38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.88b

Plague — VA Diagnostic Code 6307

Infectious / immune

Diagnostic code

6307

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38 CFR § 4.88b lists Diagnostic Code 6307 as “Plague.” The code says to evaluate under the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases. The note says to rate any residual disability of infection under the appropriate body system. It does not print examples. Section 3.309(b) lists “Plague.”

Reviewed 2026-10-05. Text checked against the eCFR versioner full-text XML for 2026-10-01 on 2026-10-05. Title 38 was up to date as of 2026-10-01 and last amended on 2026-08-27. The § 4.88b source note prints 61 FR 39875, July 31, 1996, as amended at 84 FR 28230, June 18, 2019.

The rating criteria at each level

General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases — DC 6307 says to evaluate under this formula

Rating %: 100

Criteria (verbatim). For active disease

Rating %: —

Criteria (verbatim). After active disease has resolved, rate at 0 percent for infection. Rate any residual disability of infection within the appropriate body system.

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
100	For active disease
—	After active disease has resolved, rate at 0 percent for infection. Rate any residual disability of infection within the appropriate body system.

Note: Rate under the appropriate body system any residual disability of infection.

DC 6307’s own row does not print a percentage. It says: “Evaluate under the General Rating Formula.” The formula’s 100 percent line is “For active disease.” The second line of the General Rating Formula does not print a number in the rating column. The words “rate at 0 percent” are inside the criteria cell. The cell also says to rate any residual disability of infection within the appropriate body system. 38 CFR § 4.7 assigns the higher rating when the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating. Otherwise, the lower rating will be assigned. 38 CFR § 4.6 requires each element affecting the evidence to be studied so that decisions will be equitable and just.

The plague note does not add examples. The next code, DC 6308, is relapsing fever. Relapsing fever is not a § 3.309(b) name. Its note names liver or spleen damage, iritis, uveitis, or central nervous system involvement. That note is not printed on DC 6307.

The opening note of § 4.88b says to rate any residual disability of infection within the appropriate body system as indicated by the notes in the evaluation criteria. It then says, as applicable, to consider the long-term health effects potentially associated with infectious diseases as listed in § 3.317(d), specifically Brucellosis, Campylobacter jejuni, Coxiella burnetii (Q fever), Malaria, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Nontyphoid Salmonella, Shigella, Visceral Leishmaniasis, and West Nile virus. Plague is not one of those names.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.88b, Diagnostic Code 6307, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.

What the words mean in your records

The title is the same word

Section 3.309(b) says “Plague.” The schedule title at DC 6307 is “Plague.” The code does not print a second plague title.

Active disease, then the resolved-infection line

The formula’s 100 percent line is “For active disease.” It does not say “As active disease.” The next line has no number in the rating column. It says to rate at 0 percent for the infection after active disease has resolved, and to rate any residual disability of infection within the appropriate body system.

The note has no examples

The DC 6307 note is one sentence: rate under the appropriate body system any residual disability of infection. It does not name an organ. 38 CFR § 4.14 says the evaluation of the same manifestation under different diagnoses is to be avoided.

Evidence that speaks to each level

100 — for active disease

What the rater needs to see. Active plague. That is the formula’s 100 percent line. The line says “For active disease.”

Where that usually lives. The record that describes active disease.

After active disease has resolved

What the rater needs to see. The unnumbered formula line: rate at 0 percent for the infection, and rate any residual disability of infection within the appropriate body system. The DC 6307 note repeats the residual sentence and does not add examples.

Where that usually lives. The examination of the body system used for the residual.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
100 — for active disease	Active plague. That is the formula’s 100 percent line. The line says “For active disease.”	The record that describes active disease.
After active disease has resolved	The unnumbered formula line: rate at 0 percent for the infection, and rate any residual disability of infection within the appropriate body system. The DC 6307 note repeats the residual sentence and does not add examples.	The examination of the body system used for the residual.

VA’s public DBQ list, checked October 5, 2026, names “Infectious Diseases (other than HIV-related illness chronic fatigue syndrome and tuberculosis)” under Infectious Diseases. The file is Infectious Diseases (other than HIV-related illness chronic fatigue syndrome and tuberculosis). The public list prints that title without commas between “HIV-related illness,” “chronic fatigue syndrome,” and “tuberculosis.”

The exam form

DC 6307 says to evaluate under the General Rating Formula and prints a residual note without examples. This page does not say the form replaces those lines.

Related codes and how they interact

The formula is shared. The note is not.

