38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.114

Lips, injuries of — VA Diagnostic Code 7201

Digestive

Diagnostic code

7201

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38 CFR § 4.114 lists Diagnostic Code 7201 as “Lips, injuries of:”. The title ends with a colon. The rating cell on the title is empty. The next cell is “Rate as disfigurement (diagnostic codes 7800 and 7804).” That cell ends with a period, and its rating cell is empty. Appendix B to Part 4 indexes “Lips, injuries.” It drops “of.” [DC 7200](/conditions/diagnostic-codes/dc-7200-soft-tissue-injury-of-the-mouth-other-than-tongue-or-lips) is soft tissue injury of the mouth, other than tongue or lips, and it says “Rate as for disfigurement (diagnostic codes 7800 and 7804) and impairment of mastication.”

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 § 4.118 source note prints 67 FR 49596, July 31, 2002; 67 FR 58448, 58449, Sept. 16, 2002; 73 FR 54710, Oct. 23, 2008; 77 FR 2910, Jan. 20, 2012; 83 FR 32597, July 13, 2018; 83 FR 38663, Aug. 7, 2018. The § 4.114 source note prints 29 FR 6718, May 22, 1964, as amended at 34 FR 5063, Mar. 11, 1969; 40 FR 42540, Sept. 15, 1975; 41 FR 11301, Mar. 18, 1976; 66 FR 29488, May 31, 2001; 89 FR 19743, Mar. 20, 2024. The § 4.112 source note prints 89 FR 19743, Mar. 20, 2024. The § 4.113 XML for this date does not print a Federal Register source note.

The rating criteria at each level

7201 Lips, injuries of

Rating %: —

Criteria (verbatim). Rate as disfigurement (diagnostic codes 7800 and 7804).

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
—	Rate as disfigurement (diagnostic codes 7800 and 7804).

7800 Burn scar(s) of the head, face, or neck; scar(s) of the head, face, or neck due to other causes; or other disfigurement of the head, face, or neck — a code DC 7201 names

Rating %: 80

Criteria (verbatim). With visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of three or more features or paired sets of features (nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips), or; with six or more characteristics of disfigurement

Rating %: 50

Criteria (verbatim). With visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of two features or paired sets of features (nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips), or; with four or five characteristics of disfigurement

Rating %: 30

Criteria (verbatim). With visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of one feature or paired set of features (nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips), or; with two or three characteristics of disfigurement

Rating %: 10

Criteria (verbatim). With one characteristic of disfigurement

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
80	With visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of three or more features or paired sets of features (nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips), or; with six or more characteristics of disfigurement
50	With visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of two features or paired sets of features (nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips), or; with four or five characteristics of disfigurement
30	With visible or palpable tissue loss and either gross distortion or asymmetry of one feature or paired set of features (nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips), or; with two or three characteristics of disfigurement
10	With one characteristic of disfigurement

7804 Scar(s), unstable or painful — the other code DC 7201 names

Rating %: 30

Criteria (verbatim). Five or more scars that are unstable or painful

Rating %: 20

Criteria (verbatim). Three or four scars that are unstable or painful

Rating %: 10

Criteria (verbatim). One or two scars that are unstable or painful

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
30	Five or more scars that are unstable or painful
20	Three or four scars that are unstable or painful
10	One or two scars that are unstable or painful

DC 7201 does not print “for” before “disfigurement,” and it does not print “impairment of mastication.” Those words are on DC 7200.

Note (1) under DC 7800: The 8 characteristics of disfigurement, for purposes of evaluation under § 4.118, are: Scar 5 or more inches (13 or more cm.) in length. Scar at least one-quarter inch (0.6 cm.) wide at widest part. Surface contour of scar elevated or depressed on palpation. Scar adherent to underlying tissue. Skin hypo-or hyper-pigmented in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.). Skin texture abnormal (irregular, atrophic, shiny, scaly, etc.) in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.). Underlying soft tissue missing in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.). Skin indurated and inflexible in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.).

The pigment sentence prints “hypo-or” with a hyphen and no space before “or.”

Note (2) under DC 7800: Rate tissue loss of the auricle under DC 6207 (loss of auricle) and anatomical loss of the eye under DC 6061 (anatomical loss of both eyes) or DC 6063 (anatomical loss of one eye), as appropriate.

Note (3) under DC 7800: Take into consideration unretouched color photographs when evaluating under these criteria.

Note (4) under DC 7800: Separately evaluate disabling effects other than disfigurement that are associated with individual scar(s) of the head, face, or neck, such as pain, instability, and residuals of associated muscle or nerve injury, under the appropriate diagnostic code(s) and apply § 4.25 to combine the evaluation(s) with the evaluation assigned under this diagnostic code.

Note (5) under DC 7800: The characteristic(s) of disfigurement may be caused by one scar or by multiple scars; the characteristic(s) required to assign a particular evaluation need not be caused by a single scar in order to assign that evaluation.

Note (1) under DC 7804: An unstable scar is one where, for any reason, there is frequent loss of covering of skin over the scar.

