YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Arm, Limitation of Motion (Shoulder Range of Motion) VA Disability Rating
The VA rates Arm, Limitation of Motion under diagnostic code 5201, in 38 CFR § 4.71a (musculoskeletal system), and the schedule provides three evaluation levels for it: 40%, 30% and 20%.
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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 Arm, Limitation of Motion
Difficulty or inability to raise the arm due to injury or joint damage.
Diagnostic code 5201 rates limitation of motion of the arm at the shoulder, measured as flexion and/or abduction, and prints two columns so the same measurement pays differently on the dominant and the non-dominant side. Flexion and/or abduction limited to 25 degrees from the side is 40 percent in the major (dominant) extremity and 30 percent in the minor (non-dominant) one. Motion midway between the side and shoulder level - flexion and/or abduction limited to 45 degrees - is 30 percent major and 20 percent minor. Motion at shoulder level - flexion and/or abduction limited to 90 degrees - is 20 percent in both columns. The schedule provides no evaluation under this code for motion better than shoulder level.
- Diagnostic code
- 5201
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Schedule levels
- 40%, 30% and 20%
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
Arm, Limitation of Motion VA rating criteria (DC 5201)
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 Arm, 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 Arm, 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 shoulder pain and limitations with overhead activities, lifting, or reaching
Assessing shoulder range of motion restrictions and functional arm limitations.
- Demonstrate specific range of motion limitations during exam
- Describe work duties that are affected by shoulder problems
- Mention if you sleep on one side due to shoulder pain
- Be specific about weight limits for lifting
- Not demonstrating actual range of motion limitations
- Focusing only on pain, not describing functional restrictions
- Not mentioning how it affects sleep and daily tasks
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Arm, 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 Arm, 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 5201 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 Arm, 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 claim2 tips
- 01
Submit goniometer measurements specifically documenting how high you can raise your arm, since this precise measurement is what determines the rating tier.
- 02
Include pain and flare-up documentation, since shoulder range of motion often varies with pain and activity level, and a documented pattern is more persuasive than one measurement.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind2 tips
- 01
Claiming limited motion without objective range-of-motion measurements to support it.
- 02
Lack of pain description, which can be relevant context even when the maximum angle reached looks moderate.
Common filing mistakes2 tips
- 01
Failing to document the exact angle limitations, since the rating schedule for this code is specifically angle-based.
- 02
Missing imaging results that would help explain why the motion is limited.
When symptoms may first appear1 tips
- 01
Limited arm motion often results from a shoulder injury, surgery, or overuse during service that gradually restricted the joint's range.
YOUR SERVICE STORY
Military jobs associated with Arm, Limitation of Motion
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THE BROADER PICTURE
Arm, Limitation of Motion by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- High with consistent ROM documentation.
- Service-connected disabilities (VBA count)
- 1,385,549 disabilities
- Typical rating awarded
- ~20%
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 Arm, Limitation of Motion
Is Limited Shoulder Motion a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Arm, Limitation of Motion under VASRD diagnostic code 5201 (Musculoskeletal System). Difficulty or inability to raise the arm due to injury or joint damage.
What VA disability rating can I get for Limited Shoulder Motion?
Possible VA ratings for Arm, Limitation of Motion are 40%, 30%, 20%, 0%. The 0% level comes from 38 CFR 4.31, which assigns it wherever no compensable level is met. Examples: 40%: Flexion and/or abduction limited to 25° from the side - major (dominant) extremity; 30%: Flexion and/or abduction limited to 25° from the side - minor (non-dominant) extremity; or motion midway between the side and shoulder level, flexion and/or abduction limited to 45° - major (dominant) extremity; 20%: Motion midway between the side and shoulder level, flexion and/or abduction limited to 45° - minor (non-dominant) extremity; or motion at shoulder level, flexion and/or abduction limited to 90° - either extremity.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Limited Shoulder Motion?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Arm, Limitation of Motion at around 20%, 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 1,385,549 service-connected disabilities rated as Arm, Limitation of Motion. The report counts disabilities, not veterans. Estimated approval outlook: High with consistent ROM documentation.
What evidence helps prove Limited Shoulder Motion for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Arm, Limitation of Motion claim includes: Range-of-motion test results specifically measuring how high the arm can be raised; Orthopedic evaluations documenting the underlying cause of the limitation.
Which DBQ is used for Limited Shoulder Motion?
VA's Shoulder and/or Arm 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 Limited Shoulder Motion?
Common pitfalls when filing for Arm, Limitation of Motion: Failing to document the exact angle limitations, since the rating schedule for this code is specifically angle-based; Missing imaging results that would help explain why the motion is limited.
What conditions can be secondary to Limited Shoulder Motion?
Conditions that can be service-connected as secondary to Arm, Limitation of Motion, when a medical opinion links them, include: Neck Strain. 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 5201)
- 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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