Reference: 38 CFR 4.87a

Sources & Related Guides

What is the VA rating for Loss of Smell and Taste (Anosmia and Ageusia)?

Understand VA disability guidance for complete loss of smell (DC 6275) and complete loss of taste (DC 6276), each rated at a flat 10 percent under 38 CFR 4.87a when an anatomical or pathological basis is confirmed.

Condition Overview & Clinical Scope

38 CFR 4.87a rates complete loss of the sense of smell (DC 6275) and complete loss of the sense of taste (DC 6276) at a flat 10 percent each. Both codes share the same structural boundary: an evaluation is assigned only if there is an anatomical or pathological basis for the condition. Neither code has a partial-loss tier of any kind -- this is a binary, complete-loss-only structure, not a graduated scale.

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Explore Loss of Smell and Taste (Anosmia and Ageusia) Criteria & Tools

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Common Questions & FAQs

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What are you trying to understand about loss of smell and taste (anosmia and ageusia)?

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Overview

About this condition

38 CFR 4.87a rates complete loss of the sense of smell (DC 6275) and complete loss of the sense of taste (DC 6276) at a flat 10 percent each. Both codes share the same structural boundary: an evaluation is assigned only if there is an anatomical or pathological basis for the condition. Neither code has a partial-loss tier of any kind -- this is a binary, complete-loss-only structure, not a graduated scale.

Regulatory authority: 38 CFR 4.87a

This hub explains the published DC 6275/6276 criteria and common record language. It does not diagnose anosmia or ageusia, infer missing basis documentation, determine service connection, or predict a VA decision. What counts as a sufficient 'anatomical or pathological basis' is left undefined in the regulation text and is disclosed below rather than resolved (NHD-1). DC 6275/6276 have no partial-loss tier at all -- a documented partial loss is not compensable under this code regardless of how well it is documented, and this hub never treats a partial-loss finding as merely needing more detail (NHD-2). No stated rule addresses combining a simultaneous complete loss of both smell and taste into a single percentage; that combination is disclosed as an inference toward the standard Combined Ratings Table (38 CFR 4.25), never computed here (NHD-3).

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.

10%

Highest listed pathway

The 10% level describes a confirmed complete loss of the sense of smell (DC 6275) or a confirmed complete loss of the sense of taste (DC 6276), each with a confirmed anatomical or pathological basis. Both codes share this single percentage value; they rate two different senses, not two different severity levels.

What separates the next level: There is no lower or higher compensable tier under DC 6275/6276 -- each code is a single flat 10 percent for complete loss, with no partial-loss tier of any kind (NHD-2).

Review CFR criteria, examples, and evidence
Official CFR language
DC 6275 rates complete loss of sense of smell at 10 percent. DC 6276 rates complete loss of sense of taste at 10 percent. Evaluation under either code is assigned only if there is an anatomical or pathological basis for the condition.
Qualification explanation
Reached by a documented complete loss (not partial) of smell or taste, together with a confirmed anatomical or pathological basis for that loss. Smell and taste are independently evaluated -- a veteran with both a confirmed complete smell loss and a confirmed complete taste loss has two separately matched 10 percent findings, not a single tier.
Examples
Records documenting a confirmed complete loss of smell with a documented anatomical or pathological basis.; Records documenting a confirmed complete loss of taste with a documented anatomical or pathological basis.; Records documenting a confirmed complete loss of both smell and taste, each independently matched at 10 percent (see NHD-3).
Medical evidence
ENT or neurology treatment records; Documentation of a confirmed anatomical or pathological basis for the loss; Objective smell/taste testing, where available
Functional impact examples
Complete inability to detect odors.; Complete inability to taste flavors.
Common misconceptions
A subjective report of reduced or altered smell or taste, without a confirmed complete loss and a confirmed anatomical or pathological basis, does not reach this tier.; A partial loss of smell or taste is not compensable under this code at any percentage, regardless of documentation (NHD-2).
Related topics
anatomical or pathological basis; complete loss; no partial-loss tier
Source context
38 CFR 4.87a; 6275-6276; Confirmed via eCFR versioner API and Cornell LII, word-for-word match. Authority 38 U.S.C. 1155. Citation 64 FR 25210, May 11, 1999. No amendment since; RIN 2900-AQ72 confirmed not to touch this section.

