Home › Rating Schedule

Musculoskeletal System: VA Rating Schedule

The schedule for this body system is at 38 CFR §4.71a and covers 159 diagnostic codes. Select a code to see the official criteria for each percentage level.

Acute, Subacute, or Chronic Diseases

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5000	Osteomyelitis, acute, subacute, or chronic	100%, 60%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5001	Bones and joints, tuberculosis of, active or inactive	100%
5002	Multi-joint arthritis (except post-traumatic and gout), 2 or more joints, as an active process	100%, 60%, 40%, 20%
5003	Degenerative arthritis, other than post-traumatic	20%, 10%
5004	Arthritis, gonorrheal	See entry
5005	Arthritis, pneumococcic	See entry
5006	Arthritis, typhoid	See entry
5007	Arthritis, syphilitic	See entry
5008	Arthritis, streptococcic	See entry
5009	Other specified forms of arthropathy (excluding gout)	See entry
5010	Post-traumatic arthritis	See entry
5011	Decompression illness	See entry
5012	Bones, neoplasm, malignant, primary or secondary	100%
5013	Osteoporosis, residuals of	See entry
5014	Osteomalacia, residuals of	See entry
5015	Bones, neoplasm, benign	See entry
5016	Osteitis deformans	See entry
5017	Gout	See entry
5019	Bursitis	See entry
5021	Myositis	See entry
5023	Heterotopic ossification	See entry
5024	Tenosynovitis, tendinitis, tendinosis or tendinopathy	See entry
5025	Fibromyalgia (fibrositis, primary fibromyalgia syndrome)	40%, 20%, 10%

Prosthetic Implants and Resurfacing

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5051	Shoulder replacement (prosthesis)	100%, 60%, 50%, 30%, 20%
5052	Elbow replacement (prosthesis)	100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%
5053	Wrist replacement (prosthesis)	100%, 40%, 30%, 20%
5054	Hip, resurfacing or replacement (prosthesis)	100%, 90%, 70%, 50%, 30%
5055	Knee, resurfacing or replacement (prosthesis)	100%, 60%, 30%
5056	Ankle replacement (prosthesis)	100%, 40%, 20%
5104	Anatomical loss of one hand and loss of use of one foot	100%
5105	Anatomical loss of one foot and loss of use of one hand	100%
5106	Anatomical loss of both hands	100%
5107	Anatomical loss of both feet	100%
5108	Anatomical loss of one hand and one foot	100%
5109	Loss of use of both hands	100%
5110	Loss of use of both feet	100%
5111	Loss of use of one hand and one foot	100%

Arm, amputation of

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5120	Complete amputation, upper extremity	100%, 90%
5121	Above insertion of deltoid	90%, 80%
5122	Below insertion of deltoid	80%, 70%
5123	Above insertion of pronator teres	80%, 70%
5124	Below insertion of pronator teres	70%, 60%
5125	Hand, loss of use of	70%, 60%
5126	Five digits of one hand, amputation of	70%, 60%
5127	Thumb, index, long and ring	70%, 60%
5128	Thumb, index, long and little	70%, 60%
5129	Thumb, index, ring and little	70%, 60%
5130	Thumb, long, ring and little	70%, 60%
5131	Index, long, ring and little	60%, 50%
5132	Thumb, index and long	60%, 50%
5133	Thumb, index and ring	60%, 50%
5134	Thumb, index and little	60%, 50%
5135	Thumb, long and ring	60%, 50%
5136	Thumb, long and little	60%, 50%
5137	Thumb, ring and little	60%, 50%
5138	Index, long and ring	50%, 40%
5139	Index, long and little	50%, 40%
5140	Index, ring and little	50%, 40%
5141	Long, ring and little	40%, 30%
5142	Thumb and index	50%, 40%
5143	Thumb and long	50%, 40%
5144	Thumb and ring	50%, 40%
5145	Thumb and little	50%, 40%
5146	Index and long	40%, 30%
5147	Index and ring	40%, 30%
5148	Index and little	40%, 30%
5149	Long and ring	30%, 20%
5150	Long and little	30%, 20%
5151	Ring and little	30%, 20%
5152	Thumb, amputation of	40%, 30%, 20%
5153	Index finger, amputation of	30%, 20%, 10%
5154	Long finger, amputation of	20%, 10%
5155	Ring finger, amputation of	20%, 10%
5156	Little finger, amputation of	20%, 10%

