Wrist Conditions VA Rating

Overview

Wrist DC 5215 is a single 10% rating regardless of severity, unless there is ankylosis.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is rated separately as a neurological condition (DC 8515).

In Depth

38 CFR § 4.71a, Plate I lists normal wrist motion as dorsiflexion (extension) 0 to 70 degrees and palmar flexion 0 to 80 degrees, with radial and ulnar deviation measured separately. DC 5215 — limitation of motion of the wrist — is unusual among the joint codes in that it provides only a single evaluation level: 10%, whether motion is 'dorsiflexion less than 15°' or 'palmar flexion limited in line with the forearm.' There is no intermediate tier and no higher schedular rating for limitation of motion alone, however severe, short of ankylosis.

Ankylosis of the wrist is rated separately under DC 5214, with a much wider percentage range — 20% to 50% — depending on the position of fixation (favorable versus unfavorable) and whether the affected wrist is the major (dominant) or minor extremity. Because DC 5214 percentages are meaningfully higher than the flat 10% under DC 5215, an exam that documents true ankylosis (bony or fibrous fixation preventing motion) rather than severe-but-present limited motion can materially change the evaluation.

Under 38 CFR § 4.59, painful, unstable, or malaligned joints are considered entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating for that joint. 38 CFR §§ 4.40 and 4.45 direct VA to consider additional functional loss from pain, weakness, fatigability, and incoordination — including loss that only shows up after repeated use or during a flare-up (DeLuca v. Brown). Correia v. McDonald further requires that range-of-motion testing address active motion, passive motion, weight-bearing, and non-weight-bearing where those distinctions are medically applicable, so an exam that records only one type of motion may be incomplete.

Wrist conditions frequently coexist with, but are rated separately from, carpal tunnel syndrome and other median, ulnar, or radial nerve impairments, which fall under the peripheral-nerve codes in 38 CFR § 4.124a (for example, DC 8515 for the median nerve). A veteran with both a wrist fracture residual and post-traumatic carpal tunnel syndrome may be entitled to two separate evaluations, provided the symptoms are attributable to genuinely distinct impairments rather than the same limitation being counted twice.

Because DC 5215's ceiling is low, veterans with significant functional loss from wrist pain sometimes look to painful-motion evaluation under § 4.59, additional evaluations for scars from surgery, or secondary conditions (elbow or shoulder overuse from compensating for wrist weakness) to more fully reflect the overall disability picture. Each of these requires its own supporting evidence — they are not automatically added just because the wrist rating itself is capped.

How to Establish Service Connection

• Direct: in-service wrist injury, fracture, or repetitive-strain documentation.
• Secondary: wrist problems following compensation from another service-connected upper-extremity condition.

Rating Criteria

Paraphrased from 38 CFR § 4.71a, Diagnostic Codes 5214–5215

See what each percentage pays in 2026 and how it combines with your current rating →

Wrist Range of Motion Chart

38 CFR § 4.71, Plate I · rated under DCs 5214–5215

• DC 5215 caps limitation of motion at 10% for either wrist. Ratings above 10% require ankylosis under DC 5214 — 20% to 50% depending on the fixed angle and whether the wrist is the dominant (major) side.
• Dominant-hand status changes the evaluation: the major extremity is rated higher than the minor extremity at the same level of impairment (38 CFR § 4.69).
• Measurements are taken with a goniometer, both actively and passively, and VA must consider additional loss of function from pain, weakness, fatigability, and incoordination (38 CFR §§ 4.40 and 4.45, DeLuca v. Brown).
• If flare-ups reduce motion below the measured range, the examiner is expected to estimate that additional loss — describe frequency, duration, and severity of flare-ups at the exam (Sharp v. Shulkin).

Evidence Checklist

• Range-of-motion measurements.
• Imaging.
• Documentation of dominant vs non-dominant hand.

Evidence Templates

Common formats of evidence the VA looks for in this type of claim. These describe what the documents typically include — they are not legal forms or medical opinions, and Oakridge Claims does not draft them.

Evidence VA Commonly Cites in These Claims

Descriptive summary of evidence types frequently referenced in rating decisions for this condition. Not a checklist of actions to take — every claim is decided on its own facts.

• ★Confirm that examination reports record dorsiflexion and palmar flexion in degrees, along with radial and ulnar deviation, rather than general descriptions of stiffness.
• ★If ankylosis (a wrist that will not move at all, fixed in a set position) is suspected, make sure the exam explicitly documents that finding and the angle of fixation — this is what separates a DC 5214 evaluation from a DC 5215 evaluation.
• ★Where carpal tunnel or other nerve symptoms (numbness, tingling, grip weakness) accompany the wrist condition, a nerve conduction study or EMG supports a separate neurological evaluation.
• ★Document hand dominance in the file, since DC 5214 percentages differ for the major versus minor extremity, and VA presumes right-hand dominance absent contrary evidence.
• ★If a surgical scar from wrist surgery is painful or unstable, that can support its own separate evaluation under the scar codes (DC 7804) in addition to the wrist rating.

Illustrative Scenarios

These are hypothetical educational examples — not actual case results, predictions, or guarantees of outcomes.

Common pitfalls VA sees

• Expecting a higher schedular rating for increasingly severe pain alone under DC 5215 — the code provides a flat 10% for limitation of motion; only ankylosis under DC 5214 opens higher tiers.
• Not distinguishing 'severely limited motion' from true ankylosis in treatment records, which can result in the lower DC 5215 rating being applied when DC 5214 might otherwise be appropriate.
• Leaving carpal tunnel or nerve symptoms undocumented as a separate condition, when they may support an additional evaluation under the § 4.124a nerve codes.
• Omitting hand dominance from the file when ankylosis is at issue, since DC 5214's percentages differ by major versus minor extremity.
• Assuming a painful post-surgical scar is automatically included in the wrist rating rather than separately evaluated under the scar codes.

Common Secondary Conditions

Conditions frequently service-connected as secondary to Wrist Conditions:

What the C&P Exam Documents

General information about how this condition is typically evaluated. This is not coaching on what to say and is not a substitute for medical or legal advice.

• →Expect goniometer measurements of dorsiflexion, palmar flexion, and radial/ulnar deviation; note for the examiner exactly where pain begins during each motion.
• →Mention any numbness, tingling, or grip weakness so the examiner can assess whether a separate nerve evaluation (e.g., for carpal tunnel) may be warranted.
• →If your wrist does not move at all in any direction, make sure that is clearly documented, since it points toward an ankylosis evaluation rather than a limitation-of-motion evaluation.
• →Bring up flare-ups (after typing, lifting, or repetitive use) so additional functional loss during those episodes is part of the record.

Frequently Asked Questions