YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Bursitis VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Bursitis under diagnostic code 5019, in 38 CFR § 4.71a (musculoskeletal system). This guide lists two evaluation levels for it: 10% and 0%; the code's evaluation is set through another part of the schedule, so check the criteria against the regulation.
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A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Plan your preparationTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Bursitis
Bursitis is inflammation of a bursa — one of the fluid-filled sacs that cushion tendons and muscles where they pass over bone — most often at the shoulder, hip, elbow or knee, causing pain and painful, restricted motion. DC 5019 has no percentages of its own: it is rated as degenerative arthritis, on limitation of motion of the affected joint.
DC 5019 has no percentage criteria of its own. The whole of its rating rule is the note that closes its block: "Evaluate the diseases under diagnostic codes 5013 through 5024 as degenerative arthritis, based on limitation of motion of affected parts." That routes to DC 5003, which rates "on the basis of limitation of motion under the appropriate diagnostic codes for the specific joint or joints involved (DC 5200 etc.)" — so the percentage is whatever the affected joint's own code provides, and it differs joint by joint. Shoulder bursitis is measured against DC 5201, hip bursitis against DCs 5251-5253, knee bursitis against DCs 5260-5261, elbow bursitis against DCs 5206-5207. There is no single ladder. Only where that joint's limitation of motion is noncompensable does a fixed 10 percent apply, per joint, combined rather than added. DC 5003's own X-ray-based 20 and 10 percent ratings are expressly unavailable here: "Note (2): The 20 pct and 10 pct ratings based on X-ray findings, above, will not be utilized in rating conditions listed under diagnostic codes 5013 to 5024, inclusive." 38 CFR 4.45(f) defines which joints count as major joints and which as groups of minor joints. 38 CFR 4.59 supplies a floor: actually painful, unstable or malaligned joints are "entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating for the joint." Because the evaluation is assigned on the affected joint, a decision letter normally shows a hyphenated code such as 5019-5201 rather than a bare 5019 (38 CFR 4.27).
- Diagnostic code
- 5019
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Levels in this guide
- 10% and 0%
EXPLORE THE PERCENTAGES
Bursitis VA rating criteria (DC 5019)
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 Bursitis 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.
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Bursitis?
VA publishes its questionnaires by body system; find the one for this condition on VA's list.
Source: VA: Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs), read September 18, 2026.
THE EVERYDAY PICTURE
What the Bursitis 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 5019 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 Bursitis 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
Document how the affected joint's use is limited in daily tasks, since functional impact, not just the diagnosis, is what this rating depends on.
- 02
Describe how pain limits daily tasks specifically, since range-of-motion limitation is the deciding factor between the two available tiers.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind2 tips
- 01
The condition being mistaken for arthritis rather than clearly documented as bursitis.
- 02
No current treatment on record, which can make a chronic condition look resolved or minor.
Common filing mistakes2 tips
- 01
Not showing limitation of motion specifically, since this is the criterion that determines the rating tier.
- 02
Lack of documentation of recurrent flare-ups to establish the condition as chronic rather than a one-time episode.
When symptoms may first appear1 tips
- 01
Bursitis commonly results from repetitive movement or a specific trauma that irritated the bursa around a joint.
YOUR SERVICE STORY
Military jobs associated with Bursitis
More by branch: Army · Marines · Air Force · Navy · Coast Guard · Space Force
THE BROADER PICTURE
Bursitis by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- Moderate with diagnosis and repeated symptoms.
- Veterans service-connected
- ~2,800 veterans
- Typical rating awarded
- ~10%
Vetrify editorial estimates informed by VA published claims data (VBA Annual Benefits Report) and the VA rating schedule, not official VA statistics.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Common questions about Bursitis
Is Bursitis a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Bursitis under VASRD diagnostic code 5019 (Musculoskeletal System). Bursitis is inflammation of a bursa — one of the fluid-filled sacs that cushion tendons and muscles where they pass over bone — most often at the shoulder, hip, elbow or knee, causing pain and painful, restricted motion. DC 5019 has no percentages of its own: it is rated as degenerative arthritis, on limitation of motion of the affected joint.
What VA disability rating can I get for Bursitis?
This guide lists these VA ratings for Bursitis: 10%, 0%; its evaluation is set through another part of the schedule, so check the criteria with the regulation. Examples: 10%: Where limitation of motion of an affected joint is objectively confirmed but noncompensable under that joint's own diagnostic code, "a rating of 10 pct is for application for each such major joint or group of minor joints affected by limitation of motion, to be combined, not added." Limitation of motion "must be objectively confirmed by findings such as swelling, muscle spasm, or satisfactory evidence of painful motion" (DC 5003); 0%: [38 CFR 4.31] Where no affected joint shows compensable or objectively confirmed limitation of motion, a zero percent evaluation is assigned.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Bursitis?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Bursitis at around 10%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 2,800 veterans are service-connected for Bursitis. Estimated approval outlook: Moderate with diagnosis and repeated symptoms.
What evidence helps prove Bursitis for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Bursitis claim includes: Goniometer range-of-motion measurements, in degrees, for the affected joint — this is the only thing DC 5019 rates, and a compensable evaluation depends on comparing it against that joint's own diagnostic code; Examination findings recording objective painful motion, swelling or muscle spasm, which is the confirmation DC 5003 requires before the per-joint 10 percent can be assigned; Imaging (ultrasound or MRI) showing bursal thickening or effusion, and any aspiration or injection records, which establish the diagnosis; A separate measurement for every joint involved, since each major joint or minor joint group with noncompensable limitation of motion carries its own 10 percent, combined rather than added.
What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Bursitis?
Common pitfalls when filing for Bursitis: Not showing limitation of motion specifically, since this is the criterion that determines the rating tier; Lack of documentation of recurrent flare-ups to establish the condition as chronic rather than a one-time episode.
What conditions can be secondary to Bursitis?
Conditions that can be service-connected as secondary to Bursitis, when a medical opinion links them, include: Tendonitis. 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 5019)
- 38 CFR § 4.40, functional loss
- 38 CFR § 4.45, the joints
- 38 CFR § 4.59, painful motion
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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