Body system: Musculoskeletal SystemRegulation: 38 CFR § 4.71aDBQ: DBQ MUSC Knee and lower leg
This code covers veterans who've had knee replacement surgery or knee resurfacing (where they smooth out damaged cartilage and bone surfaces). The VA gives you an automatic 100% rating for the first 4 months after surgery while you recover. After that, you'll get either 60% if you have severe ongoing pain or weakness, or 30% as the minimum rating if you had a total knee replacement.
Rating levels
- 100% — If you have had knee replacement surgery or knee resurfacing surgery (a procedure where the damaged surfaces of the knee joint are replaced), you automatically qualify for this rating for the first 4 months following surgery while you are recovering.
- 60% — You have a knee replacement or resurfacing surgery and experience severe ongoing problems as a result. These chronic residuals (long-lasting complications) must include either severe pain when moving the knee or significant weakness in that leg that affects your daily activities and mobility.
- 30% — This is the minimum (floor) rating for a total knee replacement, you cannot be rated below 30% once you've had the entire knee joint replaced with a prosthesis. It applies only to full knee replacements, not partial procedures like resurfacing. If your residual symptoms warrant a higher rating under another knee code, that higher rating applies instead.