Allergic Rhinitis — VA Disability Rating & Claim Guide
This is not legal or medical advice. Always consult with a VSO or accredited claims agent.
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The DBQ for Allergic Rhinitis
Your C&P examiner fills out DBQ 21-0960N-4 (Sinusitis, Rhinitis and Other Conditions of the Nose, Throat, Larynx and Pharynx) — the form that decides your rating. You can have your own doctor complete the same DBQ and submit it as evidence.
Have a C&P exam coming up? See exactly what the examiner will ask about Allergic Rhinitis — and how to describe it.
Prep →2026 Compensation Rates
Monthly compensation for Allergic Rhinitis, based on your overall combined VA disability rating.
| Rating | Monthly (Alone) | Monthly (w/ Spouse) | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | — | $2,165.04 |
| 20% | $356.66 | — | $4,279.92 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 | $6,629.64 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $882.84 | $9,550.08 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 | $13,594.80 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,566.02 | $17,220.24 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 | $21,701.40 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 | $25,225.80 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,559.30 | $28,347.60 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 | $47,262.96 |
Common Symptoms
Document these symptoms in your claim. The more thoroughly you describe how they affect your daily life, the stronger your claim.
Functional Limitations
VA rates disabilities based on how they limit your ability to function. Describe these limitations in your personal statement.
Rating Criteria for Allergic Rhinitis
Rating schedule under 38 CFR 4.97, DC 6522 (allergic or vasomotor rhinitis). Criteria are simplified summaries; your specific rating depends on severity documented in your C&P exam.
Without nasal polyps, but with greater than 50 percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides, or complete obstruction on one side.
With nasal polyps.
Verified against 38 CFR Part 4, the official VA rating schedule. Reviewed July 2026.
Will adding Allergic Rhinitis raise your rating?
Enter your current combined rating and the level this condition would rate at. We'll do the VA math.
New combined
10%
New monthly
$180
Change
+$180
Rates shown are the 2026 veteran-alone amounts (no dependents). VA combines ratings with "whole-person" math and rounds to the nearest 10, so adding a condition does not simply add its percentage. Full combined-rating calculator with dependents →
Peer-Reviewed Medical Evidence
Real, verified studies from PubMed/NIH that support a Allergic Rhinitis claim. Bring these citations to your accredited VSO or C&P exam — they help show your condition is recognized in the medical literature and, where noted, linked to other service-connected conditions.
Chemical Research in Toxicology, 2021 · PMID 34808040
Finding: Reviews how the roughly 3 million U.S. personnel and contractors deployed to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan developed persistent respiratory conditions collectively termed deployment-related lung disease (DRLD), which explicitly includes rhinosinusitis alongside asthma and bronchiolitis. Inhaled particulate matter from sandstorms, burn-pit combustion products, and diesel exhaust activates oxidative-stress, Toll-like-receptor, and IL-33 cytokine pathways producing airway inflammation, and may predispose personnel to more severe disease through interaction with allergens.
Why it helps: Supports an association between documented deployment airborne-hazard exposures (burn pits, sandstorm dust) and chronic upper-airway/nasal disease, useful for a direct service-connection theory for rhinitis or rhinosinusitis in Gulf War and post-9/11 veterans.
MSMR (Medical Surveillance Monthly Report), 2015 · PMID 26627370
Finding: Analysis of active-component Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps members found that during about two-thirds of the 117 months studied, rates of acute respiratory illnesses of presumed allergic etiology (including allergic rhinitis and asthma) were higher during a service member's first months at a new duty assignment than at the same location one year later.
Why it helps: Supports an association between military duty relocations (PCS moves) and new exposure to local allergens, helping explain how allergic rhinitis can onset or worsen as a direct result of service-driven changes in geographic environment.
Journal of Asthma, 2015 · nexus to Asthma · PMID 25365112
Finding: Retrospective study of 128,591 Israel Defense Forces soldiers found a history of allergic rhinitis carried a relative risk of 1.86 (95% CI 1.57-2.21) for developing new-onset asthma, with the risk highest in combat units (RR 2.80, 95% CI 2.09-3.76) where physical demands are greater.
Why it helps: Supports an association in a large military population between allergic rhinitis and later asthma, relevant when claiming asthma as secondary to a service-connected allergic rhinitis (or both as part of a single united-airway disease).
