YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Ankle, Limitation of Motion VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Ankle, Limitation of Motion under diagnostic code 5271, in 38 CFR § 4.71a (musculoskeletal system), and the schedule provides two evaluation levels for it: 20% and 10%.
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A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Prepare for your examTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Ankle, Limitation of Motion
Reduced ability to flex or extend the ankle, usually due to injury or arthritis.
Since the 2021 rewrite this code is decided by two goniometer numbers rather than by an examiner's adjective. "Moderate" limitation means less than 15° of dorsiflexion or less than 30° of plantar flexion and rates 10 percent; "marked" limitation means less than 5° of dorsiflexion or less than 10° of plantar flexion and rates 20 percent. Either measurement on its own can meet a tier, so both directions of motion have to be recorded. An ankle that is fixed rather than merely restricted is ankylosis and is rated under DC 5270 instead.
- Diagnostic code
- 5271
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Schedule levels
- 20% and 10%
How does the VA choose a rating level?
Which level applies is set by the criteria the evidence meets, not by the diagnosis. Where there is a question as to which of two evaluations applies, 38 CFR § 4.7 assigns the higher one if the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating.
This code prints no 0% row. Under 38 CFR § 4.31, a 0% evaluation is assigned where the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met.
EXPLORE THE PERCENTAGES
Ankle, Limitation of Motion VA rating criteria (DC 5271)
Choose a percentage to see what that level means. Open the full comparison to read all the criteria in one place.
These are published rating criteria. Selecting a level does not predict your VA decision.
BUILD YOUR EVIDENCE, ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Evidence for your Ankle, Limitation of Motion claim
A long list feels easier when you have a place to start. Use this checklist to see what you have and what still needs gathering.
Check off what you’ve gathered. Progress stays on this page until you leave or refresh.
A LITTLE PREPARATION HELPS
What the C&P examiner will ask about Ankle, Limitation of Motion
Think through your own experience before exam day. Open a question to see what the examiner is assessing and which details are useful to describe accurately.
Daily functionDescribe your ankle limitations and how they affect walking, stairs, or uneven surfaces
Evaluating ankle range of motion restrictions and functional walking limitations.
- Describe specific range of motion limitations: up/down, side to side
- Mention difficulty with stairs, curbs, or uneven surfaces
- Describe any ankle instability or giving way
- Be specific about distance limitations and need for breaks
- Not mentioning ankle instability or balance problems
- Focusing only on pain, not describing actual motion limitations
- Not describing difficulty with different types of terrain
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Ankle, Limitation of Motion?
VA's page says: “You can use these forms to submit medical evidence from your health care providers.”
Source: VA: Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs), read September 18, 2026.
THE EVERYDAY PICTURE
What the Ankle, Limitation of Motion examination has to record
The criteria above are read off an examination, and three sections of Part 4 govern what that examination has to contain. None of them is a diagnostic code, so none of them appears in the 5271 table, and all three apply to it. 38 CFR § 4.40: “Weakness is as important as limitation of motion, and a part which becomes painful on use must be regarded as seriously disabled.”
38 CFR § 4.45 lists what an examination of a joint is directed to consider:
- Less movement than normal (due to ankylosis, limitation or blocking, adhesions, tendon-tie-up, contracted scars, etc.).
- More movement than normal (from flail joint, resections, nonunion of fracture, relaxation of ligaments, etc.).
- Weakened movement (due to muscle injury, disease or injury of peripheral nerves, divided or lengthened tendons, etc.).
- Excess fatigability.
- Incoordination, impaired ability to execute skilled movements smoothly.
- Pain on movement, swelling, deformity or atrophy of disuse.
38 CFR § 4.59: “It is the intention to recognize actually painful, unstable, or malaligned joints, due to healed injury, as entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating for the joint.” So a joint that is painful on use is not a finding of nothing, even where the measured motion is close to normal.
The same section says how the joint is to be tested: “The joints involved should be tested for pain on both active and passive motion, in weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing and, if possible, with the range of the opposite undamaged joint.” An examination that records one measurement, taken once, sitting down, has not done what the section asks, and that is worth reading the exam report for.
SMALL DETAILS. BETTER PREPARATION.
Preparing your Ankle, Limitation of Motion claim
Start with the practical tips, then explore the common oversights. You don’t need to work through everything at once.
