YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Osteomalacia VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Osteomalacia under diagnostic code 5014, 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 Osteomalacia
Osteomalacia is softening of the bones from defective mineralization, usually due to vitamin D deficiency, causing bone pain, proximal muscle weakness and, when advanced, fractures. The schedule titles DC 5014 "Osteomalacia, residuals of" and rates those residuals on limitation of motion of the affected parts.
DC 5014 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. 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 — shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee and ankle are major joints, and specified finger, toe and vertebral groups are 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 residual condition, a decision letter normally shows a hyphenated code such as 5014-5271 rather than a bare 5014 (38 CFR 4.27).
- Diagnostic code
- 5014
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Levels in this guide
- 10% and 0%
EXPLORE THE PERCENTAGES
Osteomalacia VA rating criteria (DC 5014)
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 Osteomalacia 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 Osteomalacia?
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 Osteomalacia 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 5014 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 Osteomalacia 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
Have range of motion measured for each joint or region the disease affects. That measurement, not the vitamin D level, is what the code rates.
- 02
Document proximal muscle weakness and its functional effect. 38 CFR 4.40 treats weakness as "as important as limitation of motion", and a part that becomes painful on use is regarded as seriously disabled.
- 03
Keep lab work and imaging (including Looser's zones on X-ray) in the file to establish the diagnosis, while understanding they do not set the percentage.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind2 tips
- 01
The condition being recorded as osteoporosis, which is a different diagnostic code (DC 5013) with a different mechanism.
- 02
An examiner confirming the metabolic diagnosis but not measuring the joint limitation the rating depends on.
Common filing mistakes3 tips
- 01
Expecting vitamin D or calcium levels to determine the rating. No lab value appears in DC 5014's criteria — the code has none of its own.
- 02
Submitting X-ray findings alone. DC 5003 Note (2) expressly bars the X-ray-based 20 and 10 percent ratings for conditions under DCs 5013 to 5024.
- 03
Describing only pain without establishing which joints are limited and by how much.
When symptoms may first appear2 tips
- 01
Osteomalacia typically develops gradually and can worsen with age if the underlying vitamin D deficiency isn't corrected.
- 02
Osteomalacia develops gradually, with bone pain and weakness that can progress to fractures if left untreated.
THE BROADER PICTURE
Osteomalacia by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- Low to Moderate
- Veterans service-connected
- ~700 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 Osteomalacia
Is Osteomalacia a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Osteomalacia under VASRD diagnostic code 5014 (Musculoskeletal System). Osteomalacia is softening of the bones from defective mineralization, usually due to vitamin D deficiency, causing bone pain, proximal muscle weakness and, when advanced, fractures. The schedule titles DC 5014 "Osteomalacia, residuals of" and rates those residuals on limitation of motion of the affected parts.
What VA disability rating can I get for Osteomalacia?
This guide lists these VA ratings for Osteomalacia: 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 Osteomalacia?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Osteomalacia at around 10%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 700 veterans are service-connected for Osteomalacia. Estimated approval outlook: Low to Moderate.
What evidence helps prove Osteomalacia for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Osteomalacia claim includes: A bone scan showing characteristic changes; Vitamin D lab levels confirming the deficiency; An orthopedic assessment of joint involvement; Vitamin D and calcium blood levels.
What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Osteomalacia?
Common pitfalls when filing for Osteomalacia: Expecting vitamin D or calcium levels to determine the rating. No lab value appears in DC 5014's criteria — the code has none of its own; Submitting X-ray findings alone. DC 5003 Note (2) expressly bars the X-ray-based 20 and 10 percent ratings for conditions under DCs 5013 to 5024; Describing only pain without establishing which joints are limited and by how much.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.71a, Schedule of ratings, musculoskeletal system (Diagnostic Code 5014)
- 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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