YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) under diagnostic code 5207, in 38 CFR § 4.71a (musculoskeletal system), and the schedule provides five evaluation levels for it: 50%, 40%, 30%, 20% and 10%.
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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 Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow)
Difficulty straightening the elbow — the joint stops short of full extension because of injury, fusion or arthritis.
This code rates limitation of EXTENSION — how far short of straight the elbow stops — not flexion, which is a separate evaluation under DC 5206. The schedule states six steps in degrees: extension limited to 45°, 60°, 75°, 90°, 100° and 110°. The three most severe pay more on the dominant (major) arm than on the non-dominant (minor) arm — 50/40 at 110°, 40/30 at 100°, 30/20 at 90° — while extension limited to 75° pays 20 percent on either arm. The schedule prints extension limited to 60° and extension limited to 45° at the same 10 percent on either arm; that repetition is in the regulation and is not a transcription error. Unlike DC 5206, this code prints no 0 percent step. Where flexion and extension are both restricted at the specific combination of flexion limited to 100° with extension limited to 45°, the schedule provides a single 20 percent evaluation under DC 5208.
- Diagnostic code
- 5207
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Schedule levels
- 50%, 40%, 30%, 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
Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) VA rating criteria (DC 5207)
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 Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) 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 Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow)?
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 Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) 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 5207 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 Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) 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
Use a goniometer test performed to VA standards, since this specific tool and measurement method is what the rating schedule depends on.
- 02
Ask that flexion and extension be recorded as two separate figures, since they are two separate evaluations under two separate codes.
- 03
Make sure the record names the dominant arm: at 110°, 100° and 90° the same measurement is worth ten points more on the dominant side.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind3 tips
- 01
An exam that reports only flexion, leaving the extension deficit this code rates unmeasured.
- 02
Recording extension loosely ('cannot fully straighten') without the degree at which the elbow stops, which makes the finding impossible to match to a rating step.
- 03
No comparison to the unaffected arm, which helps establish how significant the limitation actually is.
Common filing mistakes3 tips
- 01
Missing specific angle data in the evidence, since the rating steps for this code are stated directly in degrees.
- 02
No specialist input to properly document and interpret the range-of-motion findings.
- 03
Filing this as limitation of flexion — flexion is DC 5206 and a separate evaluation; this code rates extension only.
When symptoms may first appear1 tips
- 01
This condition is typically injury-based, following an elbow fracture, dislocation, or ligament damage, or arthritis-related from degeneration in the joint over time.
THE BROADER PICTURE
Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- High
- Veterans service-connected
- ~4,200 veterans
- Typical rating awarded
- ~30%
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 Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow)
Is Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) under VASRD diagnostic code 5207 (Musculoskeletal System). Difficulty straightening the elbow — the joint stops short of full extension because of injury, fusion or arthritis.
What VA disability rating can I get for Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow)?
Possible VA ratings for Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) are 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 0%. The 0% level comes from 38 CFR 4.31, which assigns it wherever no compensable level is met. Examples: 50%: Extension limited to 110°, dominant (major) extremity; 40%: Extension limited to 110°, non-dominant (minor) extremity; or extension limited to 100°, dominant (major) extremity; 30%: Extension limited to 100°, non-dominant (minor) extremity; or extension limited to 90°, dominant (major) extremity.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow)?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) at around 30%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 4,200 veterans are service-connected for Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow). Estimated approval outlook: High.
What evidence helps prove Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow) claim includes: Goniometer range-of-motion measurements stating elbow EXTENSION in degrees — the point at which the elbow stops short of straight — not flexion alone; An orthopedic exam documenting the injury, contracture or arthritis causing the extension deficit; Imaging (MRI or X-ray) showing the underlying cause of the limitation; A record identifying which arm is dominant.
Which DBQ is used for Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow)?
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 Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow)?
Common pitfalls when filing for Forearm, Extension Limitation (Elbow): Missing specific angle data in the evidence, since the rating steps for this code are stated directly in degrees; No specialist input to properly document and interpret the range-of-motion findings; Filing this as limitation of flexion — flexion is DC 5206 and a separate evaluation; this code rates extension only.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.71a, Schedule of ratings, musculoskeletal system (Diagnostic Code 5207)
- 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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