How the VA Rates Asthma

The rating levels

Criteria paraphrased from 38 CFR § 4.97, DC 6602 for readability. Monthly amounts are the 2026 rate (effective December 1, 2025) for a veteran with no dependents if this were the only rated condition — dependents add more, and multiple conditions combine under the VA’s own math.

1. 100%

   $3,938.58/month

   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.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Severe airflow obstruction (FEV-1 < 40%)
   • More than one attack per week with episodes of respiratory failure
   • Daily high-dose oral/injected corticosteroids or immunosuppressive medication
2. 60%

   $1,435.02/month

   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.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Severe lung function reduction (FEV-1 40–55%)
   • At least three courses per year of oral or injected steroids (e.g., prednisone bursts)
   • At least monthly physician visits for required care of flare-ups
3. 30%

   $552.47/month

   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.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Moderate reduction in lung function (FEV-1 56–70%)
   • Uses a bronchodilator daily
   • Uses an inhaled anti-inflammatory (inhaled corticosteroid)
4. 10%

   $180.42/month

   FEV-1 of 71- to 80-percent predicted, or; FEV-1/FVC of 71 to 80 percent, or; intermittent inhalational or oral bronchodilator therapy.

   Examples from this level’s criteria

   • Uses a rescue inhaler (e.g., albuterol) intermittently
   • Mild reduction in lung function on spirometry (FEV-1 71–80%)
   • Occasional wheeze or shortness of breath with exertion

The listed symptoms are examples that appear in each level’s criteria — not a checklist that earns a percentage. Raters apply the criteria as a whole.