Musculoskeletal System§ 4.71aUpdated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 5012Bones, neoplasm, malignant, primary or secondary

A single 100% rating under § 4.71a. Here is what the VA requires for it.

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  1. 100%

    Bones, neoplasm, malignant, primary or secondary

From the schedule

Notes on this code

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

  • Note: The 100 percent rating will be continued for 1 year following the cessation of surgical, X-ray, antineoplastic chemotherapy or other prescribed therapeutic procedure. If there has been no local recurrence or metastases, rate based on residuals.

Malignant Bone Cancer (Neoplasm) — VA Disability Rating

Diagnostic Code 5012 · Musculoskeletal System · 38 CFR § 4.71a

What This Condition Is

Diagnostic Code 5012 covers malignant neoplasms (cancers) of the bones, whether primary (originating in the bone) or secondary (spread from cancer elsewhere in the body). Because this falls under the Musculoskeletal System in § 4.71a, it is rated according to the schedule set out for bone-related conditions.

Available Rating Level

There is one scheduled rating level for this condition:

RatingCriteria
100%Bones, neoplasm, malignant, primary or secondary

An active malignant bone neoplasm is rated at 100 percent.

What the VA Looks For

When rating this condition, the VA applies the following rule established in the schedule:

Note: The 100 percent rating will be continued for 1 year following the cessation of surgical, X-ray, antineoplastic chemotherapy, or other prescribed therapeutic procedure. If there has been no local recurrence or metastases, the condition is then rated based on residuals.

In plain terms, this means:

  • The 100% rating continues for one year after treatment (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or other prescribed therapy) has stopped.
  • After that year, if there has been no local recurrence and no metastases, the VA re-evaluates the condition and rates it based on any residuals — the lasting effects that remain after treatment.

This information is drawn from the VA rating schedule for Diagnostic Code 5012 and is provided for general reference only.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.71a, diagnostic code 5012. 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 5012 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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