The VA rates psoriasis at 0, 10, 30, or 60 percent under Diagnostic Code 7816, with monthly compensation for a single veteran running from $180.42 at 10 percent to $1,435.02 at 60 percent as of December 2025.1U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Disability Compensation Rates Your psoriasis VA disability rating depends on two things: how much of your body the lesions cover, and what kind of treatment you have needed over the past twelve months. Whichever factor produces the higher rating is the one the VA uses.
The Four Rating Levels
The VA evaluates psoriasis under 38 CFR § 4.118 using the General Rating Formula for the Skin. The four tiers are set by regulation.
- 60 percent — Lesions cover more than 40 percent of the entire body or more than 40 percent of exposed areas (face, neck, and hands), or you have needed constant or near-constant systemic therapy over the past twelve months. Monthly pay: $1,435.02 for a single veteran with no dependents.
- 30 percent — Lesions cover 20 to 40 percent of the body or exposed areas, or systemic therapy was required for six weeks or more but not constantly during the past twelve months. Monthly pay: $552.47.
- 10 percent — Lesions cover at least 5 percent but less than 20 percent of the body or exposed areas, or intermittent systemic therapy was required for less than six weeks over the past twelve months. Monthly pay: $180.42.
- 0 percent — Lesions cover less than 5 percent of the body or exposed areas, and only topical therapy was required over the past twelve months. This establishes service connection but pays nothing on its own.
A 0 percent rating is not worthless. It locks in service connection, which matters if your psoriasis worsens later or leads to a secondary condition that carries its own rating.
Why Systemic vs. Topical Treatment Decides Most Cases
Because the rating schedule weighs treatment type so heavily, the line between systemic and topical therapy often determines whether a veteran gets 10 percent or 60 percent. The VA defines systemic therapy as treatment given through any route other than the skin — oral medication, injections, suppositories, or intranasal delivery — that affects the body as a whole. Topical therapy is anything applied directly to the skin.2Legal Information Institute. 38 CFR § 4.118 Schedule of Ratings, Skin
The Federal Circuit ruled in Johnson v. Shulkin (2017) that topical corticosteroids do not automatically count as systemic therapy, even when used daily. A cream applied to a limited area does not meet the threshold, though the court left open that a topical could qualify if used on such a large scale that it affects the body as a whole.3U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Johnson v. Shulkin, No. 16-2144 The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims added in Burton v. Wilkie (2018) that a topical corticosteroid’s method of action and side effects could also bear on whether it rises to systemic treatment.4U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. BVA Decision, Citation Nr: 21002187
A 2018 final rule clarified the definitions. Phototherapy, retinoids, biologics, photochemotherapy, and PUVA all count as systemic therapy when given through non-topical routes, along with corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs.5Federal Register. Schedule for Rating Disabilities: Skin The practical result: biologic injections, oral immunosuppressants, and phototherapy sessions push you toward higher ratings. Creams and ointments, even potent ones, generally do not.
Establishing Service Connection
Psoriasis is not a presumptive condition. It is not on the Agent Orange list,6U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Agent Orange Exposure and VA Disability Compensation not covered by the PACT Act’s burn pit presumptions,7U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The PACT Act and Your VA Benefits and not eligible as an “undiagnosed illness” under 38 CFR § 3.317 for Gulf War veterans, because psoriasis is a known clinical diagnosis.8eCFR. 38 CFR § 3.317 Compensation for Certain Disabilities Occurring in Persian Gulf Veterans You will need to prove the connection through one of two routes.
Direct Service Connection
A direct claim needs three elements: evidence of an in-service event, injury, or illness; a current diagnosis of psoriasis; and a medical nexus opinion linking the two. In-service treatment records showing skin complaints, deployment to environments with known triggers, or documented onset during active duty all help.
The PACT Act still offers a useful side door even though psoriasis is not on its presumptive list. The Act requires the VA to provide a disability exam and medical opinion for veterans with a documented toxic exposure risk activity (TERA). In at least one recent Board decision, a veteran was granted service connection for psoriasis based on evidence of a TERA and a positive medical opinion tying the condition to that exposure.9U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. BVA Decision, Citation Nr: A25027034 Stress, skin injuries, cold weather, and infections are all recognized psoriasis triggers common to military service.10National Psoriasis Foundation. Causes and Triggers
Secondary Service Connection
If you already have a service-connected condition, you can claim psoriasis as secondary under 38 CFR § 3.310 when a medical professional opines that the service-connected condition caused or aggravated it. In one Board decision, a veteran’s psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and fibromyalgia were all granted service connection because VA examiners documented a “synergistic relationship” between her PTSD and her psoriasis flares.11U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. BVA Decision, Citation Nr: 1205422 The framework works in both directions, and psoriasis is often the primary condition that gives rise to secondary claims for arthritis or mental health disorders.
