Bacillary Dysentery (Shigellosis) — VA Rating (DC 6334)
Diagnostic Code 6334 · 38 CFR §4.88b
What Is It?
DC 7322 no longer exists. VA rewrote the digestive schedule effective May 19, 2024 (89 FR 19743). It removed DC 7322 because a 2019 rule (84 FR 28227) had already added DC 6334, "Shigella infections," to the infectious-disease schedule at 38 CFR § 4.88b; VA’s rulemaking says directly that "DC 6334 addresses conditions previously covered under DC 7322." 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. Bacillary dysentery, usually called shigellosis today, is an intestinal infection caused by Shigella bacteria spread through contaminated water, food or person-to-person contact. The acute illness brings severe bloody diarrhea, cramping, fever and rapid dehydration, and it can leave post-infectious complications behind after the organism is cleared.
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 cultures, PCR, or antigen testing confirming Shigella during an active episode is the standard diagnostic evidence. For historical infections, service medical records documenting the original illness and treatment with antibiotics establish the in-service event. Colonoscopy or imaging showing chronic intestinal scarring documents the residuals. A symptom log over several months captures the recurrence pattern. Records of any reactive arthritis workup (joint symptoms developing after the GI infection, HLA-B27 testing) support secondary claims. Deployment records to a high-prevalence region close the nexus when service medical records are sparse.
C&P Exam Tips
Bring the original diagnosis records, any subsequent stool studies, imaging of the colon if performed, and the symptom diary. The rating tier turns on whether the chronic residuals are mild or moderate — be precise about episode frequency and severity. If you developed reactive arthritis after the original infection, mention it explicitly and request separate evaluation under the appropriate musculoskeletal codes. Describe dietary restrictions, work limitations, and any continuing care from gastroenterology or infectious disease.
How to File
File VA Form 21-526EZ naming shigellosis and, separately and by name, each chronic residual — post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome, reactive arthritis, chronic intestinal scarring. DC 6334’s own Note directs that residual disability "includes, but is not limited to, hemolytic-uremic syndrome or reactive arthritis," and those are rated in their own body systems. Attach the original diagnosis records and deployment history. 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 Shigella infection that became manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more within one year of separation from that service — on that route you do not have to prove an in-service event, only the qualifying service and the diagnosis. Outside that service or that window, the evidence this page describes is what carries the claim. Hemolytic-uremic syndrome and reactive arthritis appear again in 38 CFR 3.317(d), which pairs each presumptive disease with the long-term health effects potentially associated with it: where a veteran presumed service connected for Shigella infection under paragraph (c) is diagnosed with hemolytic-uremic syndrome within 1 month of the infection or reactive arthritis within 3 months, VA will request a medical opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not that the infection caused it.
Common Mistakes
- Filing without documentation of the original infection, which makes service connection harder years later.
- Not maintaining a symptom diary, leaving the rating ambiguous between 0% and 10%.
- Missing the reactive arthritis secondary claim — joint symptoms after Shigella are a recognized sequela.
- Letting post-infectious IBS go unclaimed when functional GI symptoms persist after the bacterium is cleared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shigellosis resolved decades ago. Is there anything to claim?
The infection code will be 0 percent, but that is a grant of service connection, and the residuals are rated separately. Residuals can include post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome under DC 7319 and reactive arthritis under the musculoskeletal codes.
What is reactive arthritis and why does the code mention it?
Reactive arthritis is joint inflammation triggered by an infection elsewhere in the body, classically a gastrointestinal or genitourinary one; it was formerly called Reiter syndrome. DC 6334’s Note names it as a residual of Shigella infection specifically, which makes it easier to argue than most secondary claims.
Does the code change affect a rating I already have?
No. VA stated that the removal "would not, in and of itself, alter existing evaluations or grants of service connection," and 38 CFR § 3.951(a) provides that a schedule readjustment is not grounds for a reduction unless medical evidence establishes actual improvement.