Benign Skin Neoplasms — VA Disability Rating (DC 7819)
Diagnostic Code 7819 · 38 CFR §4.118
What Is It?
DC 7819 covers benign neoplasms of the skin — growths that are not cancerous but are still real: lipomas, epidermal inclusion cysts, seborrheic keratoses, dermatofibromas, neurofibromas, keloids, pilar cysts, and hidradenitis-related nodules among them. Like the malignant code above it, DC 7819 assigns no percentage of its own. The schedule directs that these be rated as disfigurement of the head, face, or neck (DC 7800), as scars (DC 7801, 7802, 7804, or 7805), or on impairment of function. That routing is the whole of the code, and it explains why a claim framed around the growths themselves usually produces nothing: a benign lesion that neither disfigures, nor hurts, nor limits anything is not a disability the schedule compensates. What does produce a rating is what the growths do — a lipoma over a joint that restricts motion, keloids that are painful and tender, cysts that repeatedly become inflamed and drain, facial lesions that alter contour and texture, or a neurofibroma pressing on a nerve.
Rating Criteria
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 0% | DC 7819 carries no rating table of its own. Rate as disfigurement of the head, face, or neck (DC 7800), scars (DC 7801, 7802, 7804, or 7805), or impairment of function — whichever reflects the actual disability. Growths that neither disfigure nor cause pain, instability, or functional loss are noncompensable; painful or unstable lesions and their excision scars are compensable under DC 7804 at any size, and facial involvement is scored on the eight characteristics of disfigurement under DC 7800. |
Evidence Needed
Evidence has to establish an effect, not just a lesion. Dermatology or surgical records documenting the number, size, and location of the growths are the baseline. Beyond that: notes recording tenderness on palpation, records of repeated incision and drainage or excision, photographs of visible facial or neck lesions with measured dimensions, and — where a growth restricts a joint or compresses a nerve — range-of-motion measurements or a nerve conduction study. Keloids deserve particular attention because they are common in veterans, frequently painful, and grow from surgical or injury scars that are themselves service-connected. Service treatment records showing the growths appeared during service, or a nexus opinion tying them to an in-service injury, exposure, or surgery, establish service connection.
C&P Exam Tips
Direct the examination toward the consequences. Ask that each visible lesion be measured and that the DC 7800 characteristics of disfigurement be completed for anything on the head, face, or neck. Point out every growth that is tender when pressed — DC 7804 pays 10 percent for one or two painful lesions or scars regardless of size, and this is the most reliable route to a compensable rating in this code. If a growth is recurrent and has been excised repeatedly, make sure the history of procedures and the resulting scars are documented, because each excision leaves a scar that counts. If a lesion limits motion or presses on a nerve, describe the movement it blocks or the numbness it causes and ask for the appropriate additional examination.
How to File
File on VA Form 21-526EZ naming the specific growths — lipomas, sebaceous cysts, keloids, neurofibromas — and their locations, and claim the effects expressly alongside them: painful lesions or scars under DC 7804, disfigurement of the head, face, or neck under DC 7800, and any limitation of motion or nerve involvement under the appropriate code through DC 7805. Attach dermatology and surgical records, photographs with measurements, and the history of every excision. If the growths arose from an in-service injury or from surgery for a service-connected condition, say so and file the secondary connection.
Common Mistakes
The biggest mistake is filing "benign skin growths" and nothing else. DC 7819 has no table, so a claim that never identifies a disfiguring, painful, or functionally limiting effect has nothing to be rated on and comes back at 0 percent. The second mistake is not claiming pain: recurrent inflamed cysts and keloids are frequently tender, and DC 7804 compensates one or two painful lesions at 10 percent without any size requirement. The third is overlooking excision scars, which accumulate over years of removals and can reach the DC 7804 tiers on count alone. The fourth is missing keloid claims entirely, when the keloid grew out of a service-connected surgical or injury scar and is therefore secondarily service-connected on its face. The fifth is not pursuing functional loss where a growth genuinely limits a joint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are benign skin growths compensable at all?
Only through their effects. DC 7819 assigns no percentage and routes the evaluation to disfigurement (DC 7800), scars (DC 7801 through 7805), or impairment of function. A growth that is painful on examination is compensable at 10 percent under DC 7804; one that alters facial contour or texture over a meaningful area is compensable under DC 7800; one that restricts a joint is compensable under the relevant musculoskeletal code. A growth with none of those effects is not.
How are keloids rated?
As scars. Keloids are raised, often tender overgrowths of scar tissue, and they are evaluated under the scar codes — DC 7804 if painful or unstable, DC 7800 if on the head, face, or neck and producing characteristics of disfigurement, and DC 7801 or 7802 by area elsewhere. Because keloids typically arise from an existing scar, and because that scar is often already service-connected, the secondary service-connection argument is usually straightforward.
What about recurrent sebaceous cysts?
They are rated the same way — on effects. Cysts that repeatedly become inflamed, painful, and require incision and drainage support a DC 7804 evaluation for painful lesions, and the accumulated excision scars count toward the DC 7804 tiers. Document each episode and each procedure. If the cysts are extensive and inflammatory in the axillae or groin, ask whether the picture is actually hidradenitis suppurativa, which is a more significant condition and is rated under the skin formula.
Can I claim a lipoma that limits my movement?
Yes, through DC 7805 and whichever musculoskeletal or neurological code fits. A lipoma large enough to restrict a joint, or a neurofibroma compressing a nerve, produces impairment that DC 7819 expressly routes to the appropriate code. Get range-of-motion measurements in degrees or a nerve conduction study, and claim the impairment by name rather than claiming only the growth.