YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger under diagnostic code 5229, in 38 CFR § 4.71a (musculoskeletal system), and the schedule provides two evaluation levels for it: 10% and 0%.
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A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
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01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Plan your preparationTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger
VA measures how far the fingertip stays from your palm when you curl the finger as far as it goes, and how far short of straight it stops. This code covers the index finger and the long (middle) finger.
38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5229 covers the index finger and the long (middle) finger together and prints two evaluations. Ten percent: a gap of one inch (2.5 cm.) or more between the fingertip and the proximal transverse crease of the palm, with the finger flexed to the extent possible, or extension limited by more than 30 degrees - either finding alone is enough. Zero percent: a gap of less than one inch (2.5 cm.) with the finger flexed to the extent possible, and extension limited by no more than 30 degrees - both must be true. The schedule prints the same figures for the dominant (major) and the non-dominant (minor) hand, and 10 percent is the highest evaluation this code produces. A finger that is fixed and cannot move is ankylosis, evaluated under DC 5225 (index) or DC 5226 (long finger). Limitation of motion of the ring or little finger is DC 5230, evaluated at 0 percent for any limitation of motion.
- Diagnostic code
- 5229
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Schedule levels
- 10% and 0%
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.
EXPLORE THE PERCENTAGES
Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger VA rating criteria (DC 5229)
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 Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger 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 Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger?
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 Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger 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 5229 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 Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger 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 claim4 tips
- 01
Ask that the exam record the gap between the fingertip and the proximal transverse crease of the palm with the finger flexed as far as it will go, in inches or centimetres.
- 02
Ask separately for the extension deficit in degrees. More than 30 degrees reaches 10 percent on its own, even if the flexion gap is under an inch.
- 03
Report pain on motion; § 4.59 supplies the minimum compensable evaluation for a painful joint.
- 04
If the finger is fixed rather than limited, say so - ankylosis of the index finger is DC 5225 and of the long finger DC 5226, both a flat 10 percent.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind3 tips
- 01
No fingertip-to-palm measurement recorded, which is the primary finding this code uses.
- 02
The extension deficit omitted, which loses the second, independent route to 10 percent.
- 03
A finger described as ankylosed when it still moves, or as limited when it is fixed.
Common filing mistakes3 tips
- 01
Expecting more than 10 percent for limitation of motion of a single index or long finger; DC 5229 prints no higher evaluation.
- 02
Assuming the non-dominant hand is worth less; this code pays the same in both columns.
- 03
Claiming the ring or little finger under this code - those are DC 5230, and any limitation of motion there is 0 percent.
When symptoms may first appear3 tips
- 01
Follows a fracture or tendon injury of the finger that heals with reduced flexion or extension
- 02
Develops with degenerative or inflammatory arthritis of the finger joints
- 03
Can follow surgery or infection involving the digit
THE BROADER PICTURE
Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- Moderate - the evaluation is a measurement, so the claim turns on whether the exam records the fingertip-to-palm gap and the extension deficit.
- Veterans service-connected
- ~14,700 veterans
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 Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger
Is Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger under VASRD diagnostic code 5229 (Musculoskeletal System). VA measures how far the fingertip stays from your palm when you curl the finger as far as it goes, and how far short of straight it stops. This code covers the index finger and the long (middle) finger.
What VA disability rating can I get for Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger?
Possible VA ratings for Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger are 10%, 0%. Examples: 10%: With a gap of one inch (2.5 cm.) or more between the fingertip and the proximal transverse crease of the palm, with the finger flexed to the extent possible, or; with extension limited by more than 30 degrees; 0%: With a gap of less than one inch (2.5 cm.) between the fingertip and the proximal transverse crease of the palm, with the finger flexed to the extent possible, and; extension is limited by no more than 30 degrees.
What evidence helps prove Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger claim includes: A C&P or hand-specialist exam recording the fingertip-to-palm gap and the extension deficit; Treatment records for the underlying fracture, tendon injury or arthritis; Hand-therapy notes documenting pain on motion and function after repetitive use; Imaging of the affected digit.
Which DBQ is used for Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger?
VA's Hand and Finger 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 Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger?
Common pitfalls when filing for Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger: Expecting more than 10 percent for limitation of motion of a single index or long finger; DC 5229 prints no higher evaluation; Assuming the non-dominant hand is worth less; this code pays the same in both columns; Claiming the ring or little finger under this code - those are DC 5230, and any limitation of motion there is 0 percent.
What conditions can be secondary to Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger?
Conditions that can be service-connected as secondary to Limitation of Motion of the Index or Long Finger, 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 5229)
- 38 CFR § 4.7, higher of two 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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