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Understand the details behind the criteria

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

The anatomical or pathological basis requirement is undefined (NHD-1)

DC 6275 and DC 6276 both require a confirmed anatomical or pathological basis, but the regulation does not define what counts as sufficient.

  • The Note to DC 6275/6276 reads: evaluation will be assigned under these diagnostic codes only if there is an anatomical or pathological basis for the condition.
  • The current text does not specify what objective findings, testing, or documentation satisfy this requirement.
  • RatingScope does not guess at what evidence would be sufficient. Whether a confirmed basis is documented is collected as its own fact; without it, the outcome is a disclosed needs-detail result rather than a computed rating.

Records to review: ENT or neurology treatment records; Documentation of a confirmed anatomical or pathological basis.

No partial-loss tier exists under this code (NHD-2)

DC 6275 and DC 6276 only rate complete loss. There is no hyposmia or partial-taste-loss tier at any percentage.

  • DC 6275 rates "sense of smell, complete loss of" and DC 6276 rates "sense of taste, complete loss of" -- both at a single flat 10 percent.
  • This is a structural ceiling built into the regulation itself, not a missing-evidence gap that better documentation could close.
  • A documented partial loss of smell or taste is not ratable under DC 6275 or DC 6276 at any percentage, no matter how thoroughly it is documented.
  • RatingScope discloses this plainly as a not-compensable-under-this-code outcome, rather than routing a partial-loss finding to a needs-detail prompt asking for more evidence.

Records to review: ENT or neurology treatment records documenting the degree of smell or taste loss.

Complete loss of both smell and taste: disclosed, not computed (NHD-3)

The regulation does not state a combination rule for a veteran with a confirmed complete loss of both smell and taste at the same time.

  • DC 6275 (smell) and DC 6276 (taste) are each independently a flat 10 percent for complete loss with a confirmed basis.
  • The current text does not address what happens when both are confirmed at the same time.
  • Standard 38 CFR 4.25 combined-ratings math would presumably apply, since nothing in this section says otherwise -- but that is an inference, not a citation.
  • RatingScope does not compute a single combined percentage for this scenario. Both DC 6275 and DC 6276 are disclosed as independently matched at 10 percent each, and the site's Combined Ratings tool is the place to work through the combined-ratings math.

Records to review: ENT or neurology treatment records documenting both a confirmed complete smell loss and a confirmed complete taste loss.

Evidence

Evidence that may clarify the published criteria

ENT or neurology treatment records

Treatment records document the diagnosis, whether the loss is complete or partial, and any confirmed anatomical or pathological basis.

A subjective report of reduced smell or taste alone does not establish a complete loss or a confirmed basis.

Objective smell or taste testing, where available

Objective testing can help confirm whether a loss is complete rather than partial.

Testing is not required by the regulation text itself, but its absence can leave the completeness of the loss undocumented.

Documentation of a confirmed anatomical or pathological basis

The regulation requires a confirmed anatomical or pathological basis before either code can be assigned, per NHD-1.

RatingScope does not define what specific findings satisfy this undefined requirement; that is disclosed context only.

Personal and firsthand lay evidence

Plain descriptions can explain how a loss of smell or taste affects daily functioning, such as safety concerns or reduced enjoyment of food.

Lay evidence can describe observed impact, but it cannot establish an anatomical or pathological basis or confirm completeness of the loss.

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

Loss of Smell and Taste (Anosmia and Ageusia)

Two separate codes, one for smell and one for taste, sharing the same flat 10 percent value and the same anatomical-or-pathological-basis requirement.

Only complete loss is ratable; there is no partial-loss tier, and a confirmed basis is required for either code.

ENT or neurology treatment records

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Smell/taste loss and TBI

If a TBI examination documents loss of smell or taste, that specific finding is rated here under DC 6275/6276, not estimated from the TBI facet table.

Confirms which hub actually computes a percentage for a smell- or taste-loss finding that shows up during a TBI evaluation.

