EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. Not legal or medical advice. Not affiliated with the VA.
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Blepharitis
✓ VERIFIED AGAINST 38 C.F.R.§ 4.79 (Eye) · reviewed 2026-05-17 · ClaimRecon Editorial Team
Blepharitis is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 6018 of 38 CFR § 4.79, DC 6018 (rated by analogy to chronic conjunctivitis) across 5 severity tiers (0% / 10% / 20% / 40% / 60%). Service connection requires (1) a current diagnosis, (2) an in-service event, injury, or exposure, and (3) a medical nexus opinion linking the two under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303.
OVERVIEW
Chronic inflammation of the eyelid margins, causing redness, swelling, crusting, and irritation. Types include anterior (affecting the base of the eyelashes) and posterior (affecting the meibomian glands). Often co-occurs with dry eye syndrome and rosacea.
RATING CRITERIA (5 LEVELS)
0%
Inactive disease without compensable residuals.
10%
Active chronic blepharitis — minimum 10% under the General Rating Formula. Increase per General Formula tiers based on incapacitating-episode count.
20%
Active disease with 3 or 4 incapacitating episodes per year.
40%
Active disease with 5 or 6 incapacitating episodes per year.
60%
Active disease with 7+ incapacitating episodes per year.
KEY EVIDENCE TO GATHER
-Service treatment records showing injury or complaints
-Imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT)
-Range of motion measurements
-Flare-up documentation per Sharp v. Shulkin
-Buddy statements describing limitations
-Prescription history
-Physical therapy records
-Employment impact documentation
C&P EXAM TIPS (6)
1.Do NOT stretch, warm up, or take pain medication before your exam. The VA needs your baseline limitation.
2.Report your WORST day. DeLuca v. Brown requires documentation of functional loss during flare-ups.
3.Tell the examiner about flare-ups: frequency, duration, estimated ROM loss. Sharp v. Shulkin (2017) requires estimates.
4.Request active, passive, weight-bearing, and non-weight-bearing ROM testing per Correia v. McDonald (2016).
5.If you use assistive devices (brace, cane), bring them.
6.Describe daily activity impact: work, sleep, household tasks.
SOURCES & EDITORIAL
Rating criteria text quoted verbatim from 38 C.F.R. § 4.79 (Eye). Source verified 2026-05-17 by ClaimRecon Editorial Team during a regulation-text comparison against the Cornell Law CFR mirror; eCFR.gov is the authoritative government source.
EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. NOT LEGAL OR MEDICAL ADVICE.
NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
CLAIM RECON 2026