YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) under diagnostic code 5262, in 38 CFR § 4.71a (musculoskeletal system), and the schedule provides five evaluation levels for it: 40%, 30%, 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 Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints)
DC 5262 covers impairment of the tibia and fibula — the two bones of the lower leg. Since the 2021 rewrite it rates two things directly: shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome), graded almost entirely on how long they have been treated and what treatment has failed; and nonunion of the tibia and fibula with loose motion requiring a brace. If the bones healed but healed crooked, the schedule sends that malunion to the knee or ankle codes to be rated there.
Three separate routes sit under this one code. Shin splints and medial tibial stress syndrome are rated on duration and treatment response, not on pain severity: less than 12 consecutive months of treatment rates 0 percent; at least 12 consecutive months unresponsive to shoe orthotics or other conservative treatment rates 10 percent for one or both legs; at least 12 consecutive months unresponsive to surgery and either orthotics or other conservative treatment rates 20 percent for one leg and 30 percent for both. Nonunion of the tibia and fibula with loose motion requiring a brace rates 40 percent. Malunion is not rated here at all — the schedule directs that it be evaluated under DC 5256, 5257, 5260 or 5261 for the knee, or DC 5270 or 5271 for the ankle, whichever results in the highest evaluation.
- Diagnostic code
- 5262
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Schedule levels
- 40%, 30%, 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
Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) VA rating criteria (DC 5262)
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.
Every knee code on one page, each one's criteria quotedBUILD YOUR EVIDENCE, ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Evidence for your Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) 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.
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THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints)?
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 Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) 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 5262 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 Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) 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
Track shin-splint treatment as a continuous 12-month record, with the dates and the specific treatments tried, because duration and treatment failure — not pain level — are what the criteria measure.
- 02
State explicitly whether one leg or both are involved; the same clinical picture pays 20 percent for one leg and 30 percent for both.
- 03
If a tibia or fibula fracture healed in malunion, get both the knee and the ankle measured, since the schedule rates that malunion under whichever joint yields the higher evaluation.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind3 tips
- 01
A shin-splints exam that documents current pain but not the treatment history, when the criteria are written around 12 consecutive months of treatment and what that treatment failed to fix.
- 02
Not distinguishing one leg from both, since bilateral involvement is the difference between 20 and 30 percent on the same findings.
- 03
Rating a malunion under this code instead of following the cross-reference to the knee or ankle codes.
Common filing mistakes3 tips
- 01
Filing shin splints as generic "leg pain" rather than as medial tibial stress syndrome, when MTSS has been a named, separately rated condition in the schedule since February 2021.
- 02
Claiming a healed-but-crooked tibia or fibula under this code and expecting a percentage from it — malunion is evaluated under the knee codes (5256, 5257, 5260, 5261) or the ankle codes (5270, 5271), whichever pays more.
- 03
Submitting scattered visits instead of a continuous 12-month treatment record, which is the threshold every compensable MTSS evaluation is built on.
When symptoms may first appear2 tips
- 01
Shin splints and medial tibial stress syndrome typically begin during periods of heavy road marching, running on hard surfaces, or a sudden increase in training load, and become chronic when training continues through them.
- 02
Nonunion of the tibia or fibula follows a fracture that never healed, most often after high-energy trauma.
THE BROADER PICTURE
Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- Moderate – stronger with a continuous 12-month treatment record for shin splints, or imaging confirming nonunion with loose motion.
- Veterans service-connected
- ~12,900 veterans
- Typical rating awarded
- ~20%
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 Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints)
Is Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) under VASRD diagnostic code 5262 (Musculoskeletal System). DC 5262 covers impairment of the tibia and fibula — the two bones of the lower leg. Since the 2021 rewrite it rates two things directly: shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome), graded almost entirely on how long they have been treated and what treatment has failed; and nonunion of the tibia and fibula with loose motion requiring a brace. If the bones healed but healed crooked, the schedule sends that malunion to the knee or ankle codes to be rated there.
What VA disability rating can I get for Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints)?
Possible VA ratings for Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) are 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 0%. Examples: 40%: Nonunion of the tibia and fibula, with loose motion, requiring a brace; 30%: Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), or shin splints, requiring treatment for no less than 12 consecutive months, and unresponsive to surgery and either shoe orthotics or other conservative treatment — both lower extremities; 20%: Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), or shin splints, requiring treatment for no less than 12 consecutive months, and unresponsive to surgery and either shoe orthotics or other conservative treatment — one lower extremity.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints)?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) at around 20%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 12,900 veterans are service-connected for Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints). Estimated approval outlook: Moderate – stronger with a continuous 12-month treatment record for shin splints, or imaging confirming nonunion with loose motion.
What evidence helps prove Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints) claim includes: A continuous treatment record covering 12 or more consecutive months for shin splints — the 12-month threshold is written into three of the four MTSS evaluations, so a gap in the record can cost a tier; Documentation of what was tried and failed: shoe orthotics, other conservative treatment, and any surgery, since the difference between the 10 percent and the 20/30 percent evaluations is whether the condition was unresponsive to surgery as well; Imaging showing whether a tibia or fibula fracture united, and orthopedic notes on loose motion and brace use, for the nonunion route; Where the bones healed in malunion, goniometric range-of-motion measurements of both the knee and the ankle, because that is where the schedule sends malunion to be rated.
Which DBQ is used for Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints)?
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 Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints)?
Common pitfalls when filing for Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints): Filing shin splints as generic "leg pain" rather than as medial tibial stress syndrome, when MTSS has been a named, separately rated condition in the schedule since February 2021; Claiming a healed-but-crooked tibia or fibula under this code and expecting a percentage from it — malunion is evaluated under the knee codes (5256, 5257, 5260, 5261) or the ankle codes (5270, 5271), whichever pays more; Submitting scattered visits instead of a continuous 12-month treatment record, which is the threshold every compensable MTSS evaluation is built on.
What conditions can be secondary to Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints)?
Conditions that can be service-connected as secondary to Tibia and Fibula, Impairment of (Including Shin Splints), when a medical opinion links them, include: Ankle Arthritis. 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 5262)
- 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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