Body system: Musculoskeletal SystemRegulation: 38 CFR § 4.71a
This rating covers when you can't bend your leg normally at the knee joint - specifically, how far you can pull your heel toward your buttocks. The VA measures this limitation in degrees, where a healthy knee can typically flex to about 140 degrees. Your rating depends on how severely limited your knee flexion is, ranging from 0% for mild limitation (can only bend to 60 degrees) up to 30% for severe limitation (can only bend to 15 degrees).
Rating levels
- 30% — Your leg can only bend forward 15 degrees at the knee or hip joint (flexion means bending a joint to bring two body parts closer together). To put this in perspective, a normal leg can bend about 120-140 degrees, so this represents severe limitation where you can barely bend your leg at all from a straight position.
- 20% — You can only bend your leg forward at the hip or knee to a maximum of 30 degrees (flexion means bending a joint). For comparison, a normal leg can typically bend about 90 degrees or more at the hip and over 130 degrees at the knee, so this represents a severe limitation in your ability to bend your leg.
- 10% — You cannot bend your leg forward more than 45 degrees (flexion means bending a joint forward). A normal leg can bend about 120-130 degrees at the hip, so this rating applies when your leg movement is significantly restricted and you can only lift your leg less than halfway to what's considered normal range of motion.
- 0% — You can only bend your leg forward to 60 degrees (flexion means bending a joint forward). A normal leg can bend about 120-135 degrees at the knee, so this rating applies when your leg movement is significantly restricted and you can only achieve less than half of normal bending range.