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VA rating schedule, diagnostic code 5271
An ankle condition is treated by the VA as a musculoskeletal disability. To connect it to your service, the evidence generally needs to show that an injury or disease started during (or was caused by) your military service. The VA explains that service connection means the facts show a current disability was incurred or aggravated in service, so a claim usually rests on three things: a current ankle diagnosis, an in-service event or injury, and a link ("nexus") between the two. A denial is a starting point, not the end — you can submit more evidence or appeal.
Limited motion of the ankle is rated under Diagnostic Code 5271. Under the current rating schedule (amended effective February 7, 2021), the VA defines the levels by degrees of motion: "Moderate" limited motion (less than 15 degrees of dorsiflexion or less than 30 degrees of plantar flexion) is rated 10 percent, and "Marked" limited motion (less than 5 degrees of dorsiflexion or less than 10 degrees of plantar flexion) is rated 20 percent, which is the highest level under this code. A VA examiner measures your actual range of motion to decide which level fits. If the ankle is frozen in place (ankylosis) it is rated under Diagnostic Code 5270, which can reach 20, 30, or 40 percent depending on the position and severity. The VA also has a rule that a joint with actually painful motion, instability, or malalignment from a healed injury is entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating for that joint.
Most ankle conditions are mechanical injuries, so they usually do not have an exposure-based "presumptive" pathway like Agent Orange, burn pits, Camp Lejeune water, or the PACT Act, which mainly cover specific illnesses such as certain cancers and respiratory diseases rather than a joint injury. One related pathway does exist, though: arthritis is on the VA's list of "chronic diseases." The VA's rules say a listed chronic disease that becomes at least 10 percent disabling within one year of separation from service can be presumed to be connected to service, which can remove the need to prove a direct nexus.
This is general educational information about how the VA's rules work — it is not legal advice or a VA decision about your individual claim.
Grounded in federal regulations and VA guidance, independently reviewed June 2026. Educational information, not legal advice or a VA determination.
Across 44,078 real Board appeals for Ankle
A denial is often not the end either — remands (shown below) are sent back for more development and can still end in a grant. These are historical outcomes, not a prediction of your case.
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Among the appeals that were granted or partly granted, the most common ways Ankle was linked to service:
In appeals where Ankle was the only condition decided and the Board granted it, the rating most often assigned was:
These appeals involved a recognized exposure — which can mean the link to service is presumed, with no nexus to prove:
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right ankle disability, finding that it had its onset during service and is related to service. The decision was made after considering both lay and medical evidence.
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been granted. The initial rating of 10 percent, but not higher, has been assigned for pulmonary sarcoidosis. Service connection has also been established for migraine headaches, degenerative arthritis in the left knee, right knee disorder (osteoarthritis), right ankle sprain, right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, bilateral flat feet, and various foot conditions.
The Veteran's service connection claims for left and right leg disabilities have been withdrawn. The claims for left shoulder, low back, and left ankle disabilities are granted.,The Veteran's bilateral shoulder, low back, and left ankle conditions began during active duty training in July 2019.
The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine strain, right wrist sprain, right knee strain, left knee strain, and right ankle strain. The disabilities are all deemed to have begun during the Veteran's active duty.
The Veteran's right ankle sprain, lumbar strain, bilateral plantar fasciitis, headaches (tension), and erectile dysfunction are all granted as service connection. The Veteran's asthma is also granted as service connection. However, the Veteran's muscle pain/spasms do not meet VA compensation criteria.,Service connection for these conditions is based on their onset during or shortly after service.
The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected left ankle disability, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
Jump to the decisions from a specific year.
New decisions are added every week, and older years are actively being backfilled — a year that looks thin or missing here (especially 2011–2017) is a gap in our library, not in the Board’s decisions.
Veterans appealing Ankle often look at outcomes for these too:
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