Diabetes is rated on treatment intensity (diet, oral medication, or insulin), whether you've been told to limit strenuous activity, and how often complications require hospitalization or provider visits, not on blood sugar numbers alone.
The tiers are successive and cumulative, each higher rating requires everything the lower tier requires, plus more. "Regulation of activities" specifically means a provider has actually prescribed or advised avoiding strenuous work and recreational activities, being told to "watch your diet" alone doesn't meet this bar, get it clearly documented if it applies to you. Also don't overlook diabetic complications (retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy) that can often be rated separately and combined, on top of the base diabetes rating.
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 100% | Requires more than one daily insulin injection, restricted diet, and regulation of activities, with episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring at least 3 hospitalizations per year or weekly provider visits, plus either progressive weight/strength loss or complications that would be compensable if rated separately |
| 60% | Requires insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities, with episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemic reactions requiring 1–2 hospitalizations per year or twice-monthly provider visits, plus complications that would not be compensable if rated separately |
| 40% | Requires insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities |
| 20% | Requires insulin and restricted diet, or an oral hypoglycemic agent and restricted diet |
| 10% | Manageable by restricted diet only |