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2017 · nexus to Asthma · PMID 28602936
Finding: International GRADE-based guideline documenting that allergic rhinitis affects 10% to 40% of the population, reduces quality of life and work productivity, and is closely linked to asthma within the unified-airway framework that underlies the ARIA recommendations.
Why it helps: An authoritative consensus reference establishing the recognized clinical and physiologic link between allergic rhinitis and asthma, supporting a secondary-nexus argument connecting the two conditions.
Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2018 · nexus to Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) · PMID 29135515
Finding: Review concluding that allergic and nonallergic rhinitis and obstructive sleep apnea are closely associated and each can be detrimental to the other, with proposed mechanisms including elevated Th17/Treg ratios correlating with apnea-hypopnea index and IL-6 signaling reflecting OSA severity.
Why it helps: Supports a bidirectional association between allergic rhinitis and obstructive sleep apnea, useful for an aggravation or secondary-nexus theory linking a service-connected sleep apnea claim to allergic rhinitis.
Asian Pacific Journal of Allergy and Immunology, 2014 · nexus to Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) · PMID 25543037
Finding: Review describing how allergic rhinitis raises obstructive sleep apnea risk through increased nasal/airway resistance and mouth-breathing that shifts the mandible and narrows the pharynx, with inflammatory mediators (histamine, CysLTs, IL-1B, IL-4) worsening sleep quality; treatment of rhinitis with intranasal steroids was reported to improve OSA.
Why it helps: Provides a mechanistic basis for allergic rhinitis contributing to or aggravating obstructive sleep apnea, supporting a secondary-service-connection argument between the nasal condition and sleep apnea.
Rhinology, 2021 · nexus to Depression / Anxiety · PMID 34254060
Finding: Systematic review and meta-analysis of 24 primary studies (12 pooled from multivariable models) found allergic rhinitis was associated with significantly higher odds of both depression and anxiety.
Why it helps: Supports an association between allergic rhinitis and mood disorders, relevant to secondary mental-health claims (depression/anxiety) linked to a service-connected allergic rhinitis.
- A meta-analysis of the prevalence and risk of mental health problems in allergic rhinitis patientsSecondary
Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2024 · nexus to Depression / Anxiety · PMID 38871533
Finding: Meta-analysis of 49 studies covering more than 18 million individuals found high prevalence of depression (25%), anxiety (25%), poor sleep quality (48%), and insomnia (36%) among allergic rhinitis patients, and a significantly higher risk of depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, and sleep impairment compared with controls.
Why it helps: Large-scale evidence supporting an association between allergic rhinitis and depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance, useful for secondary mental-health and sleep-impairment claim arguments.
Every citation is real and verified against PubMed. This is general information, not medical or legal advice — your accredited VSO or representative can advise on your specific claim.
Evidence Checklist
Gather these types of evidence before filing your claim. The strongest claims include multiple evidence types.
Common Treatments
Documenting ongoing treatment strengthens your claim and supports higher ratings.
Secondary Conditions Linked to Allergic Rhinitis
These conditions are commonly claimed as secondary to Allergic Rhinitis. A secondary condition can increase your overall combined rating and monthly compensation.
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Allergic Rhinitis as a Secondary Condition
Allergic Rhinitis is commonly claimed secondary to these primary conditions:
Filing a Allergic Rhinitisclaim? Don't skip these.
Most veterans filing for Allergic Rhinitis should also be looking at:
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Draft your Allergic Rhinitis personal statement
7-step wizard that builds your VA claim personal statement using your own words. Detects presumptive eligibility, cites 38 CFR + DBQ, includes federal-crime disclosure. You review and edit before filing.
Start draftingNot legal or medical advice. Always have a VSO or accredited rep review before filing.
Start Your Allergic Rhinitis VA Claim
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Secondary Condition Claim Guides
Detailed guides on claiming each secondary condition linked to Allergic Rhinitis.
Allergic Rhinitis Claim Guide by State
Find state-specific VA facilities, veteran benefits, and filing resources.
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Educational content, not professional advice
This article is published by Military Transition Toolkit for educational and planning purposes. It is not legal, medical, or financial advice. VA rating criteria, benefits, and regulations change — verify anything benefits-affecting against VA.gov, 38 CFR Part 4, or a VA-accredited representative (VSO, agent, or attorney) before filing.
MTT is a veteran-owned planning tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, or any military branch.