Allergic rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis is ongoing inflammation of the nasal passages — congestion, sneezing, a runny or blocked nose — triggered by allergens or irritants. It is distinct from sinusitis and is rated under its own part of the VA schedule.
How the VA looks at Allergic rhinitis
VA rating schedule, diagnostic code 6522
Allergic rhinitis — often called hay fever — is ongoing inflammation of the lining of the nose, with congestion, sneezing, and a runny or blocked nose, set off by allergens or irritants. The VA treats it as a ratable disability that is separate from sinusitis. As with most conditions, service connection follows the three-part test: a current diagnosis, an onset or cause during service, and a medical link between them (38 CFR § 3.303). Some veterans pursue it as secondary to another service-connected condition or to an environmental exposure.
The VA rates allergic (and vasomotor) rhinitis under Diagnostic Code 6522 (38 CFR § 4.97). There are two levels: 30 percent when there are nasal polyps, and 10 percent when there are no polyps but there is greater than 50 percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides, or complete obstruction on one side. Because the rating turns on whether polyps are present and on measured airway obstruction, a VA examination that documents those findings tends to be central to how the condition is evaluated.
This is general educational information about how the VA's rules work — not legal advice, not a VA decision, and not a prediction about any individual claim. Outcomes depend on your own facts and evidence; a denial can be appealed.
Sources
Grounded in federal regulations and VA guidance, independently reviewed June 2026. Educational information, not legal advice or a VA determination.
Across 6,068 real Board appeals for Allergic rhinitis
61% were granted, partly granted, or remanded.
A denial is often not the end — remands are sent back for more development and frequently end in a grant.
- Granted 19%
- Partly granted 16%
- Remanded 26%
- Denied 31%
- Dismissed 7%
What tends to win
Among the appeals that were granted or partly granted, the most common ways Allergic rhinitis was linked to service:
- Direct service connection1,451
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)267
- Secondary to another service-connected condition116
How it’s rated, in practice
When Allergic rhinitis was granted, the rating most often assigned was:
- 10% (296)
- 30% (171)
- 100% (162)
- 50% (70)
- 70% (62)
Presumptive & exposure paths
These appeals involved a recognized exposure — which can mean the link to service is presumed, with no nexus to prove:
- PACT Act263
- Burn pits & airborne hazards217
- Gulf War190
- Agent Orange / herbicides29
- Camp Lejeune water20
Real decisions
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for allergic rhinitis, finding it directly related to the Veteran's military service and exposure to burn pits in Vietnam.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for rhinitis and sinusitis, finding a relationship to the Veteran's TERA participation.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection for chronic bronchitis, asthma, sinusitis, and rhinitis were granted. The claims for service connection for right hand disability, right shoulder disability, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, erectile dysfunction, bilateral shoulder disability, and left wrist disability were remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a rating of total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU) based upon service-connected disorders effective July 20, 2022, and basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) pursuant to 38 U.S.C. chapter 35 for the same effective date.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of December 12, 2022, for service-connected obstructive sleep apnea with reactive airway disease and allergic rhinitis.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and chronic sinusitis with allergic rhinitis, finding a link to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and presumed fine particulate matter exposure during his Southwest Asia theater of operations.
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