Knee (limited flexion) DC 5260

How VA rates it

The schedule allows 4 rating levels for this code: 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%. VA picks the level whose criteria best match your symptoms and records.

Instability (DC 5257) and limited extension (DC 5261) can be rated separately.

It affects one leg, so each side is rated on its own. When both sides are rated, VA adds the bilateral factor (38 CFR 4.26).

Source: 38 CFR 4.71a on eCFR. Read the full criteria there before you file.

Rating levels and criteria

Criteria text from 38 CFR 4.71a, eCFR as of November 10, 2026. The eCFR is the official source if anything here differs.

Conditions it can lead to

If this condition is service connected, these conditions are often claimed as secondary to it (38 CFR 3.310). Each one still needs its own diagnosis.

• Knee instability DC 5257 Established link Rated separately

  If your knee also gives way or feels unstable, VA can rate the instability separately from arthritis or lost motion.

  What to gather: Ask the examiner to do stability tests and record any giving way, falls, or use of a brace or cane.

  Sources: VA General Counsel VAOPGCPREC 23-97 (knee arthritis and instability rated separately); 38 CFR 4.71a

• Leg, limitation of extension of DC 5261 Established link Rated separately

  If you can't fully straighten your knee, that can be rated separately from how far you can bend it.

  What to gather: Ask the examiner to measure both bending (flexion) and straightening (extension), including after repeated use and during flare-ups.

  Sources: VA General Counsel VAOPGCPREC 9-2004 (limited knee flexion and extension rated separately); 38 CFR 4.71a

• Major depressive disorder DC 9434 Established link

  Living with chronic knee pain is strongly linked with depression and anxiety. VA rates all mental health conditions together under one rating.

  What to gather: A mental health diagnosis and a medical opinion that your pain condition caused it or made it worse.

  Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Bair et al., Depression and pain comorbidity: a literature review (Arch Intern Med, 2003); Prevalence of depression and anxiety among adults with chronic pain: systematic review and meta-analysis (JAMA Netw Open, 2025)

• Painful or unstable scars DC 7804 Established link

  If you had surgery on your knee, a painful or unstable surgical scar can get its own rating.

  What to gather: Ask the examiner to look at and measure every surgical scar and note any pain or skin breakdown.

  Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); 38 CFR 4.118 (scar ratings)

• Hip (limited flexion) DC 5252 Possible link

  Favoring a bad knee changes how weight moves through your hips, which can wear on them over time.

  What to gather: A diagnosis of the second joint and a medical opinion explaining how the first condition changed the way you walk or carry weight.

  Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Hip-spine and knee-spine syndrome (Cureus, 2024)

• Lower back (lumbosacral strain / DDD) DC 5237, 5242 Possible link

  Limping or favoring a bad knee can put extra strain on your lower back over time.

  What to gather: A diagnosis of the second joint and a medical opinion explaining how the first condition changed the way you walk or carry weight.

  Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Knee-spine syndrome: when knee osteoarthritis coexists with spine degeneration (Cureus, 2022)

Commonly claimed as secondary to

If one of these is already service connected, you may be able to claim this condition as secondary to it.

• Ankle (limited motion) DC 5271 Possible link

  An unstable or stiff ankle changes how your knee moves and absorbs impact.

  What to gather: A diagnosis of the second joint and a medical opinion explaining how the first condition changed the way you walk or carry weight.

  Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Proximal adaptations in chronic ankle instability: systematic review and meta-analysis (Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2020)

• Leg, amputation of: at a lower level, permitting prosthesis DC 5165 Possible link

  After a leg amputation the other knee carries extra load, and arthritis in that knee is a documented long-term problem.

  What to gather: A diagnosis of the second joint and a medical opinion explaining how the first condition changed the way you walk or carry weight.

  Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Gailey et al., Secondary physical conditions after lower-limb amputation (J Rehabil Res Dev, 2008)

• Plantar fasciitis DC 5269 Possible link

  Heel pain makes you shift weight when you walk, and uneven loading of the feet is linked with later knee pain.

  What to gather: A diagnosis of the second joint and a medical opinion explaining how the first condition changed the way you walk or carry weight.

  Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Asymmetric plantar loading during gait and later knee and hip pain in older adults (Clin Biomech, 2026)

• Thigh, amputation of: middle or lower thirds DC 5162 Possible link

  After a leg amputation the other knee carries extra load, and arthritis in that knee is a documented long-term problem.

  What to gather: A diagnosis of the second joint and a medical opinion explaining how the first condition changed the way you walk or carry weight.

  Sources: 38 CFR 3.310 (secondary service connection); Gailey et al., Secondary physical conditions after lower-limb amputation (J Rehabil Res Dev, 2008)