Shoulder VA Disability Rating: Live DC 5200 to 5203

If someone tells you "shoulders are 20 percent, everyone gets 20," they are quoting the shoulder-level row and ignoring the rest of the table.

Dominant versus nondominant is still in the live text

The shoulder-and-arm block is printed as "Rating Major Minor." That split is still the law. Major is the dominant arm. Minor is the other one.

On 5201, the split disappears at shoulder level: both columns are 20. It reappears at 45° and 25°. On 5200 and most of 5202, the split is on every row except a couple of 20/20 lines. 5203 is mostly 20/20 or 10/10.

If the file never says which arm is dominant, the rater is guessing. Put it in the statement. Left-handed veterans get tired of being scored as minor by default.

Live DC 5201: limitation of motion

Fetched from 38 CFR 4.71a, eCFR issue date 2026-08-10.

5201 Arm, limitation of motion of

The live code now writes the degree numbers in the row text. You do not have to infer "midway" from a plate. 90° is shoulder level. 45° is midway. 25° is the bottom row.

"Flexion and/or abduction" means either plane can satisfy the row. The rater is not required to average them into a mushy third number. A veteran who abducts to 40° and flexes to 110° is not "fine" on the abduction facts.

There is no 10 percent row on live 5201. A limitation that does not reach shoulder level (90°) is not a 5201 compensable row. Painful motion under 4.59 can still support the minimum compensable rating for the joint when the joint is actually painful, unstable, or malaligned due to healed injury. That 10 is 4.59, not a hidden 5201 tier.

Live DC 5200: ankylosis

5200 Scapulohumeral articulation, ankylosis of

Note: The scapula and humerus move as one piece.

Ankylosis is fusion, not "it hurts to reach." If the joint still moves, you are probably in 5201 or 5202, not 5200. Favorable ankylosis still lets the veteran reach the mouth and head with abduction to 60°. Unfavorable is abduction limited to 25° from the side.

Live DC 5202: other humerus impairment

5202 Humerus, other impairment of

Recurrent dislocation is the row a lot of instability claims actually fit. Frequent episodes plus guarding of all arm movements is 30/20. Infrequent episodes plus guarding only at shoulder level is 20/20. "My shoulder pops" without frequency and without guarding is not a completed 5202 sentence.

Flail shoulder and nonunion are hardware-and-imaging facts, not a forum upgrade path.

Live DC 5203: clavicle or scapula

5203 Clavicle or scapula, impairment of

Or rate on impairment of function of the contiguous joint.

A separated shoulder that has healed with malunion can be a 10. A dislocation can be a 20. If the real disability is the glenohumeral motion, 5201 may be the better analog. The last line of 5203 exists so the rater is not stuck at 10 when the joint below is the actual problem.

Shoulder replacement is a different code

Live DC 5051 (shoulder replacement) is not 5201. The live rows are:

If the joint has been replaced, start at 5051, not at a 5201 argument from old pre-op numbers.

Pain, flare-ups, and functional loss (without turning this into a knee article)

38 CFR 4.40 says disability of the musculoskeletal system is the inability to perform normal working movements with normal excursion, strength, speed, coordination, and endurance. Pain, supported by adequate pathology and evidenced by visible behavior, counts. Weakness counts. A part that becomes painful on use must be regarded as seriously disabled.

38 CFR 4.45 tells the examiner to look at less movement, more movement, weakened movement, excess fatigability, incoordination, and pain on movement. The shoulder is a major joint.

38 CFR 4.59 says actually painful, unstable, or malaligned joints due to healed injury are entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating for the joint. Testing should include active and passive motion, weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing, and the opposite undamaged joint if possible.

A single pain-free ROM number after a warm-up is not the whole shoulder. Flare-ups, repetitive use, and the point in the arc where pain starts belong in the report. Do not stack 5201, 5202, and 5203 for the same shoulder. 4.14 forbids rating the same manifestation twice. The rater picks the predominant code or combines only what does not duplicate. This is one joint, not a kit.

Evidence that belongs in the file

• Which arm is dominant.
• Goniometer measurements for flexion and abduction, both sides if possible.
• Where in the arc pain starts, not only where motion stops.
• Imaging for dislocation, malunion, nonunion, or replacement.
• Surgical history, including any prosthesis (5051).
• Work and daily-task limits: overhead reach, lifting, dressing, duty gear.
• Flare-up frequency and what the shoulder does during one.

A gym selfie is not a goniometer. Give the degrees.

What the C&P actually measures

The shoulder-and-arm exam is a range-of-motion exam with a dislocation-and-ankylosis checklist.

Expect:

• Dominant side.
• Flexion and abduction numbers, active and passive.
• Pain on motion, repetitive use, and flare-up estimates if the examiner asks.
• Guarding, instability, and dislocation history for 5202.
• Whether the scapula and humerus move as one piece (5200).
• Clavicle and scapula findings (5203).
• Strength and atrophy.

The examiner is not grading your toughness. Say when the pain started. Do not invent a 25° number you cannot defend on a second exam.

No magic words. "Limited to shoulder level" is 90°, not a poem.

Quick answers

Does the schedule still split dominant and nondominant?

Yes. Live 5200 to 5203 still print Major and Minor columns. 5201 is 20/20 at 90°, then splits at 45° and 25°.

What 5201 percentages are live?

40/30 at 25°, 30/20 at 45°, 20/20 at 90°. Those are the only 5201 rows.

Can painful motion get a 10 if I raise above 90°?

4.59 can support the minimum compensable rating for an actually painful joint. That is not a 5201 row. It is a joint-pain rule. The exam still has to show the painful joint, not just the diagnosis.

Can I rate motion and recurrent dislocation on the same shoulder?

Only if the manifestations are not the same thing twice. 4.14 applies. A rater may use the higher analog or combine only what does not overlap. This is not a knee-stacking project.

What if I had a shoulder replacement?

Live DC 5051 controls. 100/100 for one year after implantation, then 60/50 for severe painful motion or weakness, or a 30/20 minimum if rated by analogy to 5200 and 5203.

Why no 10 percent on 5201?

Because the live 5201 table does not print one. Shoulder-level limitation is already 20/20. Below that compensable threshold, look at 4.59, 5203, or another code that actually fits.

Sources

• 38 CFR 4.71a, DCs 5200 to 5203 and 5051: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/part-4/section-4.71a
• 38 CFR 4.40: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/part-4/section-4.40
• 38 CFR 4.45: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/part-4/section-4.45
• 38 CFR 4.59: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/part-4/section-4.59
• 38 CFR 4.14: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/part-4/section-4.14

Educational content only. Not legal or medical advice. Confirm against the veteran's actual notice and current eCFR / VA.gov. For claim-specific help, use a VA-accredited VSO, claims agent, or attorney.