YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Removal of semilunar cartilage VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Removal of semilunar cartilage under diagnostic code 5259, in 38 CFR § 4.71a (musculoskeletal system), and the schedule provides a single evaluation under it: 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 Removal of semilunar cartilage
Residual symptoms after removal of the semilunar cartilage — the meniscus — of the knee, whether the surgery was a partial or total meniscectomy. The code pays a single 10 percent evaluation, and it turns on the knee still being symptomatic after the operation, not on the operation itself.
The rating requires evidence of persistent symptoms after the surgery - pain, locking, or instability that continues despite the meniscus already having been removed.
- Diagnostic code
- 5259
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Schedule levels
- 10%
How does the VA choose a rating level?
There is no higher or lower step inside this code: a rating decision either finds its criteria met or it does not. Where they are not met, 38 CFR § 4.31 assigns a 0% evaluation: service connection granted, at a level that does not pay.
EXPLORE THE PERCENTAGES
Removal of semilunar cartilage VA rating criteria (DC 5259)
This condition has one published rating level. Read the criteria, then explore the details and monthly pay.
These are published rating criteria. Selecting a level does not predict your VA decision.
Every knee code on one page, each one's criteria quotedBUILD YOUR EVIDENCE, ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Evidence for your Removal of semilunar cartilage 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 Removal of semilunar cartilage?
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 Removal of semilunar cartilage 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 5259 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 Removal of semilunar cartilage 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
Include your surgical report alongside an ongoing symptom log, since the claim depends on showing symptoms persist after the surgery, not just that surgery occurred.
- 02
Get updated imaging to confirm any ongoing degeneration in the joint, since removing the meniscus can accelerate arthritis in the knee over time.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind1 tips
- 01
Failure to describe instability or recurrent pain specifically tied to the post-surgical state, rather than describing the knee generally.
Common filing mistakes2 tips
- 01
Lack of surgical documentation establishing that the meniscus was in fact removed.
- 02
No current symptoms listed, since a successful surgery without ongoing symptoms typically doesn't support a compensable rating under this code.
When symptoms may first appear1 tips
- 01
This condition follows meniscus removal surgery, and symptoms can either persist directly after surgery or develop later as recurrent knee trauma or degeneration progresses in the meniscus-free joint.
YOUR SERVICE STORY
Military jobs associated with Removal of semilunar cartilage
THE BROADER PICTURE
Removal of semilunar cartilage by the numbers
- Veterans service-connected
- ~14,321 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 Removal of semilunar cartilage
Is Removal of semilunar cartilage a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Removal of semilunar cartilage under VASRD diagnostic code 5259 (Musculoskeletal System). Residual symptoms after removal of the semilunar cartilage — the meniscus — of the knee, whether the surgery was a partial or total meniscectomy. The code pays a single 10 percent evaluation, and it turns on the knee still being symptomatic after the operation, not on the operation itself.
What VA disability rating can I get for Removal of semilunar cartilage?
Possible VA ratings for Removal of semilunar cartilage are 10%, 0%. The 0% level comes from 38 CFR 4.31, which assigns it wherever no compensable level is met. Examples: 10%: Semilunar cartilage removed, symptomatic.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Removal of semilunar cartilage?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Removal of semilunar cartilage at around 10%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 14,321 veterans are service-connected for Removal of semilunar cartilage.
What evidence helps prove Removal of semilunar cartilage for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Removal of semilunar cartilage claim includes: An orthopedic exam documenting current, ongoing knee symptoms; An MRI report showing the joint's current condition post-surgery; Surgical history establishing when and why the meniscus was removed.
Which DBQ is used for Removal of semilunar cartilage?
VA's Knee and Lower Leg 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 Removal of semilunar cartilage?
Common pitfalls when filing for Removal of semilunar cartilage: Lack of surgical documentation establishing that the meniscus was in fact removed; No current symptoms listed, since a successful surgery without ongoing symptoms typically doesn't support a compensable rating under this code.
What conditions can be secondary to Removal of semilunar cartilage?
Conditions that can be service-connected as secondary to Removal of semilunar cartilage, when a medical opinion links them, include: Osteoarthritis. 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 5259)
- 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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