38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.97

Laryngitis, chronic — VA Diagnostic Code 6516

ENT / airway

Diagnostic code

6516

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38 CFR § 4.97 lists Diagnostic Code 6516 as “Laryngitis, chronic.” Two lines are printed: 30 and 10. Both require hoarseness, and each adds a different set of findings. The code does not print a 0, 20, 40, 50, 60, or 100 percent line.

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 § 4.97 source note prints 61 FR 46728, Sept. 5, 1996, as amended at 71 FR 28586, May 17, 2006. The versioner lists a substantive amendment date of 2016-12-14. The § 3.316 source note prints 59 FR 42499, Aug. 18, 1994.

The rating criteria at each level

Laryngitis, chronic — DC 6516

Rating %: 30

Criteria (verbatim). Hoarseness, with thickening or nodules of cords, polyps, submucous infiltration, or pre-malignant changes on biopsy

Rating %: 10

Criteria (verbatim). Hoarseness, with inflammation of cords or mucous membrane

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
30	Hoarseness, with thickening or nodules of cords, polyps, submucous infiltration, or pre-malignant changes on biopsy
10	Hoarseness, with inflammation of cords or mucous membrane

Both lines start with hoarseness. The 30 percent line adds thickening or nodules of cords, polyps, submucous infiltration, or pre-malignant changes on biopsy. The 10 percent line adds inflammation of cords or mucous membrane.

DC 6516 does not print a 0 percent line.

38 CFR § 4.31 says: “In every instance where the schedule does not provide a zero percent evaluation for a diagnostic code, a zero percent evaluation shall be assigned when the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met.”

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.

38 CFR § 4.96(a) says ratings under diagnostic codes 6600 through 6817 and 6822 through 6847 will not be combined with each other. DC 6516 is not in that list.

DC 6518 says: “Rate the residuals of partial laryngectomy as laryngitis (DC 6516), aphonia (DC 6519), or stenosis of larynx (DC 6520).” The DC 6519 note says: “Evaluate incomplete aphonia as laryngitis, chronic (DC 6516).”

Source: 38 CFR § 4.97, Diagnostic Code 6516, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01. The source note prints 61 FR 46728, Sept. 5, 1996, as amended at 71 FR 28586, May 17, 2006. The versioner lists a substantive amendment date of 2016-12-14.

What the words mean in your records

Hoarseness

The word is on both the 30 and the 10 percent lines. The lines then diverge on the cord and membrane findings.

Pre-malignant changes on biopsy

Those words are one alternative on the 30 percent line, joined by “or” to thickening or nodules of cords, polyps, and submucous infiltration. The line does not say that a malignant neoplasm of the larynx is DC 6516.

When two lines are close

Evidence that speaks to each level

What the rater needs to see. Hoarseness, with thickening or nodules of cords, polyps, submucous infiltration, or pre-malignant changes on biopsy.

Where that usually lives. The laryngeal examination and, when the line uses it, the biopsy.

What the rater needs to see. Hoarseness, with inflammation of cords or mucous membrane.

Where that usually lives. The laryngeal examination.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
30	Hoarseness, with thickening or nodules of cords, polyps, submucous infiltration, or pre-malignant changes on biopsy.	The laryngeal examination and, when the line uses it, the biopsy.
10	Hoarseness, with inflammation of cords or mucous membrane.	The laryngeal examination.

VA’s public DBQ list, checked October 5, 2026, names “Sinusitis, Rhinitis and Other Conditions of the Nose, Throat, Larynx and Pharynx” under Auditory.

The exam form

The file is Sinusitis, Rhinitis and Other Conditions of the Nose, Throat, Larynx and Pharynx. The DC 6516 lines are hoarseness plus the cord or membrane findings. The form does not replace those lines.

Related codes and how they interact

Total laryngectomy, aphonia, and stenosis

DC 6518 is total laryngectomy, 100, with footnote 1 directing a review for special monthly compensation under § 3.350. Residuals of partial laryngectomy are rated as DC 6516, DC 6519, or DC 6520.

DC 6519 is complete organic aphonia. Constant inability to communicate by speech is 100. Constant inability to speak above a whisper is 60. Incomplete aphonia is evaluated as chronic laryngitis, DC 6516.

Other nose, throat, and larynx codes are on the ENT / airway diagnostic-code index.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

38 CFR § 3.316(a)(2) says full-body exposure to nitrogen or sulfur mustard or Lewisite during active military service together with the subsequent development of a chronic form of laryngitis, bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is sufficient to establish service connection, except as paragraph (b) provides. Paragraph (b) says service connection will not be established under this section if the claimed condition is due to the veteran’s own willful misconduct, or there is affirmative evidence that establishes a nonservice-related supervening condition or event as the cause. Paragraph (a)(1) names chronic conjunctivitis, keratitis, corneal opacities, scar formation, and listed cancers. It does not name laryngitis.

38 CFR § 3.309(e) names “Respiratory cancers (cancer of the lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea).” It does not name chronic laryngitis. 38 CFR § 3.309(f) does not name chronic laryngitis. 38 CFR § 3.320 lists squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx among nine rare cancers. It does not name chronic laryngitis. 38 CFR § 3.320a does not name it. 38 CFR § 3.317 does not name it.

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 6516?

Under 38 CFR § 4.97, chronic laryngitis is 30 or 10 percent, depending on the hoarseness findings on those two lines. The code does not print a 0 percent line. Section 4.31 is the general rule when a compensable evaluation is not met. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Which presumption names chronic laryngitis?

38 CFR § 3.316(a)(2) names a chronic form of laryngitis after full-body mustard or Lewisite exposure. Sections 3.309(e), 3.309(f), 3.320, 3.320a, and 3.317 do not name chronic laryngitis.

FAQ

How does VA rate chronic laryngitis under DC 6516?

38 CFR § 4.97 prints 30 percent for hoarseness with thickening or nodules of cords, polyps, submucous infiltration, or pre-malignant changes on biopsy, and 10 percent for hoarseness with inflammation of cords or mucous membrane. Education only.

Is chronic laryngitis a mustard-gas or Lewisite condition?

Section 3.316(a)(2) names a chronic form of laryngitis after full-body exposure to nitrogen or sulfur mustard or Lewisite, except as paragraph (b) provides. Paragraph (a)(1) does not name laryngitis.

Is chronic laryngitis on the herbicide list?

Section 3.309(e) names cancer of the larynx inside “Respiratory cancers (cancer of the lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea).” It does not name chronic laryngitis.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 6516 and which hoarseness findings it used.
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. C&P prep (Founding Pass) is a separate worksheet. An accredited representative is at find a VSO.
Other nose, throat, and larynx codes are on the ENT / airway 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 ENT / airway, ordered by diagnostic code number. All ENT / airway codes

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

Source: 38 CFR Part 4, Diagnostic Code 6516 • 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.