Practical tips for your claim3 tips
- 01
Make sure BOTH dorsiflexion and plantar flexion are measured and recorded in degrees. Either measurement on its own can meet a tier, so an exam that records only one direction can leave the higher evaluation unsupported.
- 02
Ask that the goniometric readings appear as numbers in the exam report rather than as an adjective, since the schedule defines "moderate" and "marked" in degrees and the adjective on its own is not what the criteria are keyed to.
- 03
If the ankle is fixed rather than merely restricted, that is ankylosis and is rated under DC 5270, not here.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind2 tips
- 01
Not using a goniometer during the exam, which is the standard tool for measuring the degree of limitation this code rates.
- 02
No repeat range-of-motion testing, which can miss how much the ankle's function varies.
Common filing mistakes2 tips
- 01
Not showing the actual severity of the limitation with specific measurements, leaving the exam to rely on a general impression.
- 02
No ROM numbers listed in the evidence, since these numbers are what separates the two rating tiers.
When symptoms may first appear1 tips
- 01
Limited ankle motion commonly follows an injury like a sprain or fracture, or develops from arthritis-related degeneration in the joint over time.
YOUR SERVICE STORY
Military jobs associated with Ankle, Limitation of Motion
THE BROADER PICTURE
Ankle, Limitation of Motion by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- Moderate when ROM is documented.
- Service-connected disabilities (VBA count)
- 1,273,110 disabilities
- Typical rating awarded
- ~10%
Count of service-connected disabilities from the VBA Annual Benefits Report (FY2025), as of September 30, 2025; the report counts disabilities, not veterans. Approval outlook and typical rating are Vetrify editorial estimates, not official VA statistics.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Common questions about Ankle, Limitation of Motion
Is Ankle, Limitation of Motion a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Ankle, Limitation of Motion under VASRD diagnostic code 5271 (Musculoskeletal System). Reduced ability to flex or extend the ankle, usually due to injury or arthritis.
What VA disability rating can I get for Ankle, Limitation of Motion?
Possible VA ratings for Ankle, Limitation of Motion are 20%, 10%, 0%. The 0% level comes from 38 CFR 4.31, which assigns it wherever no compensable level is met. Examples: 20%: Marked limitation of ankle motion — less than 5° dorsiflexion, or less than 10° plantar flexion; 10%: Moderate limitation of ankle motion — less than 15° dorsiflexion, or less than 30° plantar flexion.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Ankle, Limitation of Motion?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Ankle, Limitation of Motion at around 10%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. Per the VBA Annual Benefits Report (FY2025), veterans receiving VA compensation as of September 30, 2025 had 1,273,110 service-connected disabilities rated as Ankle, Limitation of Motion. The report counts disabilities, not veterans. Estimated approval outlook: Moderate when ROM is documented.
What evidence helps prove Ankle, Limitation of Motion for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Ankle, Limitation of Motion claim includes: An orthopedic exam specifically documenting range-of-motion measurements; X-rays or an MRI showing the underlying cause of the limitation.
Which DBQ is used for Ankle, Limitation of Motion?
VA's Ankle Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) is on its public list of DBQs. VA's page says: "You can use these forms to submit medical evidence from your health care providers."
What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Ankle, Limitation of Motion?
Common pitfalls when filing for Ankle, Limitation of Motion: Not showing the actual severity of the limitation with specific measurements, leaving the exam to rely on a general impression; No ROM numbers listed in the evidence, since these numbers are what separates the two rating tiers.
What conditions can be secondary to Ankle, Limitation of Motion?
Conditions that can be service-connected as secondary to Ankle, Limitation of Motion, when a medical opinion links them, include: Plantar Fasciitis. A secondary condition gets its own rating, which VA combines with the veteran's other ratings under 38 CFR 4.25.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.71a, Schedule of ratings, musculoskeletal system (Diagnostic Code 5271)
- 38 CFR § 4.7, higher of two evaluations
- 38 CFR § 4.31, zero percent evaluations
- 38 CFR § 4.40, functional loss
- 38 CFR § 4.45, the joints
- 38 CFR § 4.59, painful motion
- VBA Annual Benefits Report (FY2025), service-connected disabilities count, as of September 30, 2025
Criteria in quotation marks are the regulation’s own words; everything else on this page is Vetrify’s summary of it. The eCFR text is authoritative. See how Vetrify derives its numbers.
How these figures are checked: our methodology and the open dataset.
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