Musculoskeletal System§ 4.71aUpdated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 5021Myositis

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

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

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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 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.

Myositis (VA Diagnostic Code 5021)

Understanding Your Rating for Myositis

Myositis is a musculoskeletal condition rated by the VA under Diagnostic Code 5021, found in § 4.71a of the VA's rating schedule.

What This Condition Involves

Myositis affects the musculoskeletal system. Under the VA rating schedule, myositis is grouped with related conditions listed under diagnostic codes 5013 through 5024.

How the VA Rates Myositis

For diagnostic codes 5013 through 5024, the VA evaluates the condition as degenerative arthritis, based on the limitation of motion of the affected parts.

This means that rather than using a rating formula unique to myositis, the VA looks at how the condition limits the movement of the body part it affects, and applies the criteria used for degenerative arthritis.

What the VA Looks For

When rating myositis, the VA focuses on:

  • Which parts of the body are affected by the condition
  • The degree of limitation of motion in those affected parts

Because the evaluation is tied to limitation of motion, the specific rating depends on how the affected joint or body part is impacted.


This information is drawn directly from the VA rating schedule (§ 4.71a, Diagnostic Code 5021). It is provided for general informational purposes only.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.71a, diagnostic code 5021. 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 5021 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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