Musculoskeletal system
VA rating for limitation of motion of the arm, diagnostic code 5201
The same shoulder findings are worth less on the arm somebody does not write with. Diagnostic code 5201 prints two columns, 40, 30 and 20 on the dominant side against 30, 20 and 20 on the other, for identical measurements, and it has no evaluation below 20 percent.
Published 2026-08-21. Last updated 2026-08-24. Written and reviewed under Veteran Health Network's institutional review process.
What each level requires
limitation of motion of the arm is rated under diagnostic code 5201, which the schedule calls "Arm, limitation of motion of", at 38 CFR 4.71a.
Two percentages appear at some levels because the schedule rates the arm somebody writes with differently from the other one. The first figure is the dominant side, the second is the non-dominant side, and the findings that earn them are identical.
40 percent on the dominant side, 30 percent on the other, requires
In plain English
The arm lifts forward or out to the side no more than 25 degrees from the body.
As written in 38 CFR 4.71a
Flexion and/or abduction limited to 25° from side
30 percent on the dominant side, 20 percent on the other, requires
In plain English
The arm lifts to a point midway between the side and shoulder height, which the schedule fixes at 45 degrees.
As written in 38 CFR 4.71a
Midway between side and shoulder level (flexion and/or abduction limited to 45°)
20 percent requires
In plain English
The arm lifts to shoulder height, which the schedule fixes at 90 degrees. This is the one level the schedule rates the same on both sides.
As written in 38 CFR 4.71a
At shoulder level (flexion and/or abduction limited to 90°)
Regulation text reproduced from 38 CFR 4.71a, read on 2026-08-21. Read the section at the eCFR. Part 4 is amended on a rolling schedule, so the date above is the date this text was checked and not the date it was written.
Three measurements, two columns, no bottom step
Derived from the regulation
The three criteria are measurements from the side of the body: "Flexion and/or abduction limited to 25° from side" at 40 percent on the dominant side and 30 on the other, "Midway between side and shoulder level (flexion and/or abduction limited to 45°)" at 30 and 20, and "At shoulder level (flexion and/or abduction limited to 90°)" at 20 either way.
The convergence at the bottom is what the table prints. At shoulder level the dominant side question stops mattering.
Unlike the knee and ankle codes, 5201 has no zero percent entry. Motion better than shoulder level is not rated under this code at all, which sends the question to the general provisions on painful and limited motion at 38 CFR 4.40, 4.45 and 4.59 rather than to a lower row.
The 2021 amendment to this code
Derived from the regulation
The shoulder criteria were rewritten in the same 2021 revision that put degrees behind several other musculoskeletal codes.
Appendix A to Part 4 records the amendment history for code 5201 in one line: "Criterion February 7, 2021."
The last date on the section's Federal Register line is February 2021, the same month this code changed: 29 FR 6718, May 22, 1964, as amended at 34 FR 5062, Mar. 11, 1969; 40 FR 42536, Sept. 15, 1975; 41 FR 11294, Mar. 18, 1976; 43 FR 45350, Oct. 2, 1978; 51 FR 6411, Feb. 24, 1986; 61 FR 20439, May 7, 1996; 67 FR 48785, July 26, 2002; 67 FR 54349, Aug. 22, 2002; 68 FR 51456, Aug. 27, 2003; 69 FR 32450, June 10, 2004; 80 FR 42041, July 16, 2015; 85 FR 76460, Nov. 30, 2020, 85 FR 85523, Dec. 29, 2020, 86 FR 8142, Feb. 4, 2021. Both records were read on 2026-08-21 against the edition current at 2026-08-01.
Which arm counts as dominant
Derived from the regulation
The rule is at 38 CFR 4.69. Handedness for rating purposes is determined by the evidence of record, or by testing on an examination, and only one hand is treated as dominant.
The distinction runs through the whole upper extremity part of the schedule, in the musculoskeletal codes and again in the peripheral nerve codes at 38 CFR 4.124a.
It means two people with the same shoulder findings can hold different percentages, and the reason is in the table rather than in either record.
See every level beside the regulation it comes from
The rating threshold cheatsheet shows all of the levels for limitation of motion of the arm in one view, plain English on the left and the regulation itself on the right, in a layout built to print.
It is free and it never says which level anyone meets. It describes what each one requires and leaves the reading to the person whose record it is.
Sources
- 38 CFR 4.71a, Schedule of ratings, musculoskeletal system (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations)
- 38 CFR 4.69, Dominant hand (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations)
- Appendix A to Part 4, Table of Amendments and Effective Dates Since 1946 (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations)
Accuracy owner Brayden Marley. Part 4 is amended on a rolling schedule, so the retrieval date above is what this page is accurate as of.