Several codes in § 4.88b say to evaluate under the same formula. DC 6307’s note does not copy the examples printed on the neighboring notes. DC 6329 names central nervous system, liver, or kidney conditions. That list is not the plague note.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

38 CFR § 3.309(b) says the listed tropical diseases shall be granted service connection as a result of tropical service, although not otherwise established as incurred in service if manifested to a compensable degree within the applicable time limits under § 3.307 or § 3.308 following service in a period of war or following peacetime service, provided the rebuttable presumption provisions of § 3.307 are also satisfied. The paragraph also covers resultant disorders or diseases originating because of therapy administered in connection with such diseases or as a preventative thereof. “Plague” is one of the names.

38 CFR § 3.307(a)(4) says a tropical disease must have become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more within 1 year from date of separation from service as specified in paragraph (a)(2), or at a time when standard accepted treatises indicate that the incubation period commenced during such service. 38 CFR § 3.307(a)(1) says the veteran must have served 90 days or more during a war period or after December 31, 1946. The same paragraph then says any period of service is sufficient for a specified disease under the conditions listed in § 3.309(c) and (e). That sentence does not name § 3.309(b). 38 CFR § 3.308(b) applies to a veteran of 6 months or more of peacetime service before January 1, 1947 who contracts a tropical disease listed in § 3.309(b). It uses “standard and accepted treatises.” Section 3.307(a)(4) uses “standard accepted treatises.” The text of § 3.308 does not print the disease name. It reaches the condition by naming a tropical disease listed in § 3.309(b).

Section 3.309(a) does not name plague. Section 3.309(c) does not name it. The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309(e) does not name plague. 38 CFR § 3.309(f) does not name plague. 38 CFR § 3.309(d) does not name plague. 38 CFR § 3.320 does not name plague. 38 CFR § 3.320a does not name plague. 38 CFR § 3.320b does not name plague. 38 CFR § 3.316 does not name plague. 38 CFR § 3.317 does not name plague.

A separate question, when a presumption does not decide it, is a medical question on the facts under 38 CFR § 3.310. Paragraph (a) covers disability proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disease or injury. Paragraph (b) covers increase in severity and requires a medical baseline.

Short answers

What is the VA rating for DC 6307?

Under 38 CFR § 4.88b, plague is evaluated under the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases: 100 percent for active disease, then 0 percent for the infection after active disease has resolved, with residuals rated under the appropriate body system. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Is plague a chronic disease under § 3.309(a)?

Section 3.309(a) does not name plague. Section 3.309(b) does, as a tropical disease.

FAQ

How does VA rate plague under DC 6307?

The code says to evaluate under the General Rating Formula for Infectious Diseases. Active disease is 100 percent. After active disease has resolved, the formula says to rate at 0 percent for the infection and to rate residuals under the appropriate body system. The plague note does not print examples. Education only.

Does the plague note name organs?

No. The note says to rate under the appropriate body system any residual disability of infection. It stops there. The relapsing-fever note on DC 6308 names organs. That note is not on DC 6307.

Which presumption lists plague?

Section 3.309(b) lists it as a tropical disease, with the time limits in § 3.307(a)(4) or § 3.308. The 90-day service sentence in § 3.307(a)(1) applies to § 3.309(b). The “any period of service” sentence in that paragraph names § 3.309(c) and (e), not paragraph (b). Section 3.317 does not name plague.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 6307, whether the formula’s active-disease line was used, and which body system was used for residuals.
The free worksheet is a place to write the code, the findings, and the records you already have. It does not file a claim or protect a filing date. An accredited representative is at find a VSO.
Other codes in this schedule are on the infectious-disease diagnostic-code index.

Education only. Not legal or medical advice. My Claim Packet is not a VA-accredited representative and does not file claims. VA decides every claim on its own evidence.

Other codes in this body system

Nearby catalog entries in Infectious / immune, ordered by diagnostic code number. All Infectious / immune codes

Also: DC code lookup (tools) lists the same index in a compact layout.

Source: 38 CFR Part 4, Diagnostic Code 6307 • va.gov

⚠️ Important Disclaimer

This page provides general educational information based on public VA regulations and VA.gov resources. It is not legal or medical advice, and My Claim Packet is not a VA-accredited representative. Any worksheets or draft documents produced by the tools must be reviewed for accuracy and are not filed with VA for you. Ratings and service connection are decided case-by-case from the individual record. Consult a VA-accredited VSO, claims agent, attorney, or qualified clinician for help with your situation, and verify current rules using the linked official source.