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Hair loss claims are small in rating terms and large in how much they affect people. The rating schedule gives alopecia areata a single compensable level, 10 percent, and only for losing every hair on the body. Scarring alopecia tops out at 20 percent. If you are searching because your hair started falling out in patches during or after service, the numbers can look discouraging.
The rating is not the whole story. A service-connected condition at 0 percent opens VA treatment for it, can rise later if it worsens, and can anchor secondary claims for conditions it causes, including depression and anxiety, which rate much higher. This page covers both hair loss codes word for word, how to prove service connection, the C&P exam, and why these claims are denied. The Board section further down shows how hair loss appeals have ended.
Alopecia VA rating criteria (DCs 7830 and 7831)
38 CFR § 4.118 has two hair loss codes:
| Code | Schedule text | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| DC 7830, scarring alopecia | "Affecting more than 40 percent of the scalp" | 20% |
| DC 7830 | "Affecting 20 to 40 percent of the scalp" | 10% |
| DC 7830 | "Affecting less than 20 percent of the scalp" | 0% |
| DC 7831, alopecia areata | "With loss of all body hair" | 10% |
| DC 7831 | "With loss of hair limited to scalp and face" | 0% |
Scarring alopecia is hair loss where the follicles are destroyed and replaced by scar, so the hair does not come back, as after a burn or a deep injury to the scalp. Alopecia areata is different: an autoimmune condition with "transient, non-scarring hair loss and preservation of the hair follicle," most often in patches on the scalp, which affects "nearly 2% of the general population at some point during their lifetime" (Pratt and colleagues, 2017). Alopecia universalis, the loss of all body hair, is the form that reaches 10 percent under DC 7831.
One general skin rule applies. Under § 4.118(b), "Two or more skin conditions may be combined in accordance with § 4.25 only if separate areas of skin are involved. If two or more skin conditions involve the same area of skin, then only the highest evaluation shall be used." A burn scar on the scalp rated for disfigurement and the same patch rated again as scarring alopecia would overlap; separate areas can be rated separately.
How much VA pays for hair loss
At VA's rates effective December 1, 2025, a veteran alone receives $180.42 a month at 10 percent and $356.66 at 20 percent. A 0 percent rating pays nothing by itself, but it keeps the condition service connected. If you have other ratings, VA combines them rather than adding the money; the combined rating calculator shows the effect.
How to prove hair loss is service connected
Every claim needs a current diagnosis, an in-service event or exposure, and a medical link. For hair loss, the diagnosis is where many claims fail, so start there.
Get the diagnosis right
"Hair loss" is a symptom. A dermatologist's diagnosis of alopecia areata, alopecia universalis, scarring (cicatricial) alopecia, or hair loss from a named skin disease gives VA something it can rate. Ordinary male or female pattern hair loss, tied to age and genetics, is hard to connect to service. If the dermatologist did a scalp biopsy or a close exam with a dermatoscope, keep that report.
Alopecia areata that began in service
Patchy hair loss that first appeared in service, documented in a sick call or dermatology note, supports a direct claim. If it was never charted, photos from the time and statements from you and people who served with you about when it started are competent lay evidence of what anyone could see.
Secondary to PTSD or another service-connected condition
Alopecia areata is autoimmune, and stress may play a part. A 2023 review of the research described alopecia areata as possibly "closely related to emotional stress," while noting that its cause "remains predominantly unknown" (Ahn and colleagues, 2023). That is enough to make a secondary claim worth a doctor's look when hair loss began or worsened alongside service-connected PTSD, but not enough to win without an opinion that explains the link in your case.
Under 38 CFR § 3.310, a condition caused or aggravated by a service-connected condition is service connected. The opinion should address both: that PTSD caused the alopecia, and that PTSD aggravated it, meaning the hair loss would be less severe but for the PTSD. An opinion that skips aggravation is inadequate under El-Amin v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 136 (2013).
Secondary to treatment for a service-connected condition
Hair loss caused by treating a service-connected condition is secondary to that condition. Chemotherapy or radiation for a service-connected cancer, and scarring from radiation to the scalp, are the clearest examples. Medications prescribed for a service-connected condition that list hair loss as a side effect can support a secondary claim too, with an opinion tying your hair loss to the drug and its timing.
Gulf War veterans
Under 38 CFR § 3.317, Persian Gulf War veterans can be service connected for an undiagnosed illness with objective signs, and the regulation's list of signs includes "signs or symptoms involving skin." Unexplained hair loss in a Gulf War veteran may fit that route when no diagnosis explains it. See the Gulf War illness page.
