Musculoskeletal System§ 4.71aUpdated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 5017Gout

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

View official source

Not the right code?

In short

Summary

Evaluate the diseases under diagnostic codes 5013 through 5024 as degenerative arthritis, based on limitation of motion of affected parts.

The ladder

What each rating requires

The VA assigns the highest level your evidence actually supports. Read up the stack until your records stop matching.

No rating levels extracted yet

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 to DCs 5013 through 5024: Evaluate the diseases under diagnostic codes 5013 through 5024 as degenerative arthritis, based on limitation of motion of affected parts.

Gout (VA Diagnostic Code 5017)

Understanding Your VA Rating for Gout

Gout is a condition affecting the musculoskeletal system. Under the VA rating schedule, it is listed at Diagnostic Code 5017 within § 4.71a.

How the VA Rates Gout

Gout falls within a group of conditions covered by diagnostic codes 5013 through 5024. According to the rating criteria, these diseases are evaluated as degenerative arthritis, based on limitation of motion of the affected parts.

In other words, rather than having its own standalone set of percentage levels, gout is rated by looking at how much it limits the movement of the joints or body parts it affects.

What the VA Looks For

When rating gout, the VA focuses on:

  • The affected parts — which joints or areas of the body are involved.
  • Limitation of motion — how much the condition restricts movement in those affected parts.

Because gout is evaluated as degenerative arthritis based on limitation of motion, the assessment centers on measuring how the condition affects your range of motion in the impacted areas.

Important Notes

Note to DCs 5013 through 5024: Evaluate the diseases under diagnostic codes 5013 through 5024 as degenerative arthritis, based on limitation of motion of affected parts.


This information is based on the VA rating schedule for Diagnostic Code 5017 (§ 4.71a). It is provided for general educational purposes and does not guarantee any specific rating or outcome.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.71a, diagnostic code 5017. The official version is the one that governs your rating.

View official source
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 5017 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.

Six reads your records against these exact criteria and tells you what the VA is still missing.

Start for freeAll 159 Musculoskeletal System codes