Body system: Musculoskeletal SystemRegulation: 38 CFR § 4.71a
This diagnostic code covers severe elbow problems, including a 'flail joint' (where your elbow has lost almost all stability and moves abnormally) and badly healed fractures that left your arm visibly deformed. A flail elbow gets a 50% rating because it's essentially non-functional, while fractures that healed with severe deformity or where part of the bone never healed properly get 20%. These are serious conditions that significantly impact your ability to use your arm for daily tasks.
Rating levels
- 60% — A flail (completely unstable) elbow on the dominant side is rated 60%. On the non-dominant side it is 50%. This tier was missing from our database.
- 50% — A flail (completely unstable) elbow on the non-dominant side is rated 50%.
- 20% — You qualify for this rating if you have a broken elbow bone that healed incorrectly, causing your arm to bend noticeably inward toward your body (cubitus varus) or outward away from your body (cubitus valgus) when straightened. You also qualify if you have a fracture at the top of your radius bone (the bone on the thumb side of your forearm near the elbow) that never properly healed back together.
- 20% — You qualify for this rating if you have a broken elbow bone that healed incorrectly, causing your arm to bend noticeably inward toward your body (cubitus varus) or outward away from your body (cubitus valgus) when straightened. You also qualify if you have a fracture at the top of your radius bone (the bone on the thumb side of your forearm near the elbow) that never properly healed back together.