How the VA Rates Ankle Injuries (With Diagrams and Illustrations)

✔️Join VA Claims Insider Elite, get instant access to the ELITE Experience Portal (EEP) and $7,500 worth of proprietary VA claim resources TODAY, and obtain a VA DBQ and Medical Nexus Letters: http://www.vaclaimsinsiderelite.com

Topic & Timestamp
1:00 Diagrams of the ankle
4:20 Range of Motion for ankle injuries
5:40 DBQ for Ankle Conditions
8:30 Secondary rating for your ankle injuries

How the VA Rates Ankle Injuries

To determine the rating for your ankle injury the VA will focus on two factors: flexion (limitation of range and motion) and pain.

The normal range for the ankle is between 45 to 0 degrees for plantar flexion (when the top of your foot points away from your leg) and between 20 to 0 degrees for dorsiflexion (moving your foot up toward the shin).

If the range of motion is markedly limited, then it is possible to receive a 20% disability rating. If the range of motion is moderately limited, a 10% rating will be assigned.

The latest data reports around 92% of all VA claims involving the ankle receive the rating between 0-20%.

In the rare cases where the ankle is damaged to the point of being frozen in place, a higher rating is available.

If your left or right ankle is frozen in plantar flexion more than 40 degrees, or dorsiflexion more than 10 degrees, then a 40% rating will be assigned.

If the ankle is frozen at 30 to 40 degrees plantarflexion or at 0 to 10 degrees in dorsiflexion then you will receive a 30% rating.

Finally, if you are in need of an ankle joint replacement, you will receive a 100% automatic rating from the point of receiving your false joint prosthesis. This 100% rating will remain in place for a year then will be examined to receive a permanent rating.

If there remains a continual weakness or severe pain with motion, a 40% rating will be permanently assigned.

If pain or weakness is not limited or severe, you will receive a permanent minimum rating of 20%, which is the lowest rating assigned for an ankle replacement.

Secondary VA Ratings for Ankle Injuries

It’s possible that an ankle disability can cause you to walk with a long-term limp. By favoring either your left or right side for an extended amount of time you may begin to experience problems in your knees, hips, or back.

When this occurs, you can file a claim with the VA for a secondary service connection for additional benefits.

With secondary conditions, these are known as a disability claim that was caused or made worse by an existing service-connection. These types of claims are CRUCIAL in filing for what you deserve the first time!