This reference uses VA rating codes. For a code from a medical record, check ICD-10-CM and the service date. A clinical code alone does not establish a VA rating or a matching VA diagnostic code.
Asthma, bronchial
Respiratory · 38 CFR § 4.97
Diagnostic Code 6602 is the VASRD entry for Asthma, bronchial. VA applies the controlling criteria, shared formulas, and special instructions shown in 38 CFR Part 4. VMC presents this material for education and reference; it does not determine a Veteran's diagnosis, service connection, or evaluation.
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Source-verified VASRD criteria
How VA rates this diagnostic code
These percentages summarize the regulatory criteria already mapped to this diagnostic code. They do not predict a Veteran's individual evaluation or establish service connection.
FEV-1 less than 40-percent predicted, or; FEV-1/FVC less than 40 percent, or; more than one attack per week with episodes of respiratory failure, or; requires daily use of systemic (oral or parenteral) high dose corticosteroids or immuno-suppressive medications
FEV-1 of 40- to 55-percent predicted, or; FEV-1/FVC of 40 to 55 percent, or; at least monthly visits to a physician for required care of exacerbations, or; intermittent (at least three per year) courses of systemic (oral or parenteral) corticosteroids
FEV-1 of 56- to 70-percent predicted, or; FEV-1/FVC of 56 to 70 percent, or; daily inhalational or oral bronchodilator therapy, or; inhalational anti-inflammatory medication
FEV-1 of 71- to 80-percent predicted, or; FEV-1/FVC of 71 to 80 percent, or; intermittent inhalational or oral bronchodilator therapy
Regulatory notes
- Note: In the absence of clinical findings of asthma at time of examination, a verified history of asthmatic attacks must be of record.
Body system and anatomy metadata
Body system: Respiratory
Anatomy / region tags: respiratory system
These tags support discovery and body-map compatibility. They do not establish Veteran-specific laterality or entitlement.
Official VA DBQ references
DBQ catalog: va-dbq-2026.09.16 · Retrieved 2026-09-16. Official VA inventory ↗
- Ear (including Vestibular and Infectious) ↗ Related resourceCatalog category: Ear, Nose, Throat
Related by body system only. No reviewed condition-specific form match or requirement has been established.
- Loss of Sense of Smell and or Taste ↗ Related resourceCatalog category: Ear, Nose, Throat
Related by body system only. No reviewed condition-specific form match or requirement has been established.
- Sinusitis, Rhinitis and Other Conditions of the Nose, Throat, Larynx and Pharynx ↗ Related resourceCatalog category: Ear, Nose, Throat
Related by body system only. No reviewed condition-specific form match or requirement has been established.
- Respiratory Conditions (other than tuberculosis and sleep apnea) ↗ Related resourceCatalog category: Respiratory
Related by body system only. No reviewed condition-specific form match or requirement has been established.
- Sleep Apnea ↗ Related resourceCatalog category: Respiratory
Related by body system only. No reviewed condition-specific form match or requirement has been established.
VA maintains some examination forms that are not available for public use. VMC does not infer a one-code-to-one-DBQ relationship.
Evidence information
When reviewing the criteria, useful evidence categories can include diagnosis and treatment records, objective testing identified by the schedule, documented frequency/duration/severity when the criteria use those concepts, and functional effects described in medical or lay evidence. The relevant evidence depends on the actual claim and medical facts.
VMC does not diagnose conditions, guarantee a percentage, or advise anyone to exaggerate symptoms.
Legal basis and source identification
38 CFR § 4.97 · Source current through 2026-08-06 · Verified 2026-08-10
Registry content release: vasrd-registry-2026.08.1