Musculoskeletal System§ 4.71aUpdated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 5004Arthritis, gonorrheal

Rated under § 4.71a. No rating levels have been extracted for this code yet — use the official source.

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In short

Summary

With the types of arthritis, diagnostic codes 5004 through 5009, rate the acute phase under diagnostic code 5002; rate any chronic residuals under diagnostic code 5003.

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This code has no itemised criteria in our copy of the schedule. Use the official source link for the controlling text.

From the schedule

Notes on this code

These notes are part of the regulation. They change how the levels above are applied.

  • Note (2): With the types of arthritis, diagnostic codes 5004 through 5009, rate the acute phase under diagnostic code 5002; rate any chronic residuals under diagnostic code 5003.

Gonorrheal Arthritis (VA Diagnostic Code 5004)

Musculoskeletal System · Rated under 38 CFR § 4.71a

What This Condition Is

Gonorrheal arthritis is a form of arthritis listed among the infectious and related arthritis conditions in the VA rating schedule (diagnostic codes 5004 through 5009). Like other conditions in this group, it can involve an active, symptomatic period as well as lasting effects that remain after the acute phase settles down.

How the VA Rates It

Diagnostic Code 5004 does not use its own standalone set of rating percentages. Instead, the VA applies a two-part approach depending on which phase of the condition is being evaluated:

  • Acute phase — rated using the criteria under Diagnostic Code 5002.
  • Chronic residuals — rated using the criteria under Diagnostic Code 5003.

This means that whether your condition is currently active or has left lasting effects can determine which set of criteria the VA uses to evaluate it.

What the VA Looks For

When rating gonorrheal arthritis, the VA distinguishes between:

  1. The acute phase of the condition — evaluated under the framework for Diagnostic Code 5002.
  2. Any chronic residuals — evaluated under the framework for Diagnostic Code 5003.

From the Rating Schedule Notes

Note (2): With the types of arthritis, diagnostic codes 5004 through 5009, rate the acute phase under diagnostic code 5002; rate any chronic residuals under diagnostic code 5003.


This information is drawn directly from the VA rating schedule (38 CFR § 4.71a) for informational purposes. Individual evaluations depend on the specific medical evidence in each case.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.71a, diagnostic code 5004. The official version is the one that governs your rating.

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What next

How to claim this

Knowing the criteria is the first half. Getting your file to show them is the second.

  1. Find your level in the stack

    Read each rung against what your medical records already say. The level your records document today is the one the VA can support today.

  2. Name the gap

    Look at the rung above yours and write down exactly what it asks for that your file does not show yet — a diagnosis, a measurement, a prescribed brace, a doctor’s opinion linking it to service.

  3. Claim it by code

    File under diagnostic code 5004 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Musculoskeletal System codes may cover your secondary conditions.

Find out which rating your evidence supports.

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