Tuberculous Adenitis — VA Disability Rating (DC 7710)
Diagnostic Code 7710 · 38 CFR §4.117
What Is It?
Tuberculous adenitis is infection of the lymph nodes by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The lymph nodes become swollen and may drain or form abscesses. Veterans may have been exposed to tuberculosis during deployments to regions where TB is endemic, in close quarters during barracks living, or through occupational exposure in military medical settings. The condition can be active (with ongoing infection) or inactive (previously treated but with residual lymph node damage). 38 CFR 4.117 lists the code as DC 7710, "Adenitis, tuberculous, active or inactive," and gives it no percentages of its own: it directs rating under 38 CFR 4.88c or 4.89, whichever is appropriate, and both of those sections count from the date the disease became inactive.
Rating Criteria
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| See pathways | DC 7710 carries no percentage column. The schedule lists it as "Adenitis, tuberculous, active or inactive" and directs: "Rate under § 4.88c or 4.89 of this part, whichever is appropriate." Section 4.88c, for veterans initially entitled after August 19, 1968, assigns 100 percent for 1 year after the date of inactivity following active tuberculosis; thereafter, residuals are rated under the specific body system or systems affected. Section 4.89 keeps the former graduated ratings for a veteran who on August 19, 1968, was receiving or entitled to receive compensation for tuberculosis: 100 percent for 2 years after the date of inactivity, then 50 percent to 6 years, 30 percent to 11 years, and thereafter 0 percent in the absence of a schedular compensable permanent residual. |
Evidence Needed
TB testing results (skin test, blood test, cultures) are needed. Imaging showing affected lymph nodes helps document the extent. Treatment records for anti-tuberculosis medications are important. Service records showing deployment to TB-endemic areas or other exposure risk factors establish nexus. Follow-up records that fix the date the disease became inactive matter most, because both 38 CFR 4.88c and 4.89 count from that date.
C&P Exam Tips
Describe when you were diagnosed, the treatment received, and current symptoms. If the disease is inactive, describe any residual effects from the infection or treatment. If active, describe current symptoms and treatment burden.
How to File
File on VA Form 21-526EZ with DC 7710. Submit TB testing records, treatment documentation, and evidence of in-service exposure. Where the presumption below does not apply, a nexus opinion connecting the TB infection to service is recommended. For veterans with a qualifying period of service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations, or in Afghanistan on or after September 19, 2001, 38 CFR 3.317(c) presumes service connection for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, with no time limit on when it became manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more — on that route you do not have to prove an in-service event, only the qualifying service and the diagnosis. Outside that service, the evidence this page describes is what carries the claim.
Common Mistakes
Not documenting the in-service exposure to TB — deployment to endemic areas, close-quarters living, or medical occupational exposure. Not documenting the date the disease became inactive, which is the date both 38 CFR 4.88c and 4.89 measure from.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this page show no percentages?
Because the schedule prints none for DC 7710. The entry sends the evaluation to 38 CFR 4.88c or 4.89, the sections for inactive nonpulmonary tuberculosis. Which one applies depends on when entitlement began: 4.88c for veterans initially entitled after August 19, 1968, and 4.89 for a veteran who on that date was receiving or entitled to receive compensation for tuberculosis.
Can TB adenitis be service-connected?
Yes. If you were exposed to TB during military service — through deployment to endemic regions, living in close quarters, or medical occupational exposure — and later developed tuberculous adenitis, the condition can be service-connected.