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Wrist

What it is

Your wrist joins your hand to your forearm; for limited motion VA usually pays 10%, and more only if the wrist is fused (stuck).

Normal movement (what VA counts as normal)

  • Dorsiflexion / extension (bend back)0 to 70°
  • Palmar flexion (bend down)0 to 80°
  • Radial deviation (toward thumb)0 to 20°
  • Ulnar deviation (toward pinky)0 to 45°

VA's code numbers for this: 5214, 5215, 5053

What the examiner will do

  • The examiner asks how and when the problem started, what treatment you have had, and how it affects work and daily life.
  • They ask about flare-ups: how often, how long, what sets them off, and what you cannot do during one.
  • They measure how far you can move the joint yourself (active motion) with a goniometer. They should note where pain begins.
  • They move the joint for you (passive motion). They test it with weight on it and without weight on it. They compare it to your other side if that side is healthy. (Correia v. McDonald, 2016; 38 CFR 4.59.)
  • They have you repeat each motion at least 3 times, then measure again (repetitive-use testing).
  • They check strength, muscle loss (atrophy), tenderness, and whether the joint is stuck (ankylosis).
  • They look at X-rays or other imaging, or order them.
  • They ask about braces, canes, or other devices and how often you use them.
  • Grip strength checks; nerve checks if you have numbness (for example carpal tunnel, rated separately under nerve codes).

The examiner fills out a form called a DBQ. You can read it ahead of time: Wrist Conditions DBQ (updated 2024-10-16) (opens VA's site).

The rating levels, in plain words

VA rates most joints by how far they move. The less you can move, the higher the level.

Dorsiflexion (bend back)

  • Up to 14°

    10%

    Can you bend your hand back less than 15 degrees? That is 10% for either hand.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5215

Palmar flexion (bend down)

  • Up to 0°

    10%

    Can you bend your hand down no further than straight in line with your forearm? That is 10% for either hand.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5215

Ankylosis (fused)

  • Your dominant arm

    30%

    Your other arm

    20%

    Fused in a good position (bent back 20-30): 30% dominant / 20% other. Any other position (not favorable): 40/30. Bent down or turned to either side: 50/40. Extremely unfavorable: rated as loss of use of the hand.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5214

Your dominant arm is the one you write and eat with. Only one arm counts as dominant (38 CFR 4.69).

Measured at home? Check which level your number falls in.

Measure it at home

With a helper and a cheap tool. Your home numbers help you describe your bad days honestly at the exam.

The tool to get

  • Best: a clear plastic goniometer (say GO-nee-OM-eh-ter). It looks like a protractor with two long arms joined by a pin. A 12-inch, 360-degree one costs about $5 to $10 online or at a medical supply store. This is the same kind of tool most examiners use.

  • Free: a phone goniometer or inclinometer (angle-measuring) app. Many are free. Tape or hold the phone flat along the body part, set it to zero at the start, then move.

  • No money and no phone: print a paper protractor (half circle, 0 to 180 degrees) on stiff paper. Tape two straws or paper strips to the center with a brad so they swing. Lay it against the joint.

  • A pen and the log sheet below. A second person (spouse, adult child, friend) to hold the tool, because you cannot measure yourself well.

  • A small (6- to 8-inch) goniometer is easier for the wrist.

No tool yet? Print our paper protractor below.

Step by step, with a helper

  1. 1. Bend back and bend down

    How to stand or lie
    Rest your forearm on a table, palm down, hand hanging off the edge.
    Where the tool goes
    Pin on the pinky side of the wrist at the bony bump. Fixed arm along the pinky side of the forearm. Moving arm along the outside of the hand toward the pinky knuckle. Straight = 0.
    Who holds what
    Helper reads at 'pain' and at stop both ways.

  2. 2. Side to side

    How to stand or lie
    Palm flat on the table.
    Where the tool goes
    Pin at the back of the wrist in the middle. Fixed arm along the middle of the forearm. Moving arm toward the middle finger.
    Who holds what
    Helper reads both directions.

Stop at the first real pain. Never force a joint to get a number. Stand close for balance during back and hip tests.

Check your number

1. Which motion did you measure?

Type the number where you had to stop.

degrees

Type your number above to see where it falls.

This is only to help you understand. The VA examiner measures and the VA decides.

The levels for dorsiflexion (bend back):

  • 0° to 14°10%

If your number is close to the next level, VA may give the higher one (38 CFR 4.7).

Your log: what to write each time

  1. DateExample: 10/12
  2. TimeExample: 7 pm
  3. Good day or flare-up day?Example: Flare-up day
  4. Body part and side (R/L)Example: Right wrist
  5. MotionExample: Bend hand up
  6. Degrees where pain STARTSExample: 30
  7. Degrees where you had to STOPExample: 45
  8. After 3 tries: degrees where you stopExample: 35
  9. Pain 0-10Example: 7
  10. Medicine taken today (what and when)Example: Ibuprofen 8 am
  11. Who measuredExample: Spouse
  12. Notes (clicking, giving way, swelling)Example: Hurt more after the 3rd try

Write it down (one line per try):

Measure on a normal day and again on a bad day. Do it 2 or 3 times over a few weeks. Bring the sheet to the exam.

