Allergic Rhinitis C&P Exam

Inside the exam room

1. You will be asked about nasal blockage and treatment. Say which side is blocked, when it happens, and whether treatment helps.

2. The examiner will check each nasal passage for blockage and review findings about growths called polyps. Describe your symptoms. The examiner records the amount of blockage and whether polyps are present.

3. You will be asked how the condition affects breathing and work. Explain the difficulty and identify specialist records or scans.

How VA rates allergic rhinitis

Describe blocked breathing through the nose and your treatment. The examiner checks how much each side is blocked and whether there are growths inside the nose, called polyps. VA rates allergic or vasomotor rhinitis under 38 CFR § 4.97, DC 6522, based on growths inside the nose (polyps) and measured obstruction.

What each rating percentage means

Match the whole description with your exam and records. A single symptom or illustration does not decide your rating.

Rating	What the rule requires
10%	Without growths inside the nose (polyps), but more than 50% blockage on both sides or complete blockage on one side
30%	With growths inside the nose (polyps)

Check these details in your records

The examiner uses a condition form called a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ). Compare these items with your own records and explain what actually happens in daily life.

Greater than 50% obstruction on both sides or complete blockage on one side, without growths inside the nose (polyps)10%DC 6522
Allergic or vasomotor rhinitis with growths inside the nose (polyps)30%DC 6522

What may happen in the exam room

The examiner looks inside your nose for blockage and growths (polyps)
They review scans, camera examinations inside the nose (endoscopy), and treatment records

What the measurements tell you

How much each side of the nose is blocked, as a percentage
Presence or absence of growths inside the nose (polyps)

Questions the examiner may cover

Is blockage one-sided or on both sides?
Have growths inside the nose (polyps) been recorded?
What treatment is used and how effective is it?

Questions to expect

Which nasal passage is blocked, and are polyps documented?

Explain: Describe side, pattern and treatment. Use examination or specialist findings for blockage percentage and polyps.

Rating connection: DC 6522 distinguishes polyps from specified blockage without polyps. Feeling congested does not establish the measured finding.

What specialist records and treatments are available?

Explain: Identify nasal examinations, scans and medication response.

Rating connection: The clinical finding supports the rating pathway; daily discomfort alone does not replace it.

Your answer outline

I notice blockage in [one/both sides or uncertain] [frequency or circumstances]. It affects [actual activity]. I use [prescribed treatment], which [effect]. My records [say what the examiner found, or you are unsure what they say].

Mark approximate dates and counts as estimates.

My notes: ________________________

Service connection records

1. How is this connected to your service?

For a direct claim, identify your current disability, what happened in service, and evidence linking them. Being on active duty or orders alone does not prove that link.

Write the 5 Ws and how: who was there; what happened; when; where; why you were there; how the problem began. Add duty status, treatment, witnesses, and records. Mark uncertain dates as estimates.
Guard or Reserve: find your orders, dates, duty type, and any line-of-duty records. Active duty, training, and drills have different rules.
Secondary condition: it may start after service. Identify the service-connected condition and evidence that it caused or worsened this problem. A medical opinion may help explain the link.
Started before service? Record what changed during service. Presumptive condition? Check the required diagnosis and service history; qualifying claims do not require separate proof of a link.
Already service connected and seeking an increase? Focus on what has worsened and the records showing it.

If you do not know the cause, say so. Do not guess a medical connection.

Explain what changes in daily life

Describe both what you can do and what becomes difficult. Include how often it happens and how long it lasts.

Describe actual breathing obstruction and frequency.
Identify recorded growths inside the nose (polyps) or complete one-sided blockage.

Common mistakes to avoid

Using sinus-infection frequency for a rhinitis rating
Reporting congestion without recorded obstruction or growths inside the nose (polyps)

Records to get ready before the exam

Sinusitis/Rhinitis DBQ
Ear, nose, and throat specialist’s notes
Endoscopy or imaging
Medication and procedure records

Preparation notes

Do not stop medication without clinician guidance.
Separate rhinitis obstruction from sinusitis episodes.

Official rating rule and code numbers

Use this source to check the full rule and its medical terms: 38 CFR 4.97, DC 6522. Source review recorded 2026-09-04.

Could one health problem have caused another?

A condition VA has already linked to your service may cause another health problem or make it worse. VA calls this secondary service connection. Having both conditions does not prove the link. Your records need to show a current diagnosis and explain how the first condition or its treatment affected the second.

Start with your records. Find the current diagnosis, the condition VA already linked to service, and evidence from someone qualified to explain the connection.
Ask about cause and worsening. Did the first condition or its treatment cause the new disability, or make an existing disability worse? These are different questions. The rules call them causation under 38 CFR § 3.310(a) and aggravation under § 3.310(b). If both are raised by your records, the medical opinion should address both; answering only the cause question may not be enough (El-Amin).
If treatment may be involved, collect the dates. List the medicine or surgery prescribed for the condition VA linked to service, the side effect, and the new diagnosis. Bring pharmacy records and dates when treatment started or stopped. A provider must explain the connection in your case; taking a medicine alone does not prove it.
If weight gain may be involved, ask how it fits. Weight gain or obesity can be a step between the first condition and another diagnosed disability under VAOPGCPREC 1-2017. Obesity itself does not receive a VA disability rating.
You do not need absolute certainty. VA uses the “at least as likely as not” standard and the reasonable-doubt rule under 38 CFR § 3.102. Ask a VA-accredited representative how the evidence applies to your claim.
The same symptom cannot be counted twice. This is the rule against pyramiding in 38 CFR § 4.14. Mental-health diagnoses generally share one § 4.130 rating when they affect the same work and social abilities. Trouble sleeping may be a symptom rather than a separate disability.
Check whether VA already assumes a link to service. Some conditions qualify based on where or when you served. These are called presumptive conditions. Examples can include chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, hypertension after qualifying herbicide exposure, and type 2 diabetes. Sleep apnea (OSA) is not a PACT Act presumptive. Check eligibility before seeking a medical opinion about the link.
An exam form and a medical opinion do different jobs. A Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) records the diagnosis and how severe it is. It may not explain why it is linked to service, often called a nexus. A VA-accredited veterans service organization (VSO) can help you file at no charge.

If another prescribed treatment may have caused a problem, ask your health care provider to record what happened and explain the connection in your case.

Sources: 38 CFR § 3.310 · 38 CFR § 4.14 · VA-accredited representatives

C&P exam for allergic rhinitis: what to expect and how VA rates it.