VA Diagnostic Code 5150Long and little

A single 30% rating under § 4.71a. Here is what the VA requires for it.

View official source

Not the right code?

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.

30%20% non-dominant
Long and little

From the schedule

Notes on this code

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

(a) The ratings for multiple finger amputations apply to amputations at the proximal interphalangeal joints or through proximal phalanges.
(b) Amputation through middle phalanges will be rated as prescribed for unfavorable ankylosis of the fingers.
(c) Amputations at distal joints, or through distal phalanges, other than negligible losses, will be rated as prescribed for favorable ankylosis of the fingers.
(d) Amputation or resection of metacarpal bones (more than one-half the bone lost) in multiple fingers injuries will require a rating of 10 percent added to (not combined with) the ratings, multiple finger amputations, subject to the amputation rule applied to the forearm.
(e) Combinations of finger amputations at various levels, or finger amputations with ankylosis or limitation of motion of the fingers will be rated on the basis of the grade of disability; i.e., amputation, unfavorable ankylosis, most representative of the levels or combinations. With an even number of fingers involved, and adjacent grades of disability, select the higher of the two grades.
(f) Loss of use of the hand will be held to exist when no effective function remains other than that which would be equally well served by an amputation stump with a suitable prosthetic appliance.

VA Disability Rating: Amputation of the Long and Little Fingers (Diagnostic Code 5150)

Musculoskeletal System · 38 CFR § 4.71a

Understanding This Rating

Diagnostic Code 5150 addresses amputation of the long and little fingers together. It falls under the VA's rating schedule for the musculoskeletal system, found in 38 CFR § 4.71a.

Because the effect of a finger amputation can depend on which hand is affected, this code recognizes that your dominant hand (the one you primarily use) and your non-dominant (minor) hand may be rated differently.

Available Rating Levels

Rating	Extremity	Description
30%	Dominant extremity	Amputation of the long and little fingers
20%	Non-dominant (minor) extremity	Amputation of the long and little fingers

What the VA Looks For

When rating amputations of the fingers under this section, the VA applies several specific rules:

Level of amputation matters. The ratings for multiple finger amputations apply to amputations at the proximal interphalangeal joints or through the proximal phalanges.
Amputations through the middle phalanges are rated as prescribed for unfavorable ankylosis of the fingers.
Amputations at distal joints, or through the distal phalanges — other than negligible losses — are rated as prescribed for favorable ankylosis of the fingers.
Loss of bone in the hand. If metacarpal bones are amputated or resected (more than one-half the bone lost) in multiple finger injuries, a rating of 10 percent is added to (not combined with) the multiple finger amputation ratings, subject to the amputation rule applied to the forearm.
Combinations of injuries. When finger amputations occur at various levels, or are combined with ankylosis or limitation of motion, the VA rates based on the grade of disability (amputation or unfavorable ankylosis) most representative of the levels or combinations involved. When an even number of fingers is involved with adjacent grades of disability, the VA selects the higher of the two grades.
Loss of use of the hand is considered to exist when no effective function remains other than what would be equally well served by an amputation stump with a suitable prosthetic appliance.

This information is drawn directly from the VA rating schedule at 38 CFR § 4.71a and is provided for general educational purposes. Individual ratings depend on the specific facts of each case as evaluated by the VA.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.71a, diagnostic code 5150. 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.

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 5150 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 free All 159 Musculoskeletal System codes →