Depression and anxiety secondary to hair loss
This is often the bigger claim. A 2023 meta-analysis of 37 studies found that 7 to 17 percent of people with alopecia areata had depressive or anxiety disorders needing psychiatric care, more than in the general population, and more than a third had symptoms worth monitoring (Lauron and colleagues, 2023). If your service-connected hair loss led to depression or anxiety, that condition can be service connected as secondary and rated under the mental health formula, which goes well above anything the hair loss codes pay. See depression and anxiety.
The C&P exam and the Skin Diseases DBQ
VA examines hair loss with the Skin Diseases DBQ. Before the exam:
- Bring the diagnosis. The dermatology note or biopsy that names the type of alopecia.
- Show the extent. For scarring alopecia, the rating turns on the percentage of scalp affected; ask that it be measured, not guessed. For alopecia areata, the 10 percent level turns on whether all body hair is gone.
- Bring photos from your worst periods. Alopecia areata comes and goes. Dated photos show what the exam day may not.
- List your treatments. Injections, topical or oral medicines, and how often you needed them.
Raven Scan reads your medical records and pulls out the dermatology findings, biopsy results and treatment dates for the exam.
Why VA denies hair loss claims
The Board section below shows what the Board found missing in denied hair loss appeals and why it sent others back. These are the patterns behind those numbers.
No current diagnosis. The most common failure in denied hair loss appeals is the current condition. Hair that has grown back by exam day does not by itself rule out a documented condition during the claim. The records should identify the diagnosis, affected area and course of the hair loss. Under McClain v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 319 (2007), a condition present at any time during the claim counts, so records from active periods matter.
No in-service event. If service treatment records do not describe the hair loss, lay statements and dated photos can help document what happened during service.
No link to service. An examiner may say alopecia areata is autoimmune and unrelated to service. A favorable opinion has to address your timeline, your stressors or your treatment history.
Pattern hair loss. Age-related thinning without a diagnosed disease is hard to connect to service.
An inadequate exam. An inadequate VA exam is the most common reason the Board sends these claims back; the remand reasons below show how often.
Questions veterans ask about hair loss
What is the VA rating for alopecia?
It depends on the type. Alopecia areata rates 10 percent with loss of all body hair and 0 percent when the loss is limited to the scalp and face. Scarring alopecia rates 20 percent over 40 percent of the scalp, 10 percent for 20 to 40 percent, and 0 percent below 20 percent.
Is alopecia areata a VA disability?
It can be service connected like any other condition, with a diagnosis, an in-service event or a service-connected cause, and a medical link. A 0 percent rating still service connects it.
Can alopecia be secondary to PTSD?
Possibly. Research describes alopecia areata as possibly linked to emotional stress, but its cause is mostly unknown, so the claim needs a medical opinion that explains the link and the timing in your case, including whether PTSD made the hair loss worse.
Can I get a VA rating for hair loss from chemotherapy?
Yes, if the cancer being treated is service connected. Hair loss from that treatment is secondary to the cancer under 38 CFR § 3.310. Permanent loss after radiation to the scalp may rate as scarring alopecia.
Can depression from hair loss be service connected?
Yes, if the hair loss is service connected. Depression or anxiety caused or worsened by a service-connected condition is secondary under § 3.310 and rated under the mental health formula.
Is male pattern baldness a VA disability?
Ordinary pattern hair loss tied to age and genetics is hard to connect to service. A claim needs a diagnosed disease or a clear service-connected cause.
Sources
- 38 CFR § 4.118, skin ratings, DCs 7830 and 7831 (opens in a new tab), eCFR text as of October 2, 2026
- 38 CFR § 3.310, secondary service connection (opens in a new tab)
- 38 CFR § 3.317, Persian Gulf veterans (opens in a new tab)
- El-Amin v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 136 (2013); McClain v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 319 (2007)
- Pratt CH, King LE Jr, Messenger AG, and colleagues. Alopecia areata. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017;3:17011. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2017.11 (opens in a new tab)
- Ahn D, Kim H, Lee B, Hahm DH. Psychological stress-induced pathogenesis of alopecia areata: autoimmune and apoptotic pathways. Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24(14):11711. doi:10.3390/ijms241411711 (opens in a new tab)
- Lauron S, Plasse C, Vaysset M, and colleagues. Prevalence and odds of depressive and anxiety disorders and symptoms in children and adults with alopecia areata: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Dermatol. 2023;159(3):281-288. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2022.6085 (opens in a new tab)
- VA disability compensation rates (opens in a new tab), effective December 1, 2025
- Skin Diseases DBQ guide