YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Thumb, Limitation of Motion VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Thumb, Limitation of Motion under diagnostic code 5228, in 38 CFR § 4.71a (musculoskeletal system), and the schedule provides three evaluation levels for it: 20%, 10% and 0%.
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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 Thumb, Limitation of Motion
DC 5228 rates a thumb that still moves but cannot reach the fingers. The whole evaluation is one measurement: the gap left between the thumb pad and the fingers when the veteran tries to touch them. More than two inches is 20 percent, one to two inches is 10 percent, and less than an inch is 0.
DC 5228 is a measurement code with three rows, identical in the major (dominant) and minor (non-dominant) columns. A gap of more than two inches (5.1 cm) between the thumb pad and the fingers, with the thumb attempting to oppose the fingers, is 20 percent. A gap of one to two inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) is 10 percent. A gap of less than one inch (2.5 cm) is 0 percent. Nothing else in the code moves the evaluation and hand dominance does not change it, so the examination has to record the opposition gap itself. A thumb that is fixed and does not move at all is ankylosis and is rated under DC 5224 instead.
- Diagnostic code
- 5228
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Schedule levels
- 20%, 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
Thumb, Limitation of Motion VA rating criteria (DC 5228)
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 Thumb, Limitation of Motion 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 Thumb, Limitation of Motion?
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 Thumb, Limitation of Motion 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 5228 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 Thumb, Limitation of Motion 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 hand function tests in evidence
- 02
Provide documentation of loss of grip or thumb use
- 03
Include history of injury or surgery
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind3 tips
- 01
Lack of imaging confirmation
- 02
Not documenting specific position of thumb
- 03
Inadequate evaluation of hand function
Common filing mistakes3 tips
- 01
Claiming pain without functional impairment
- 02
No orthopedic confirmation
- 03
Failure to describe how it affects hand use
When symptoms may first appear2 tips
- 01
May follow trauma, arthritis, or tendon rupture
- 02
Often develops gradually with pain and stiffness
THE BROADER PICTURE
Thumb, Limitation of Motion by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- Moderate – better with imaging and functional proof.
- Veterans service-connected
- ~13,200 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 Thumb, Limitation of Motion
Is Thumb, Limitation of Motion a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Thumb, Limitation of Motion under VASRD diagnostic code 5228 (Musculoskeletal System). DC 5228 rates a thumb that still moves but cannot reach the fingers. The whole evaluation is one measurement: the gap left between the thumb pad and the fingers when the veteran tries to touch them. More than two inches is 20 percent, one to two inches is 10 percent, and less than an inch is 0.
What VA disability rating can I get for Thumb, Limitation of Motion?
Possible VA ratings for Thumb, Limitation of Motion are 20%, 10%, 0%. Examples: 20%: A gap of more than two inches (5.1 cm) between the thumb pad and the fingers, with the thumb attempting to oppose the fingers. Rated the same on either hand; 10%: A gap of one to two inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) between the thumb pad and the fingers, with the thumb attempting to oppose the fingers. Rated the same on either hand; 0%: A gap of less than one inch (2.5 cm) between the thumb pad and the fingers, with the thumb attempting to oppose the fingers - noncompensable.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Thumb, Limitation of Motion?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Thumb, Limitation of Motion at around 10%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 13,200 veterans are service-connected for Thumb, Limitation of Motion. Estimated approval outlook: Moderate – better with imaging and functional proof.
What evidence helps prove Thumb, Limitation of Motion for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Thumb, Limitation of Motion claim includes: A C&P or hand-specialist examination that records the thumb-to-finger opposition gap in inches or centimetres; Range-of-motion measurements of the thumb joints; Imaging or operative reports establishing the underlying thumb injury or arthritis; Occupational therapy notes describing pinch and grasp function.
Which DBQ is used for Thumb, Limitation of Motion?
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 Thumb, Limitation of Motion?
Common pitfalls when filing for Thumb, Limitation of Motion: Claiming pain without functional impairment; No orthopedic confirmation; Failure to describe how it affects hand use.
What conditions can be secondary to Thumb, Limitation of Motion?
Conditions that can be service-connected as secondary to Thumb, Limitation of Motion, when a medical opinion links them, include: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; 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 5228)
- 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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