VA Diagnostic Code 5019Bursitis
Rated under § 4.71a. No rating levels have been extracted for this code yet — use the official source.
Not the right code?
Summary
Evaluate the diseases under diagnostic codes 5013 through 5024 as degenerative arthritis, based on limitation of motion of affected parts.
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.
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.
Bursitis (VA Diagnostic Code 5019)
Understanding a VA Disability Rating for Bursitis
Bursitis is a condition affecting the musculoskeletal system. Under the VA rating schedule, it is assigned Diagnostic Code 5019 and evaluated under 38 CFR § 4.71a.
How the VA Rates Bursitis
Bursitis does not have its own standalone rating scale. Instead, the VA evaluates it the same way it evaluates degenerative arthritis, based on the limitation of motion of the affected parts.
This approach is shared across a group of related musculoskeletal conditions. As stated in the regulation:
Note to Diagnostic Codes 5013 through 5024: Evaluate the diseases under diagnostic codes 5013 through 5024 as degenerative arthritis, based on limitation of motion of affected parts.
What the VA Looks For
When rating bursitis, the VA focuses on how much the affected body part's range of motion is limited. Because it is evaluated as degenerative arthritis, the assessment centers on the functional impact to the joint or area involved rather than the diagnosis alone.
This information is provided for general educational purposes and reflects the VA rating criteria for Diagnostic Code 5019 under 38 CFR § 4.71a. Individual evaluations depend on the specific facts and medical evidence of each case.
These criteria are a rendering of § 4.71a, diagnostic code 5019. The official version is the one that governs your rating.
View official sourceHow to claim this
Knowing the criteria is the first half. Getting your file to show them is the second.
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.
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.
Claim it by code
File under diagnostic code 5019 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 →