How VA Rates Lipomas
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has no diagnostic code (DC) for lipomas. It rates a lipoma under DC 7819, "Benign skin neoplasms," in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 38 CFR 4.118. At Rank and Pay, we publish plain-language guides on VA disability ratings.
DC 7819 does not carry percentages of its own. It tells the rater to use one of three routes:
- Disfigurement of the head, face, or neck, rated under DC 7800.
- Scars, rated under DC 7801, 7802, 7803, 7804, or 7805.
- Impairment of function, rated by how the lipoma limits the part of the body it affects.
The rater picks the route that fits the medical findings in your file. A lipoma on your cheek and a removal scar on your back can end up under different codes, even though both trace to the same diagnosis.
What a Lipoma Is
A lipoma is a benign (noncancerous) lump of fat cells that grows under the skin. If you searched for a VA rating for a fatty tumor and your doctor diagnosed a lipoma, DC 7819 is the code that applies.
VA places a lipoma with benign skin growths, which the schedule calls benign skin neoplasms. The diagnosis tells the rater which code to start from. The findings about appearance, scarring, and function decide the percentage.
The Three Rating Routes Under DC 7819
DC 7819 allows VA to rate a lipoma as disfigurement, as scars, or as impairment of function, depending on what the medical evidence shows. The table below sets the three routes side by side.
| Route | Codes Named in DC 7819 | Findings the Route Depends On |
|---|---|---|
| Disfigurement | DC 7800 | A lipoma on the head, face, or neck |
| Scars | DCs 7801, 7802, 7803, 7804, 7805 | Scar area, underlying soft tissue damage, pain, instability, and other disabling effects |
| Impairment of function | No single code named | How the lipoma limits the body part it affects |
Disfigurement of the Head, Face, or Neck
A lipoma on the head, face, or neck can be rated as disfigurement under DC 7800. The area tables in DC 7801 and DC 7802 cover scars that are not on the head, face, or neck, so they do not apply to a lipoma scar on your face.
Scars
Scars from a lipoma, including scars left by removal surgery, are rated under the scar codes DC 7819 names. DC 7801 and DC 7802 rate scars by area, and DC 7804 rates scars that are unstable or painful.
DC 7805 covers other disabling effects of scars. DC 7819 also lists DC 7803 among its scar codes, and our guide to VA scar ratings covers the scar codes in more depth.
Impairment of Function
When a lipoma limits how part of your body works, DC 7819 lets VA rate it as impairment of function. DC 7805 does the same job for scars: it sends any disabling effect that DCs 7800 to 7804 do not cover to an appropriate diagnostic code. Ask your doctor to describe in writing what the lump or scar stops you from doing.
Scar Area Tables Under DC 7801 and DC 7802
DC 7801 rates scars not of the head, face, or neck that have underlying soft tissue damage, and it sets four levels by area in square inches (sq. in.).
| Scar Area (DC 7801) | Rating |
|---|---|
| 144 sq. in. or more | 40% |
| 72 to under 144 sq. in. | 30% |
| 12 to under 72 sq. in. | 20% |
| 6 to under 12 sq. in. | 10% |
DC 7802 rates the same kind of scars when there is no underlying soft tissue damage. Under DC 7802, a scar area of 144 sq. in. or more rates 10%.
The smallest area in the DC 7801 table is 6 sq. in. A smaller scar may still fit DC 7804 if it is painful or unstable, because DC 7804 rates by the number of such scars.
Painful or Unstable Scars Under DC 7804
DC 7804 rates unstable or painful scars by how many you have.
| Unstable or Painful Scars | Rating |
|---|---|
| Five or more | 30% |
| Three or four | 20% |
| One or two | 10% |
If one or more of the scars is both unstable and painful, DC 7804 adds 10% to the level in the table.
Lipoma VA Rating Examples from the Scar Tables
The scar tables turn measurements into percentages, so the math is simple once your records hold the numbers. These examples use only the figures in the tables above and describe scars that are not on the head, face, or neck.
- A removal scar area of 3 inches by 2 inches is 6 sq. in. With underlying soft tissue damage, it sits in the DC 7801 band of 6 to under 12 sq. in., which is 10%.
- A scar area of 4 inches by 5 inches is 20 sq. in. With underlying soft tissue damage, it falls in the 12 to under 72 sq. in. band, which is 20%.
- A scar area of 150 sq. in. rates 40% under DC 7801 with underlying soft tissue damage. The same 150 sq. in. without that damage falls under DC 7802 at 10%.
- Two painful scars from two removal surgeries rate 10% under DC 7804. If one of those scars is also unstable, add 10%, for a total of 20%.
- Five painful scars rate 30% under DC 7804. If at least one is both unstable and painful, the total is 30% + 10% = 40%.
In the third example, one finding moves the same scar area from 10% to 40%. That finding is whether your records document underlying soft tissue damage.
Scars from Lipoma Removal Surgery
Scars left by lipoma removal surgery are rated under the scar codes, DCs 7801 to 7805. The scar the surgery leaves sets the percentage.
Location decides which scar route can apply. A removal scar on the head, face, or neck can be rated as disfigurement under DC 7800. A scar elsewhere can be rated under the area tables in DC 7801 or DC 7802, or under DC 7804 if it is painful or unstable.
Ask the doctor who examines the scar to record these details:
- Length and width, so the area in square inches can be worked out.
- Location on the body.
- Whether there is underlying soft tissue damage.
- Whether the scar is painful, unstable, or both.
- Any other effect the scar has on what you can do.
Each detail matches a code: location with DC 7800, area with DC 7801 and DC 7802, pain and instability with DC 7804, and other effects with DC 7805. If a rated scar later becomes painful or unstable, our guide to a VA rating increase explains how to ask for a new rating.
Evidence That Supports a Lipoma VA Rating Claim
A lipoma claim rests on records that describe the growth and its effects in the terms the rating codes use. Gather five kinds of evidence:
- Diagnosis. A written lipoma diagnosis tells the rater to start from DC 7819.
- Size and location. Location separates the head, face, and neck route under DC 7800 from the area tables, and size places a scar in an area band.
- Pain. A record that a scar is painful brings DC 7804 into play.
- Scar measurements. Length, width, and soft tissue findings place a scar in a DC 7801 or DC 7802 band.
- Functional limits. A description of what the lump or scar stops you from doing supports the impairment of function route or DC 7805.
A record that only says a scar is present gives the rater no area to place in a band. If your records lack a size, ask your doctor for a measured description before you file a claim.
Direct and Secondary Service Connection for Lipomas
Service connection for a lipoma needs three elements:
- A current diagnosis of the lipoma.
- An in-service event or injury, or a link to a condition that is already service connected.
- A medical nexus opinion stating that the lipoma is at least as likely as not connected to that event, injury, or condition.
A direct claim ties the lipoma to something that happened during your service. Lipoma secondary service connection uses the same three elements, with the second one met by a link to a condition VA already service connects. Our guide to secondary conditions walks through that type of claim.
Both claim types depend on the nexus opinion, and our nexus letter guide covers what that opinion should say. Meeting all three elements does not guarantee that VA grants the claim.
For other skin diagnoses, see our guide to VA ratings for skin conditions.
Next Steps for a Lipoma VA Rating Claim
List each lipoma and each removal scar with its location, its length and width, and whether it is painful or unstable. Take that list to your doctor and ask for a written diagnosis, measured scar findings, and a nexus opinion. Once you know which scar code fits your findings, enter the percentage in our VA disability rating calculator to see where a lipoma VA rating sits next to your other ratings.
This page is general information and is not legal or financial advice. rankandpay.org is informational and not affiliated with the VA.