TBI residuals examination; ENT or neurology treatment records

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TDIU

Even if the schedular rating for Loss of Smell and Taste (Anosmia and Ageusia) 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 loss of smell and taste?

DC 6275 rates complete loss of smell and DC 6276 rates complete loss of taste, each at a flat 10 percent, but only if there is a confirmed anatomical or pathological basis for the condition.

What counts as an anatomical or pathological basis?

The regulation requires one but does not define what counts as sufficient. RatingScope discloses this as an undefined term (NHD-1) rather than guessing at what evidence would satisfy it.

Is a partial loss of smell or taste compensable?

No. DC 6275 and DC 6276 only rate complete loss. There is no partial-loss tier of any kind under this code, regardless of how well a partial loss is documented (NHD-2).

What if I have lost both my sense of smell and taste?

The regulation does not state a combination rule for this. RatingScope discloses DC 6275 and DC 6276 as independently matched at 10 percent each and points to the site's Combined Ratings tool, rather than computing a single combined percentage (NHD-3).

If my schedular rating for Loss of Smell and Taste (Anosmia and Ageusia) 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 10% rating from adjacent levels?

There is no lower or higher compensable tier under DC 6275/6276 -- each code is a single flat 10 percent for complete loss, with no partial-loss tier of any kind (NHD-2).

Related Conditions

Continue learning through connected topics

TBI / Brain Injury Residuals

DC 8045 dispatches documented loss of sense of smell or taste to this hub rather than rating it within the TBI facet table.

Combined Ratings

A confirmed complete loss of both smell and taste is two independently matched 10 percent findings; combining them uses the standard Combined Ratings Table, disclosed rather than computed here (NHD-3).

Ready when you are

Compare documented smell and taste findings

Use whether the loss is complete or partial, and whether an anatomical or pathological basis is documented, already noted 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.

Compare my smell and taste records

Learn More

Continue Understanding

RatingScope resource

TBI / Brain Injury Residuals guide

Covers DC 8045's facet table; loss of sense of smell or taste is one of its dispatched physical-residual categories, rated here instead.

Open TBI / Brain Injury Residuals guide

RatingScope resource

Combined Ratings guide

Explains the standard Combined Ratings Table (38 CFR 4.25), the disclosed but uncomputed math for a simultaneous complete loss of both smell and taste (NHD-3).

Open Combined Ratings guide

Secondary conditions

Conditions commonly connected to Loss of Smell and Taste (Anosmia and Ageusia)

No commonly documented secondary connections are tracked for Loss of Smell and Taste (Anosmia and Ageusia) yet.

Educational Guides & Evidence Resources

In-depth analysis of DBQ forms, medical evidence thresholds, and rating schedules for Loss of Smell and Taste (Anosmia and Ageusia).

Loss of Smell and Taste VA Rating: DC 6275 and DC 6276 Criteria Guide

Learn how the VA rates complete loss of smell (anosmia) and taste (ageusia) under 38 CFR 4.87a, DC 6275 and 6276, and anatomical basis requirements.

How VA Rates Allergic Rhinitis: DC 6522 Obstruction and Polyps

Learn how the VA evaluates allergic rhinitis under 38 CFR 4.97 (DC 6522) based on nasal passage blockage, polyps, and PACT Act presumptions.

How VA Rates Chronic Sinusitis: DC 6510-6514 Episode Frequency

Understand how the VA rates chronic sinusitis under 38 CFR 4.97 based on annual incapacitating episodes, antibiotic treatments, and radical surgery.

Sinusitis and Rhinitis VA Claims: Separate Ratings, Polyps, and PACT Act Rules

Learn how to claim both chronic sinusitis (DC 6510-6514) and allergic rhinitis (DC 6522) for separate VA disability ratings without pyramiding.

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Related Tools

Compare a percentage level and combined-rating math, or review evidence context.

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VA Math & Combined Ratings

Understand the whole-person method, final rounding, and bilateral limits, then calculate how percentages combine.

Open VA Math guide

Evidence Center

Understand common evidence categories and what they can clarify without treating them as a checklist.

Open Evidence Center