Thigh, amputation of

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5160	Complete amputation, lower extremity	100%, 90%
5161	Upper third, one-third of the distance from perineum to knee joint measured from perineum	80%
5162	Middle or lower thirds	60%
5163	With defective stump, thigh amputation recommended	60%
5164	Amputation not improvable by prosthesis controlled by natural knee action	60%
5165	At a lower level, permitting prosthesis	40%
5166	Forefoot, amputation proximal to metatarsal bones (more than one-half of metatarsal loss)	40%
5167	Foot, loss of use of	40%
5170	Toes, all, amputation of, without metatarsal loss or transmetatarsal, amputation of, with up to half of metatarsal loss	30%
5171	Toe, great, amputation of	30%, 10%
5172	Toes, other than great, amputation of, with removal of metatarsal head	20%, 0%
5173	Toes, three or four, amputation of, without metatarsal involvement	20%, 10%

The Shoulder and Arm

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5200	Scapulohumeral articulation, ankylosis of	50%, 40%, 30%, 20%
5201	Arm, limitation of motion of	40%, 30%, 20%
5202	Humerus, other impairment of	80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%
5203	Clavicle or scapula, impairment of	20%, 10%

The Elbow and Forearm

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5205	Elbow, ankylosis of	60%, 50%, 40%, 30%
5206	Forearm, limitation of flexion of	50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 0%
5207	Forearm, limitation of extension of	50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5208	Forearm, flexion limited to 100° and extension to 45°	20%
5209	Elbow, other impairment of Flail joint	60%, 50%, 20%
5210	Radius and ulna, nonunion of, with flail false joint	50%, 40%
5211	Ulna, impairment of	40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5212	Radius, impairment of	40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5213	Supination and pronation, impairment of	40%, 30%, 20%, 10%

The Wrist

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5214	Wrist, ankylosis of	50%, 40%, 30%, 20%
5215	Wrist, limitation of motion of	10%

(4) Evaluation of ankylosis of the thumb

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5216	Five digits of one hand, unfavorable ankylosis of	60%, 50%
5217	Four digits of one hand, unfavorable ankylosis of	60%, 50%, 40%
5218	Three digits of one hand, unfavorable ankylosis of	50%, 40%, 30%, 20%
5219	Two digits of one hand, unfavorable ankylosis of	40%, 30%, 20%
5220	Five digits of one hand, favorable ankylosis of	50%, 40%
5221	Four digits of one hand, favorable ankylosis of	50%, 40%, 30%
5222	Three digits of one hand, favorable ankylosis of	40%, 30%, 20%
5223	Two digits of one hand, favorable ankylosis of	30%, 20%, 10%
5224	Thumb, ankylosis of	20%, 10%
5225	Index finger, ankylosis of	10%
5226	Long finger, ankylosis of	10%
5227	Ring or little finger, ankylosis of	0%
5228	Thumb, limitation of motion	20%, 10%, 0%
5229	Index or long finger, limitation of motion	10%, 0%
5230	Ring or little finger, limitation of motion	0%

The Spine

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5235	Vertebral fracture or dislocation	100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5236	Sacroiliac injury and weakness	100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5237	Lumbosacral or cervical strain	100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5238	Spinal stenosis	100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5239	Spondylolisthesis or segmental instability	100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5240	Ankylosing spondylitis	100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5241	Spinal fusion	100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5242	Degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease other than intervertebral disc syndrome (also, see either DC 5003 or 5010)	100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5243	Intervertebral disc syndrome	100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5244	Traumatic paralysis, complete	60%, 40%, 20%, 10%

The Hip and Thigh

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5250	Hip, ankylosis of	90%, 70%, 60%
5251	Thigh, limitation of extension of	10%
5252	Thigh, limitation of flexion of	40%, 30%, 20%, 10%
5253	Thigh, impairment of	20%, 10%
5254	Hip, flail joint	80%
5255	Femur, impairment of	80%, 60%

The Knee and Leg

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5256	Knee, ankylosis of	60%, 50%, 40%, 30%
5257	Knee, other impairment of	30%, 20%, 10%
5258	Cartilage, semilunar, dislocated, with frequent episodes of “locking,” pain, and effusion into the joint	20%
5259	Cartilage, semilunar, removal of, symptomatic	10%
5260	Leg, limitation of flexion of	30%, 20%, 10%, 0%
5261	Leg, limitation of extension of	50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 0%
5262	Tibia and fibula, impairment of	40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 0%
5263	Genu recurvatum (acquired, traumatic, with weakness and insecurity in weight-bearing objectively demonstrated)	10%

The Ankle

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5270	Ankle, ankylosis of	40%, 30%, 20%
5271	Ankle, limited motion of	20%, 10%
5272	Subastragalar or tarsal joint, ankylosis of	20%, 10%
5273	Os calcis or astragalus, malunion of	20%, 10%
5274	Astragalectomy	20%

Shortening of the Lower Extremity

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5275	Bones, of the lower extremity, shortening of	60%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%