Tap Print this page to get a blank log sheet and your exam-day checklist on paper.

Printable paper protractor

01801516530150451356012075105909010575120601354515030165151800Center: push a brad through this dot
  • Print at 100% scale; check the 90° line with a square corner (like the corner of a sheet of paper).
  • Glue it to stiff paper or a cereal box. Push a brad through the center dot.
  • Tape two paper strips or straws to the brad so they swing. One stays on the body part that doesn't move. The other follows the moving part.
  • The top numbers count from the left. The small numbers count from the right. Use whichever side starts at 0.

This is only to help you understand. The VA examiner measures and the VA decides.

Exam-day checklist

Tick each one off. Nothing you tick is saved or sent anywhere.

Tell the examiner

Flare-ups

A flare-up is a time when your joint gets much worse for a while. The examiner must ask about your flare-ups and estimate, in degrees, how much motion you lose during them, even if your exam is on a good day (Sharp v. Shulkin, 2017). They can only skip this if they explain why after getting your information. Be ready to say: how often (for example, 2 times a week), how long each lasts (for example, 1 to 2 days), what triggers it, and exactly what you cannot do (for example, 'I can't lift my arm to comb my hair'). If you measured at home on a flare-up day, show that number.

Repeated use

The examiner will have you do each motion at least 3 times and then measure again. Tell them if pain, weakness, tiredness, or poor control gets worse with each try. The form also asks about repeated use over time, like at the end of a workday. Pain alone does not raise a rating; pain that actually limits how far, how strong, or how long you can move does (Mitchell v. Shinseki, 2011; DeLuca v. Brown, 1995; 38 CFR 4.40 and 4.45).

Honest exam rules

  • Move each joint until pain starts. Say 'pain starts here' out loud. Stop when pain or stiffness stops you. Do not push through sharp pain to look tough. Do not stop before pain or stiffness really stops you, either. The examiner writes down both points.
  • Give your real, full effort on strength tests. The goal is an exam that shows how you truly are.
  • Describe a typical day AND your worst days. Bad days count, but say they are bad days and how often they happen.
  • Take your medicine the way you normally do. Do not skip it, and do not take extra just for the exam. Tell the examiner what you took and when, and how you are when it wears off. (Court decisions Jones v. Shinseki (2012) and Ingram v. Collins (2025) say VA should not lower a joint rating because medicine helps, when the rating rules do not mention medicine. VA tried to change this by rule in February 2026 and took the change back on February 27, 2026.)
  • Wear or bring any brace, cane, crutches, or walker you normally use. Bring the prescription or a record showing a provider ordered it.
  • Bring a one-page list: your diagnoses, surgeries, treatments tried, medicines, how often you have flare-ups, your home measurement log, and what you can no longer do at work and at home.
  • If you do not know or do not remember, say so. Do not guess.
  • Fraud warning: knowingly giving VA false information is a federal crime (18 U.S.C. 1001) and can cost you all VA benefits (38 U.S.C. 6103). Honest, complete reporting is all you need.

Common mistakes

  • Pushing through pain so the examiner only writes down your end point. Painful motion is a key factor, and the exam should record where pain starts.

    Where this comes from: 38 CFR 4.59; Burton v. Shinseki, 25 Vet. App. 1 (2011); Mitchell v. Shinseki, 25 Vet. App. 32 (2011)

  • Saying 'I'm fine' or only describing a good day. Flare-ups that are not described cannot be estimated.

    Where this comes from: Sharp v. Shulkin, 29 Vet. App. 26 (2017); DBQ flare-up section

  • An exam that skipped passive motion, weight-bearing testing, or the opposite joint. That exam may be inadequate; you or your representative can point this out.

    Where this comes from: Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016)

  • Not asking for at least the minimum rating when the joint is actually painful, unstable, or out of line from an old injury.

    Where this comes from: 38 CFR 4.59; Petitti v. McDonald, 27 Vet. App. 415 (2015)

  • Expecting more than 10% for a stiff wrist that still moves. Under DC 5215 the top rating is 10%. Higher ratings need ankylosis or a separate nerve condition.

    Where this comes from: 38 CFR 4.71a DCs 5214-5215

  • Not claiming hand numbness (carpal tunnel) separately.

    Where this comes from: 38 CFR 4.124a (median nerve, DC 8515)

Questions to ask together

A spouse, grown child or friend can read these out loud. Talk about each one before the exam, so nothing gets left out.

  1. Can you open a tight jar lid?
  2. Can you push yourself up from a chair using that hand?
  3. Can you type or write for 15 minutes without pain?
  4. Can you bend your hand back like you are pushing a door?
  5. Does your hand go numb or tingle?

Sources

Checked against VA's rules on October 30, 2026.

Helping The Brave doesn't file or prepare claims. This guide is free education, not medical or legal advice. The VA examiner measures and VA decides your rating.