does not determine TDIU eligibility.

What separates the 30% (DC 6504) rating from adjacent levels?

The 10% tier under this same code applies to loss of part of one ala, or other obvious disfigurement not reaching both-passage exposure.

What separates the 10% (DC 6504) rating from adjacent levels?

The 30% tier requires exposure of both nasal passages, a more extensive finding than one-sided ala loss or disfigurement.

What separates the 10% (DC 6502) rating from adjacent levels?

There is no lower tier under this code. A non-traumatic (congenital) deviation, or a traumatic deviation not meeting the obstruction threshold, has no rateable criterion under DC 6502 at all.

Related Conditions

Continue learning through connected topics

Scars

DC 6504's own Note directs an alternative evaluation as DC 7800, scars, disfiguring, head, face, or neck -- already live in RatingScope's Scars hub.

Sinusitis and Rhinitis

Both conditions are part of the same eCFR 'Diseases of the Nose and Throat' header (DC 6502-6524) and share the same examination DBQ.

Ready when you are

Compare documented nasal-structural findings

Use the diagnosis, obstruction, and structural-finding language already documented in your records. Do not upload records or enter Social Security numbers, claim numbers, full dates of birth, or other sensitive identifiers. RatingScope does not infer missing findings.

Informational guidance only. RatingScope does not predict, decide, or guarantee VA outcomes.

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Secondary conditions

Conditions commonly connected to Nasal-Structural Conditions

No commonly documented secondary connections are tracked for Nasal-Structural Conditions yet.

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