The Foot

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5269	Plantar fasciitis	30%, 20%, 10%
5276	Flatfoot, acquired	50%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 0%
5277	Weak foot, bilateral	10%
5278	Claw foot (pes cavus), acquired	50%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 0%
5279	Metatarsalgia, anterior (Morton's disease), unilateral, or bilateral	10%
5280	Hallux valgus, unilateral	10%
5281	Hallux rigidus, unilateral, severe	See entry
5282	Hammer toe	10%, 0%
5283	Tarsal, or metatarsal bones, malunion of, or nonunion of	30%, 20%, 10%
5284	Foot injuries, other	30%, 20%, 10%

The Skull

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5296	Skull, loss of part of, both inner and outer tables	80%, 50%, 30%, 10%

The Ribs

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5297	Ribs, removal of	50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%

The Coccyx

Code	Condition	Levels in the schedule
5298	Coccyx, removal of	10%, 0%

General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine

Evaluation criteria	Rating
(For diagnostic codes 5235 to 5243 unless 5243 is evaluated under the Formula for Rating Intervertebral Disc Syndrome Based on Incapacitating Episodes):
With or without symptoms such as pain (whether or not it radiates), stiffness, or aching in the area of the spine affected by residuals of injury or disease
Unfavorable ankylosis of the entire spine	100%
Unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine	50%
Unfavorable ankylosis of the entire cervical spine; or, forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine 30 degrees or less; or, favorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine	40%
Forward flexion of the cervical spine 15 degrees or less; or, favorable ankylosis of the entire cervical spine	30%
Forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine greater than 30 degrees but not greater than 60 degrees; or, forward flexion of the cervical spine greater than 15 degrees but not greater than 30 degrees; or, the combined range of motion of the thoracolumbar spine not greater than 120 degrees; or, the combined range of motion of the cervical spine not greater than 170 degrees; or, muscle spasm or guarding severe enough to result in an abnormal gait or abnormal spinal contour such as scoliosis, reversed lordosis, or abnormal kyphosis	20%
Forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine greater than 60 degrees but not greater than 85 degrees; or, forward flexion of the cervical spine greater than 30 degrees but not greater than 40 degrees; or, combined range of motion of the thoracolumbar spine greater than 120 degrees but not greater than 235 degrees; or, combined range of motion of the cervical spine greater than 170 degrees but not greater than 335 degrees; or, muscle spasm, guarding, or localized tenderness not resulting in abnormal gait or abnormal spinal contour; or, vertebral body fracture with loss of 50 percent or more of the height	10%
Note (1): Evaluate any associated objective neurologic abnormalities, including, but not limited to, bowel or bladder impairment, separately, under an appropriate diagnostic code.
Note (2): (See also Plate V.) For VA compensation purposes, normal forward flexion of the cervical spine is zero to 45 degrees, extension is zero to 45 degrees, left and right lateral flexion are zero to 45 degrees, and left and right lateral rotation are zero to 80 degrees. Normal forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine is zero to 90 degrees, extension is zero to 30 degrees, left and right lateral flexion are zero to 30 degrees, and left and right lateral rotation are zero to 30 degrees. The combined range of motion refers to the sum of the range of forward flexion, extension, left and right lateral flexion, and left and right rotation. The normal combined range of motion of the cervical spine is 340 degrees and of the thoracolumbar spine is 240 degrees. The normal ranges of motion for each component of spinal motion provided in this note are the maximum that can be used for calculation of the combined range of motion.
Note (3): In exceptional cases, an examiner may state that because of age, body habitus, neurologic disease, or other factors not the result of disease or injury of the spine, the range of motion of the spine in a particular individual should be considered normal for that individual, even though it does not conform to the normal range of motion stated in Note (2). Provided that the examiner supplies an explanation, the examiner's assessment that the range of motion is normal for that individual will be accepted.
Note (4): Round each range of motion measurement to the nearest five degrees.
Note (5): For VA compensation purposes, unfavorable ankylosis is a condition in which the entire cervical spine, the entire thoracolumbar spine, or the entire spine is fixed in flexion or extension, and the ankylosis results in one or more of the following: difficulty walking because of a limited line of vision; restricted opening of the mouth and chewing; breathing limited to diaphragmatic respiration; gastrointestinal symptoms due to pressure of the costal margin on the abdomen; dyspnea or dysphagia; atlantoaxial or cervical subluxation or dislocation; or neurologic symptoms due to nerve root stretching. Fixation of a spinal segment in neutral position (zero degrees) always represents favorable ankylosis.
Note (6): Separately evaluate disability of the thoracolumbar and cervical spine segments, except when there is unfavorable ankylosis of both segments, which will be rated as a single disability.

Source: eCFR Title 38, §4.71a, current as of 2026-11-05. Criteria are reproduced verbatim for reference.