Muscle Injuries§ 4.73Updated
Rating criteria

VA Diagnostic Code 5323Group XXIII. Function: Movements of the head; fixation of shoulder movements. Muscles of the side and back of the neck: Suboccipital; lateral vertebral and anterior vertebral muscles

Rated from 0% to 30% under § 4.73. Here is what the VA requires at each level.

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.

  1. 30%

    Severe

  2. 20%

    Moderately Severe

  3. 10%

    Moderate

  4. 0%

    Slight

VA Disability Rating: Muscle Group XXIII (Diagnostic Code 5323)

Neck Muscle Injuries Affecting Head Movement and Shoulder Fixation

Under 38 CFR § 4.73, Diagnostic Code 5323 covers injuries to Muscle Group XXIII, part of the VA's rating schedule for Muscle Injuries.

What This Condition Involves

Muscle Group XXIII includes the muscles of the side and back of the neck: the suboccipital, lateral vertebral, and anterior vertebral muscles.

According to the rating schedule, the function of this muscle group is:

  • Movements of the head
  • Fixation of shoulder movements

An injury to these muscles is evaluated based on how severely the injury affects this function.

Available Rating Levels

The VA assigns one of the following disability ratings for a Muscle Group XXIII injury, based on the level of severity:

RatingSeverity Level
30%Severe
20%Moderately Severe
10%Moderate
0%Slight

What the VA Looks At

When rating a Muscle Group XXIII injury under Diagnostic Code 5323, the VA classifies the injury according to its severity level — Slight, Moderate, Moderately Severe, or Severe — as listed in the rating schedule above. The severity classification determines which percentage is assigned.

This information is drawn directly from the VA rating schedule under 38 CFR § 4.73 for Diagnostic Code 5323. It is provided for general informational purposes and does not guarantee any particular rating or outcome.

These criteria are a rendering of § 4.73, diagnostic code 5323. 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 5323 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Muscle Injuries 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 31 Muscle Injuries codes →