EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. Not legal or medical advice. Not affiliated with the VA.
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Chalazion
✓ VERIFIED AGAINST 38 C.F.R.§ 4.79 (Eye) · reviewed 2026-05-17 · ClaimRecon Editorial Team
Chalazion 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, sterile, lipogranulomatous inflammation of a meibomian gland in the eyelid, presenting as a painless firm nodule. Different from a stye (hordeolum), which is an acute infection. Recurrent chalazia may require surgical drainage and can be associated with blepharitis or rosacea.
RATING CRITERIA (5 LEVELS)
0%
Inactive disease without compensable residuals.
10%
Active recurrent chalazion / hordeolum — minimum 10% per the General Rating Formula. 1 or 2 incapacitating episodes requiring treatment in the past 12 months.
20%
3 or 4 incapacitating episodes per year.
40%
5 or 6 incapacitating episodes per year.
60%
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