Amebiasis — VA Disability Rating (DC 6320)
Diagnostic Code 6320 · 38 CFR §4.88b
What Is It?
DC 7321 no longer exists. VA rewrote the digestive schedule effective May 19, 2024 (89 FR 19743). It removed DC 7321 because VA had already created a home for the condition elsewhere: a 2019 rule (84 FR 28227) added DC 6320, "Parasitic diseases otherwise not specified," to the infectious-disease schedule at 38 CFR § 4.88b, and VA’s rulemaking states plainly that "DC 6320 addresses conditions previously covered under DC 7321 and DC 7324." VA said so itself in the rulemaking, code by code: the removal "would not, in and of itself, alter existing evaluations or grants of service connection. Rather, VA would modify the individual’s record to reflect the grant of service connection under" the current code. 38 CFR § 3.951(a) says the same thing as a rule of general application — a readjustment to the rating schedule is not grounds for reducing an evaluation already in effect unless medical evidence establishes that the disability has actually improved. The old code still appears in this page’s web address because the address has not changed; the code the page teaches has. Amebiasis is an intestinal infection caused by the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica, contracted from contaminated water or food. After an acute episode of bloody diarrhea, cramping and fever, the parasite can persist in the colon for years, and in a minority of cases it breaches the intestinal wall and reaches the liver as an amoebic abscess.
Rating Criteria
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 100% | For active disease. The 100 percent runs while the infection is active. |
| 0% | After active disease has resolved, the infection itself is 0 percent. Any residual disability of the infection is rated within the appropriate body system — chronic bowel symptoms under the digestive codes, liver residuals under the liver codes, joint involvement under the musculoskeletal codes — and it is those residual ratings, not the infection code, that carry the compensation. |
Evidence Needed
Stool studies — either microscopy for trophozoites or cysts, antigen testing, or PCR — confirm the diagnosis during an active episode. Serology can support a historical diagnosis when current stool studies are negative but symptoms continue. Colonoscopy with biopsy showing characteristic flask-shaped ulcers documents intestinal involvement. Abdominal ultrasound, CT, or MRI of the liver identifies amoebic abscesses past or present. A symptom diary covering several months captures the recurrence pattern that drives the rating tier. Service medical records or post-deployment medical evaluations documenting the initial diagnosis or treatment establish the in-service onset. Records of antibiotic regimens (metronidazole, paromomycin, iodoquinol) confirm the chronic management burden.
C&P Exam Tips
Bring the original diagnosis documentation, any subsequent stool studies, imaging of the liver if abscesses were treated, and the symptom diary. The rating tier turns on whether symptoms are mild, moderate, or absent — be precise rather than general. Describe the frequency and severity of recurrences: how many episodes per year, what triggers them, how long each lasts, what dietary restrictions you maintain to manage them. If weight loss or anemia is part of the picture, bring weight history and recent lab work. Mention any continuing care from gastroenterology or infectious disease.
How to File
File VA Form 21-526EZ naming amebiasis and, separately and by name, every chronic residual — post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome, iron-deficiency anemia, hepatic abscess residuals. Under DC 6320 the infection itself is 100 percent only while active and 0 percent once resolved, so on a claim filed years later the residual claims are the ones that carry compensation. Attach the original diagnosis and stool studies, and the DD-214 with deployment history if exposure was overseas.
Common Mistakes
Claiming only "amebiasis" and expecting a percentage. Once the infection is resolved DC 6320 is 0 percent by design, and § 4.88b directs that residual disability be rated within the appropriate body system — so the chronic bowel symptoms, the anemia and the liver residuals each need to be named. Filing under DC 7321, which no longer exists. Not documenting the original infection, which is what links the residuals to service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my amebiasis rated 0 percent?
Because DC 6320 rates the infection, and the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases assigns 100 percent for active disease and 0 percent once it has resolved, then directs that "any residual disability of infection" be rated within the appropriate body system. A 0 percent here is not a denial — it is a grant of service connection, and it is the platform for the residual claims that do pay.
What residuals are worth claiming?
Post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome is the most common and is rated under DC 7319, whose 2024 criteria run 30, 20 and 10 percent with no 0 percent row. Iron-deficiency anemia from chronic intestinal blood loss is rated under DC 7720. Residuals of a treated amoebic liver abscess are rated under the liver codes.
My decision cites DC 7321. Does the change affect it?
Not by itself. VA stated that removing these codes "would not, in and of itself, alter existing evaluations or grants of service connection," and 38 CFR § 3.951(a) bars a reduction grounded on a schedule readjustment absent medical evidence of actual improvement.