On this page
Seborrheic dermatitis commonly affects the scalp, face, ears, and other oil-rich areas. For VA purposes, it is generally evaluated as dermatitis or eczema under Diagnostic Code 7806 in 38 CFR § 4.118.
The General Rating Formula for the Skin offers two main paths: how much of the entire body or exposed areas the characteristic lesions cover, and how long qualifying systemic therapy was required during the prior 12 months. Because the scalp and face are exposed areas, a relatively small total-body footprint can still matter. If disfigurement or scars are the predominant disability, the schedule permits a different rating path.
The biggest evidence problem is timing. Seborrheic dermatitis flares and improves. A clear exam day can understate the condition unless the record preserves photographs, treatment history, and clinician estimates from active periods.
TL;DR
- Seborrheic dermatitis is generally rated under DC 7806 and the General Rating Formula for the Skin.
- 0%: less than 5 percent of the body and exposed areas, with no more than topical therapy during the past 12 months.
- 10%: 5 to less than 20 percent of the body or exposed areas, or systemic therapy for less than six weeks during the prior 12 months.
- 30%: 20 to 40 percent of the body or exposed areas, or systemic therapy for six weeks or more but not constantly.
- 60%: more than 40 percent of the body or exposed areas, or constant or near-constant systemic therapy.
- Under § 4.118(a), systemic therapy is treatment administered by a route other than the skin. Topical therapy is treatment administered through the skin.
- The schedule also permits evaluation as disfigurement of the head, face, or neck or as scars when that is the predominant disability.
- Stress or fatigue may accompany flares in some people, but it does not create an automatic secondary nexus to PTSD or anxiety.
- No verified aggregate Board-outcome cut specific to seborrheic dermatitis was available, so no grant-rate statistic is published.
DC 7806 Rating Criteria
The current skin formula provides:
- 0%: characteristic lesions involving less than 5 percent of the entire body and less than 5 percent of exposed areas, with no more than topical therapy required during the past 12 months.
- 10%: lesions involving at least 5 but less than 20 percent of the entire body or exposed areas, or intermittent systemic therapy for a total duration of less than six weeks during the prior 12 months.
- 30%: lesions involving 20 to 40 percent of the entire body or exposed areas, or systemic therapy for six weeks or more but not constantly during the prior 12 months.
- 60%: lesions involving more than 40 percent of the entire body or exposed areas, or constant or near-constant systemic therapy during the prior 12 months.
The body-area and treatment paths are alternatives. A veteran can meet a level through either. The percentage is not based on itch, flakes, embarrassment, or treatment difficulty by themselves, though those facts can explain functional impact and flare history.
Topical Versus Systemic Therapy
Section 4.118(a) defines the distinction by route:
- Systemic therapy is administered by a route other than the skin, such as orally, by injection, suppository, or intranasally.
- Topical therapy is administered through the skin.
That current definition prevents a common error: assuming a topical corticosteroid is systemic merely because corticosteroids can be systemic drugs in other forms. The treatment record should identify the medication, route, start and stop dates, frequency, and the skin condition it treated.
The formula lists examples such as corticosteroids, phototherapy, retinoids, biologics, photochemotherapy, PUVA, and other immunosuppressive drugs, but the route and duration still need to match the current rule.
Measuring Body and Exposed Area
Seborrheic dermatitis often concentrates on the scalp, eyebrows, sides of the nose, ears, beard area, or upper chest. The C&P examiner should estimate both entire-body percentage and exposed-area percentage. Because exposed area is an independent route, face and other visible involvement should not disappear inside a small total-body number.
Useful evidence during a flare includes:
- dated photographs from consistent angles and lighting;
- dermatology notes describing each affected region;
- clinician estimates of total and exposed area;
- records of scaling, redness, crusting, or inflammation;
- prescription and refill history; and
- a calendar showing flare duration and treatment.
Veterans can describe locations and duration, but a clinician's percentage estimate is stronger than a self-calculated body-surface number.
Disfigurement and Scars
The General Rating Formula permits evaluation under DC 7800 for disfigurement of the head, face, or neck, or under the scar codes, depending on the predominant disability. This is an alternative evaluation path, not permission to count the same lesion effects twice.
When persistent facial changes, tissue characteristics, painful scarring, or unstable scars are present, the examination should document those features. See the scars page for the separate criteria. 38 CFR § 4.14 still prohibits duplicating the same manifestation under multiple codes.
Service-Connection Paths
Direct service connection. In-service treatment, photographs, shaving profiles, medical visits for scalp or facial symptoms, and credible statements can establish onset. A current diagnosis and a medical link to that history complete the path under § 3.303.
Continuity evidence. Because the condition waxes and wanes, gaps in formal treatment do not necessarily mean symptoms stopped. Statements, photos, over-the-counter purchase records, and primary-care notes can help document the course, while the medical nexus addresses whether it is the same chronic condition.
Secondary aggravation. Stress or fatigue is listed as a possible risk or flare factor in medical references, but that does not prove PTSD or anxiety caused the skin disease. A claim under 38 CFR § 3.310(b) needs a clinician-supported aggravation opinion, baseline severity, and evidence of the measurable worsening attributable to the service-connected condition.
The C&P Exam
The examiner should document:
- every affected location;
- percentage of the entire body and exposed areas;
- lesion appearance and any disfigurement or scar features;
- all treatments during the prior 12 months, including route and total duration;
- flare frequency, duration, triggers, and severity;
- whether the exam occurs during an active phase; and
- work or daily-function effects.
If the condition is inactive that day, ask that the report acknowledge the history and the submitted flare evidence. Photographs and contemporaneous dermatology records can bridge the snapshot gap.
Common Failure Modes
Only the scalp is counted. Facial, ear, chest, or other involved areas never make it into the DBQ.
Exposed area is omitted. The examiner reports total body percentage but not the separate exposed-area percentage.
Topical treatment is called systemic. The route definition in § 4.118(a) is ignored.
Treatment duration is vague. The record lists medications but not how many weeks they were used during the relevant 12 months.
A clear-day exam controls. The file contains no dated flare photographs or active-phase treatment notes.
Stress is treated as an automatic nexus. The medical evidence does not establish causation or aggravation by a service-connected condition.
Bottom Line
Seborrheic dermatitis is generally a DC 7806 claim. The rating depends on the higher qualifying path between body or exposed-area coverage and systemic-treatment duration. Preserve active-flare evidence, document every treated area, distinguish topical from systemic therapy by route, and consider the disfigurement or scar formula only when that is the predominant disability.
Methodology and Limitations
- Authorities checked: 38 CFR §§ 3.303, 3.310, 4.14, and 4.118, including § 4.118(a), the General Rating Formula for the Skin, and DC 7806, checked against the eCFR Title 38 snapshots dated 2026-08-01.
- Medical source: MedlinePlus was used for the basic distribution, diagnosis, and risk-factor overview. Treatment decisions belong to a clinician.
- Board statistics: No verified aggregate outcome cut specific to seborrheic dermatitis was available, so none is published.
- Limitations: Body-area estimates and treatment classification depend on the medical record. This page explains the schedule and does not estimate an individual percentage.