The knee VA rating surprises a lot of veterans, because a single knee isn't limited to a single number. Instability, limited bend, and limited straightening are three different problems with three different codes — and when the evidence supports it, they can be rated separately and combined. Here's how the knee schedule actually works.
The knee VA rating is one of the most misunderstood in the whole schedule, and it costs veterans real ground. Most people assume a bad knee gets one rating, the way a single number gets stamped on a decision letter. But the knee is scored across several diagnostic codes in 38 CFR § 4.71a, each measuring a different kind of loss — how far the joint bends, how far it straightens, and how stable it is when you put weight on it. Understand which codes your knee actually triggers, and you stop underbuilding the evidence for the ones that get overlooked.
Normal knee motion runs from 0 degrees (leg fully straight) to about 140 degrees (heel to the back of the thigh). VA rates a knee mainly on how much of that motion you've lost and how stable the joint is. The three workhorse codes are Diagnostic Code 5257 for instability, Diagnostic Code 5260 for limitation of flexion (bending), and Diagnostic Code 5261 for limitation of extension (straightening). A few more codes cover the meniscus, a fused joint, and a replaced joint. The key idea to hold onto: these codes measure different functional losses, so more than one can sometimes apply to the same knee at the same time.
Diagnostic Code 5257 rates recurrent subluxation or lateral instability — a knee that buckles, gives way, or slides because the ligaments no longer hold it firmly. It is scored in words, not degrees:
| Rating | Diagnostic Code 5257 — recurrent subluxation or lateral instability |
|---|---|
| 10% | Slight. |
| 20% | Moderate. |
| 30% | Severe. |
Because this code is graded on descriptive words, the C&P examiner's stability testing and your consistent reports of buckling or wearing a brace do a lot of the work. This is the code veterans most often leave on the table, because instability doesn't show up on a range-of-motion measurement at all.
Limitation of flexion — how far you can bend the knee — is Diagnostic Code 5260:
| Rating | Diagnostic Code 5260 — flexion limited to |
|---|---|
| 0% | 60 degrees. |
| 10% | 45 degrees. |
| 20% | 30 degrees. |
| 30% | 15 degrees. |
Limitation of extension — how far short of straight the knee stops — is Diagnostic Code 5261, and it climbs higher:
| Rating | Diagnostic Code 5261 — extension limited to |
|---|---|
| 10% | 10 degrees. |
| 20% | 15 degrees. |
| 30% | 20 degrees. |
| 40% | 30 degrees. |
| 50% | 45 degrees. |
Both numbers come from a goniometer — the protractor-like tool the examiner uses at the compensation and pension exam to read the angle in degrees. That single measurement drives the rating, which is why the exam is worth preparing for; we treat exam readiness as its own discipline in C&P exam preparation.
Here is the part that changes combined ratings more than any other. VA's own General Counsel has issued opinions saying that instability under 5257 measures a different disability than lost motion under 5260 or 5261 — so a knee with both can be rated under 5257 and a limitation-of-motion code, separately. A later opinion went further: when a single knee has both limited flexion and limited extension, those can be rated separately too, under 5260 and 5261 at the same time. In practice, that means one bad knee might carry an instability rating plus a flexion rating plus an extension rating — three pieces, each with its own evidence.
Those separate ratings don't simply add up, though. VA combines them with its whole-person math, which is why a 20% and a 10% on the same knee don't total 30%. Our VA math explained guide walks through how that combination actually works, and the VA disability calculator lets you see how separate knee ratings move a combined number and the monthly figure attached to it.
Three more codes round out the picture. The meniscus (the cartilage cushion) has two codes: Diagnostic Code 5258 pays 20% for a dislocated cartilage with frequent episodes of "locking," pain, and effusion into the joint, and Diagnostic Code 5259 pays 10% for cartilage that was surgically removed and stays symptomatic. Ankylosis — a knee fused in a fixed position that no longer moves at all — is Diagnostic Code 5256, rated from 30% up to 60% depending on the angle it's frozen at. And a total knee replacement, Diagnostic Code 5055, carries a 100% rating for the year following surgery, then drops to a residual level (a 30% minimum, higher with weakness or painful motion). Most knees are neither fused nor replaced, so the everyday ratings live in the 10-to-30% range per code.
If both knees are service-connected, a rule in 38 CFR § 4.26 works quietly in your favor. When a veteran has a disability in both legs — paired extremities — VA combines the two sides and then adds an extra 10% of that combined value before folding it into the rest of the math. You don't have to ask for it; VA is supposed to apply the bilateral factor automatically when both knees (or a knee and another leg condition) are rated. It's a small boost, but it's real, and it's one more reason to claim the second knee if it's genuinely affected rather than letting it slide.
Two rules protect a knee that behaves on exam day. Under the painful-motion rule in 38 CFR § 4.59, an actually painful joint is entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating — generally 10% — even when the measured range of motion is nearly normal. And VA is supposed to account for the additional motion you lose during flare-ups and after repeated use, not just your best single reading. If your knee is measurably worse at the end of a workday, after stairs, or during a flare, that has to be described and, where possible, measured — because a rushed measurement on a good day can undersell a real disability.
Because the knee is a motion-and-stability joint, the strongest knee files tend to share the same backbone:
Describe all of it accurately and completely — our standard on every condition is accuracy, never exaggeration — but don't undersell a knee that cooperates on exam day, either. If you want the full method for building a musculoskeletal file the way we'd build our own, the VA Disability Mastery course walks through range-of-motion exams, instability documentation, and claiming each code step by step.
VA last overhauled the musculoskeletal section of the rating schedule — the part that houses the knee — effective February 7, 2021, so the codes above reflect the current formula. Rules in this area can still change over time, and VA applies specific protection and due-process rules before it reduces an existing rating. If your claim turns on the exact criteria, confirm the current version on VA's official channels or with an accredited representative before you rely on any summary, including this one.
What is the VA rating for knee pain?
Most knee ratings fall between 10% and 30% based on how the knee is limited. Limitation of flexion, limitation of extension, and instability each have their own diagnostic code and their own scale. Because of the painful-motion rule, a service-connected knee that hurts when it moves is generally rated at least 10% even when range of motion is close to normal. VA decides every rating.
Can you get more than one VA rating for the same knee?
Sometimes, yes. VA's own General Counsel opinions allow instability under Diagnostic Code 5257 to be rated separately from limitation of motion, and allow limitation of flexion (5260) and limitation of extension (5261) to be rated separately in the same knee when both are present. A meniscus code can also apply when there are symptoms beyond lost motion. Each piece has to be supported by the evidence, and the separate ratings are combined with VA whole-person math, not added. VA decides all ratings.
What is the highest schedular VA rating for one knee?
For a single knee, the higher levels come from ankylosis (the joint fused in place), rated up to 60%, or the year after a total knee replacement, which carries a 100% rating for that year before dropping to a residual level. Most knees are not fused and not replaced, so day-to-day ratings usually run 10% to 30% per code, with separate codes combined. VA decides all ratings.
Our VA Disability Mastery course walks through range-of-motion exams, instability documentation, the meniscus codes, and how to claim each piece of a knee the way we'd build our own file. Or start free — find the gaps in 60 seconds with the readiness quiz or the preparation checklist.
See CoursesKeep reading: Back pain VA rating · C&P exam preparation · VA math explained
Claims Academy