YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) under diagnostic code 5209, in 38 CFR § 4.71a (musculoskeletal system), and the schedule provides three evaluation levels for it: 60%, 50% and 20%.
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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 Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint)
This code covers elbow damage that is neither fusion nor simply lost motion: a flail elbow joint, or an old joint fracture that left the elbow markedly angled inward or outward, or a fracture of the head of the radius that never united.
Diagnostic code 5209 covers impairment of the elbow other than ankylosis or limitation of forearm motion, and it prints two rows. A flail elbow joint is 60 percent in the major (dominant) extremity and 50 percent in the minor (non-dominant) one. A joint fracture with marked cubitus varus or cubitus valgus deformity, or with an ununited fracture of the head of the radius, is 20 percent in both columns. Those two findings are the whole code: it sets no evaluation for loose bodies, locking or painful motion as such, and limitation of forearm motion is rated under diagnostic code 5206 (limitation of flexion), 5207 (limitation of extension) or 5208 (flexion limited to 100 degrees and extension to 45 degrees, a flat 20 percent) instead.
- Diagnostic code
- 5209
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Schedule levels
- 60%, 50% 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
Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) VA rating criteria (DC 5209)
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 Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) 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 Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint)?
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 Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) 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 5209 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 Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) 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
Get clear, current imaging showing the loose bodies, since this is the specific finding that confirms the diagnosis and distinguishes it from ordinary elbow arthritis.
- 02
Get a medical opinion explicitly connecting the current joint fragments to your in-service fracture, since establishing that causal chain is central to the claim.
- 03
Describe episodes of locking or catching in detail, since these functional symptoms are as important as the imaging finding itself.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind2 tips
- 01
Range of motion that appears normal during the exam, even though locking and catching may be intermittent rather than constant.
- 02
Pain that isn't adequately reported or described during the exam, which can lead to an understated severity finding.
Common filing mistakes2 tips
- 01
Not submitting imaging, since X-ray confirmation of the retained loose bodies is the specific evidence this code depends on.
- 02
Not clearly explaining how the current elbow condition relates to an in-service fracture, since that connection is what establishes service connection in the first place.
When symptoms may first appear1 tips
- 01
This condition develops after a specific elbow fracture during service, where bone or cartilage fragments broke off and remained within the joint space rather than being fully reabsorbed or removed.
THE BROADER PICTURE
Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- Moderate
- Veterans service-connected
- ~29,000 veterans
- Typical rating awarded
- ~20%
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 Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint)
Is Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) under VASRD diagnostic code 5209 (Musculoskeletal System). This code covers elbow damage that is neither fusion nor simply lost motion: a flail elbow joint, or an old joint fracture that left the elbow markedly angled inward or outward, or a fracture of the head of the radius that never united.
What VA disability rating can I get for Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint)?
Possible VA ratings for Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) are 60%, 50%, 20%, 0%. The 0% level comes from 38 CFR 4.31, which assigns it wherever no compensable level is met. Examples: 60%: Flail elbow joint - major (dominant) extremity; 50%: Flail elbow joint - minor (non-dominant) extremity; 20%: Joint fracture, with marked cubitus varus or cubitus valgus deformity, or with an ununited fracture of the head of the radius - either extremity. The schedule assigns 20 percent in both the major and the minor column.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint)?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) at around 20%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 29,000 veterans are service-connected for Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint). Estimated approval outlook: Moderate.
What evidence helps prove Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint) claim includes: X-rays or CT of the elbow establishing which of this code's two findings is present - a flail joint, a marked cubitus varus or cubitus valgus deformity, or an ununited fracture of the head of the radius; An orthopedic examination describing elbow stability, since a flail joint is what separates the 60/50 percent row from the 20 percent row; Documentation of which arm is dominant, since the flail-joint row pays 60 percent in the major extremity and 50 percent in the minor one.
Which DBQ is used for Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint)?
VA's Elbow & Forearm 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 Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint)?
Common pitfalls when filing for Elbow, Other Impairment (Flail Joint): Not submitting imaging, since X-ray confirmation of the retained loose bodies is the specific evidence this code depends on; Not clearly explaining how the current elbow condition relates to an in-service fracture, since that connection is what establishes service connection in the first place.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.71a, Schedule of ratings, musculoskeletal system (Diagnostic Code 5209)
- 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
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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