Separate Ratings for Psoriatic Arthritis and Mental Health
The rating criteria for Diagnostic Code 7816 explicitly instruct raters to evaluate complications of psoriasis separately.2Legal Information Institute. 38 CFR § 4.118 Schedule of Ratings, Skin That means a rating for psoriasis under DC 7816 and an additional, separate rating for psoriatic arthritis under DC 5002 are both on the table. Because DC 7816 itself names psoriatic arthritis as a complication, the Board has found the causal relationship inherent in the regulation, allowing service connection even without a standalone nexus opinion linking the two.12U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. BVA Decision, Citation Nr: 22027799
Psoriatic arthritis ratings under DC 5002 run from 20 percent for two or more incapacitating episodes per year, to 40 percent for three or more, 60 percent for four or more with accompanying health decline, and 100 percent for totally incapacitating symptoms. A separate 10 percent rating is available for each joint with painful motion under 38 CFR § 4.59.
Depression and anxiety tied to the chronic, visible nature of psoriasis can also support a secondary mental health claim, though the Board has denied these when medical evidence failed to establish that a service-connected psychiatric condition chronically aggravated the psoriasis beyond its natural waxing and waning.13U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. BVA Decision, Citation Nr: 1317494 A strong nexus opinion is what usually decides these claims.
When multiple ratings are combined, the VA does not simply add them. It uses a combined ratings table and rounds to the nearest 10 percent, so 30 plus 20 does not produce 50.14U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. About VA Disability Ratings
What Happens at the C&P Exam
The VA will schedule a Compensation and Pension exam using the Skin Diseases Disability Benefits Questionnaire, last updated in 2024.15U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Skin Diseases Disability Benefits Questionnaire The examiner records:
- Body surface area affected, both total and exposed, chosen from set ranges (less than 5 percent, 5 to less than 20 percent, 20 to 40 percent, more than 40 percent).
- Every medication and procedure used in the past twelve months, including route of administration and total duration.
- The functional impact on your ability to work.
- Any scarring or disfigurement of the head, face, or neck, which triggers a separate Scars/Disfigurement DBQ.
Timing matters. Psoriasis flares and remits, and an exam during remission can produce a rating that understates the condition. One Board decision noted that a VA physician found lay individuals generally cannot accurately estimate body surface area percentages, and the veteran’s photographs were weighed against objective exam findings.16U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. BVA Decision, Citation Nr: 25002260 Keep detailed records of every prescription, biologic injection, and phototherapy session. Gather lay statements from family or coworkers describing your condition during flares.17U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Evidence Needed for Your Disability Claim If you can’t make the appointment, reschedule. Missing it without rescheduling can sink the claim.
TDIU When Psoriasis Keeps You From Working
If your psoriasis, alone or combined with other service-connected disabilities, prevents you from holding substantially gainful employment, Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability pays at the 100 percent rate even when your schedular rating is lower. The schedular pathway under 38 CFR § 4.16 generally requires one disability rated at 60 percent, or a combined rating of 70 percent with at least one condition at 40 percent. Veterans who fall short can still pursue extraschedular TDIU. Make sure the C&P exam captures functional limitations tied to your condition: difficulty concentrating, sleep disruption, or inability to perform physical tasks during flares.
Appealing a Denied or Low Rating
If you disagree with the decision, three options are available under the current decision review system.18U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Decision Reviews and Appeals
- A supplemental claim, which requires new and relevant evidence. Average processing time is roughly 61 days as of early 2026.19U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Supplemental Claim
- Higher-Level Review, in which a senior reviewer examines the existing record without new evidence. The processing goal is 125 days, though asking for an informal conference can extend that.20U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Higher-Level Review
- An appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, where a Veterans Law Judge reviews the case. New evidence and testimony are permitted, but the wait is longer.
An accredited attorney, claims agent, or Veterans Service Organization representative can help with any of these. Decisions dated before February 19, 2019 fall under the legacy appeals system instead.