Dermatophytosis (Ringworm, Athlete’s Foot, Jock Itch) — VA Rating (DC 7813)
Diagnostic Code 7813 · 38 CFR §4.118
What Is It?
DC 7813 covers dermatophytosis — fungal infection of the skin, hair, or nails — under every name it goes by: tinea pedis (athlete's foot), tinea cruris (jock itch), tinea corporis (ringworm of the body), tinea capitis (scalp), tinea barbae (beard area), and tinea unguium (nails). It is one of the most common skin conditions in the military and one of the easiest to connect to service, because the conditions that cause it are the conditions of field duty: boots worn for days at a stretch, wet socks, communal showers, prolonged heat and humidity, body armor and protective gear that traps sweat. For many veterans it never fully clears after separation. DC 7813 is rated under the General Rating Formula for the Skin, so the evaluation is driven by the percentage of the body or of exposed areas involved, or by the total duration of systemic therapy over the past twelve months. That second path is the one that matters most here: oral antifungals such as terbinafine, itraconazole, and fluconazole are systemic therapy under 38 CFR §4.118(a), and a standard course for nail infection runs twelve weeks — well past the six-week line that separates 10 percent from 30 percent.
Rating Criteria
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 60% | Characteristic lesions involving more than 40 percent of the entire body, or more than 40 percent of exposed areas affected; or, constant or near-constant systemic therapy required over the past 12-month period. This is the maximum schedular evaluation under the General Rating Formula for the Skin. |
| 30% | Characteristic lesions involving 20 to 40 percent of the entire body, or 20 to 40 percent of exposed areas affected; or, systemic therapy required for a total duration of six weeks or more, but not constantly, over the past 12-month period. |
| 10% | Characteristic lesions involving at least 5 percent but less than 20 percent of the entire body, or at least 5 percent but less than 20 percent of exposed areas affected; or, intermittent systemic therapy — including but not limited to corticosteroids, phototherapy, retinoids, biologics, photochemotherapy, PUVA, or other immunosuppressive drugs — required for a total duration of less than six weeks over the past 12-month period. |
| 0% | No more than topical therapy required over the past 12-month period, and characteristic lesions involving less than 5 percent of the entire body or less than 5 percent of exposed areas affected. |
Evidence Needed
A confirmed diagnosis helps more than it might seem, because fungal infections are routinely treated presumptively without testing. A KOH preparation, fungal culture, or nail clipping histopathology turns "probable tinea" into a documented dermatophytosis. For the rating you need two numbers: the percentage of total body and of exposed areas involved during an active period, and the total weeks of systemic antifungal therapy in the past twelve months. Pharmacy records are the cleanest proof of the second — every filled prescription for terbinafine or itraconazole, with the dates and the day supply. Service treatment records showing foot or groin fungal complaints during service are powerful, and where those are missing, buddy statements about field conditions and a nexus opinion do the work. Photographs during a flare document coverage that clears with treatment.
C&P Exam Tips
Do not apply antifungal cream before the exam and do not schedule during a well-controlled stretch if you can help it — the examiner estimates coverage from what is present that day. Have the examiner record total body and exposed-area percentages separately; the higher of the two drives the rating, and hands and feet with visible nail involvement can push the exposed-area figure up. State clearly and specifically how many weeks in the past year you were on oral antifungal medication, and bring the pharmacy printout rather than relying on memory. If nails are thickened, crumbling, or lifted from the nail bed, make sure onychomycosis is documented, and if the nail changes make walking painful or footwear difficult, describe that functional effect.
How to File
File on VA Form 21-526EZ naming the specific form — athlete's foot, jock itch, ringworm, or nail fungus — under DC 7813. Describe the in-service conditions that caused it: continuous boot wear, field hygiene, communal showers, heat and humidity, protective gear. Attach service treatment records if they exist, a current diagnosis with any confirmatory testing, flare photographs, and a pharmacy record showing the duration of oral antifungal therapy. If the infection is secondary to a service-connected condition — diabetes and its circulatory effects, or immunosuppressive therapy for another disability — file it as a secondary claim and name the primary condition.
Common Mistakes
The most common mistake is not counting oral antifungal therapy properly. The systemic-therapy path is often the higher of the two routes for this condition, and a twelve-week terbinafine course for toenail fungus satisfies the six-weeks-or-more criterion for 30 percent — but only if the duration is in the record. Topical creams do not count; 38 CFR §4.118(a) defines systemic therapy as treatment administered by a route other than the skin. The second mistake is treating the condition as too minor to claim, when chronic tinea pedis with onychomycosis is both compensable and, for many veterans, genuinely disabling on a long march or a long shift. The third is being examined right after a successful treatment course. The fourth is not connecting it to service at all because the service treatment records are silent, when field conditions plus a nexus opinion routinely carry these claims.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is athlete’s foot really a compensable VA disability?
It can be. Tinea pedis is rated under DC 7813 on the General Rating Formula for the Skin. If it covers at least 5 percent of the body or of exposed areas, or if it has required systemic antifungal therapy at any point in the past twelve months, it meets the 10 percent criteria. Chronic cases with nail involvement and repeated oral antifungal courses reach 30 percent under the six-week systemic therapy path.
Do oral antifungal pills count as systemic therapy?
Yes. 38 CFR §4.118(a) defines systemic therapy as treatment administered through any route other than the skin. Terbinafine, itraconazole, fluconazole, and griseofulvin taken by mouth are systemic therapy; antifungal creams, powders, and sprays are topical and do not count toward the duration criteria. Since a nail-fungus course commonly runs twelve weeks, documenting it is often the difference between 10 percent and 30 percent.
How do I prove my fungal infection started in service?
Service treatment records showing a foot, groin, or skin fungal complaint are the strongest evidence. Where those are silent — and they often are, because troops self-treat — buddy statements describing field conditions, your MOS and deployment history, and a nexus opinion from a treating provider stating that the current infection is at least as likely as not related to prolonged boot wear and field hygiene will carry the claim. Continuity of symptoms since separation matters too.
Can toenail fungus be rated separately from athlete’s foot?
Generally not as two skin ratings. 38 CFR §4.118(b) provides that two or more skin conditions may be combined under §4.25 only if separate areas of skin are involved, and where they involve the same area only the highest evaluation is used — tinea pedis and tinea unguium on the same foot are the same area. What can be rated separately is a distinct disabling effect, such as pain or limitation of function from severely deformed nails, routed through the appropriate code.