Note (2) under DC 7804: If one or more scars are both unstable and painful, add 10 percent to the evaluation that is based on the total number of unstable or painful scars

Note (3) under DC 7804: Scars evaluated under diagnostic codes 7800, 7801, 7802, or 7805 may also receive an evaluation under this diagnostic code, when applicable

DC 7804 notes (2) and (3) do not end with a period. Note (1) does.

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 § 4.31 says that 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. DC 7800’s lowest printed line is 10. DC 7804’s lowest printed line is 10. Neither code prints a 0 line. DC 7201 itself prints no percentage.

The feature list on the DC 7800 lines includes lips: nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, lips. DC 7800 and DC 7804 are the two codes the DC 7201 cell names. DC 7805 is other scars and other effects of scars evaluated under diagnostic codes 7800, 7801, 7802, or 7804. DC 7201 does not name DC 7805.

The opening of § 4.114 says not to combine ratings under diagnostic codes 7301 through 7329 inclusive, 7331, 7342, 7345 through 7350 inclusive, 7352, and 7355 through 7357 inclusive, with each other. DC 7201 is not in that list. This page does not turn that absence into a combining rule. 38 CFR § 4.113 points coexisting abdominal conditions to the instruction under “Diseases of the Digestive System,” and to § 4.14.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.114, Diagnostic Code 7201, and 38 CFR § 4.118, Diagnostic Codes 7800 and 7804, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.

What the words mean in your records

Two codes, and not mastication

The DC 7201 cell names diagnostic codes 7800 and 7804. DC 7200 adds the word “for” and “impairment of mastication.” DC 7201 does not.

Lips are in the feature list

The 80, 50, and 30 percent DC 7800 lines list lips among the features or paired sets of features. The 10 percent line is one characteristic of disfigurement.

Unstable or painful is a count

DC 7804 is 30 for five or more, 20 for three or four, and 10 for one or two scars that are unstable or painful. Note (2) adds 10 percent when one or more scars are both unstable and painful. That note does not end with a period.

Evidence that speaks to each level

The DC 7201 instruction

What the rater needs to see. An injury of the lips, rated as disfigurement under DC 7800 and DC 7804.

Where that usually lives. The examination of the lips and the scar or disfigurement findings.

DC 7800

What the rater needs to see. Visible or palpable tissue loss with gross distortion or asymmetry of the named features, including lips, or the count of characteristics of disfigurement the line uses.

Where that usually lives. The head, face, or neck examination. Note (3) says to take unretouched color photographs into consideration.

DC 7804

What the rater needs to see. The number of scars that are unstable or painful. Note (1) defines an unstable scar.

Where that usually lives. The scar examination.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
The DC 7201 instruction	An injury of the lips, rated as disfigurement under DC 7800 and DC 7804.	The examination of the lips and the scar or disfigurement findings.
DC 7800	Visible or palpable tissue loss with gross distortion or asymmetry of the named features, including lips, or the count of characteristics of disfigurement the line uses.	The head, face, or neck examination. Note (3) says to take unretouched color photographs into consideration.
DC 7804	The number of scars that are unstable or painful. Note (1) defines an unstable scar.	The scar examination.

VA’s public DBQ list, checked October 5, 2026, names “Scars” under Dermatological. It also names “Skin Diseases” as a separate form. The scars file is Scars.

The exam form

DC 7201 names DC 7800 and DC 7804. This page does not say the form replaces those codes.

Related codes and how they interact

The mouth code is the previous row.

DC 7200 excludes tongue or lips and adds impairment of mastication. DC 7201 is the lips row. It names only DC 7800 and DC 7804.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “lips.” This page does not add DC 7201 to a presumptive row.

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

How does VA rate injuries of the lips under DC 7201?

Under 38 CFR § 4.114, Diagnostic Code 7201 says to rate as disfigurement under diagnostic codes 7800 and 7804. Those codes are in § 4.118. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

What does “hypo-or” mean on the characteristic list?

Note (1) of DC 7800 prints “Skin hypo-or hyper-pigmented in an area exceeding six square inches (39 sq. cm.).” The hyphen is in that sentence, with no space before “or.”

FAQ

What percentage does DC 7201 print?

None. The cell says to rate as disfigurement under diagnostic codes 7800 and 7804. DC 7800 prints 80, 50, 30, and 10. DC 7804 prints 30, 20, and 10. Education only.

Does DC 7201 include impairment of mastication?

No. Those words are on DC 7200, soft tissue injury of the mouth other than tongue or lips. DC 7201 says “Rate as disfigurement (diagnostic codes 7800 and 7804).”

Are lips one of the disfigurement features?

Yes. The DC 7800 lines list nose, chin, forehead, eyes (including eyelids), ears (auricles), cheeks, and lips.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 7201 and whether DC 7800, DC 7804, or both were 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. An accredited representative is at find a VSO.
Other digestive codes are on the digestive diagnostic-code index. The category page is digestive conditions.

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Other codes in this body system

Nearby catalog entries in Digestive, ordered by diagnostic code number. All Digestive codes

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

Source: 38 CFR Part 4, Diagnostic Code 7201 • va.gov

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