The exam form
The examiner fills out VA's "Ankle Conditions" form (a Disability Benefits Questionnaire, or DBQ). See the form on VA.gov
Form version checked: Updated on 2026-07-29 (v26_1).
What the exam is for
The exam records your ankle diagnosis and how much it limits you: how far you can move your ankle, where pain starts, flare-ups, instability, and any surgery.
What the examiner will ask and measure
- Your diagnosis for each ankle, and how the problem started and changed.
- Flare-ups: how often, how long, what sets them off, what helps, and what you can't do.
- Functional loss in your own words.
- Instability: whether your ankle gives way, described in your own words.
- Range of motion with a measuring tool: pointing your foot down (plantar flexion) and pulling it up toward your shin (dorsiflexion). The form lists normal as 45 degrees down and 20 degrees up. The examiner notes where pain starts. VA asks examiners to test your other ankle too.
- Repeated motion (at least three times), and estimates of how far you could move during a flare-up or after repeated use over time.
- Muscle loss around the ankle, measured with a tape.
- A fixed joint (ankylosis): whether your ankle, or the joints just below it, are stuck in one position, and at what angle or position.
- Stability tests: two hands-on tests (the anterior drawer test and the talar tilt test) that check whether your ankle moves too much.
- Stress fractures, Achilles tendon problems, a heel bone or ankle bone that healed badly, or surgery to remove an ankle bone, and your symptoms now.
- Shin splints: how long they've been treated, and whether treatment, such as shoe inserts (orthotics), helped.
- Surgeries, such as an ankle replacement, and what's left afterward. Any brace, cane, crutches or walker you use, and how often.
- Imaging, and how your ankle affects work tasks like standing, walking and lifting.
Be ready to describe
- When and how the ankle problem started in service.
- How often your ankle gives way, rolls or swells, and what happens when it does.
- Flare-ups and your worst days.
- Any brace, cane, crutches or walker, and how often you use it. Bring the device if you use it.
- Surgeries and their dates, and any treatment for shin splints or your Achilles tendon.
- How far you can walk, how long you can stand, whether you can use stairs, and how your ankle affects work and chores.
Common mistakes
- Pushing past pain during the motion test, or stopping short of what you can do. Move as far as you normally can, and say when pain starts.
- Not mentioning that your ankle gives way, because it isn't happening in the exam room.
- Leaving out flare-ups because today is a good day.
How VA rates it
VA rates an ankle mostly on how far you can point your foot down and pull it up, measured in degrees, counting where pain limits you. Separate rules cover an ankle or nearby joint that's fixed in one position (ankylosis), a heel bone or ankle bone that healed badly, and surgery to remove the ankle bone. VA changed its rule for limited ankle motion in February 2021. An ankle replacement has its own code in the Rating Criteria Lookup.
In plain English
- Limited motion: 10% (moderate) if you can pull your foot up (dorsiflexion) less than 15 degrees, or point it down (plantar flexion) less than 30 degrees; 20% (marked) if you can pull it up less than 5 degrees, or point it down less than 10 degrees.
- Ankle fixed in place (ankylosis): 20% if it's fixed with your foot pointed down less than 30 degrees; 30% if it's fixed pointed down between 30 and 40 degrees, or pulled up between 0 and 10 degrees; 40% if it's fixed pointed down more than 40 degrees, or pulled up more than 10 degrees, or with a deformity that turns or tilts the foot in or out (abduction, adduction, inversion or eversion).
- Joints just below the ankle fixed in place (subtalar or tarsal ankylosis): 10% in a good position for bearing weight; 20% in a poor position for bearing weight.
- Heel bone (os calcis) or ankle bone (talus, also called the astragalus) that healed badly (malunion): 10% with moderate deformity; 20% with marked deformity.
- Surgery to remove the ankle bone (astragalectomy): 20%.
- These levels are the same for your right and left ankle. VA's rules for the legs have no dominant side.
The regulation, word for word
Quoted from 38 CFR Part 4 (current as of October 16, 2026). This is what VA applies. The plain-English version above is our summary of it.
| Criteria | Rating |
|---|
| 5271 Ankle, limited motion of: | |
| Marked (less than 5 degrees dorsiflexion or less than 10 degrees plantar flexion) | 20 |
| Moderate (less than 15 degrees dorsiflexion or less than 30 degrees plantar flexion) | 10 |
| Criteria | Rating |
|---|
| 5270 Ankle, ankylosis of: | |
| In plantar flexion at more than 40°, or in dorsiflexion at more than 10° or with abduction, adduction, inversion or eversion deformity | 40 |
| In plantar flexion, between 30° and 40°, or in dorsiflexion, between 0° and 10° | 30 |
| In plantar flexion, less than 30° | 20 |
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5272: Subastragalar or tarsal joint, ankylosis of Open in the Rating Criteria Lookup
| Criteria | Rating |
|---|
| 5272 Subastragalar or tarsal joint, ankylosis of: | |
| In poor weight-bearing position | 20 |
| In good weight-bearing position | 10 |
38 CFR 4.71a, diagnostic code 5273: Os calcis or astragalus, malunion of Open in the Rating Criteria Lookup
| Criteria | Rating |
|---|
| 5273 Os calcis or astragalus, malunion of: | |
| Marked deformity | 20 |
| Moderate deformity | 10 |
| Criteria | Rating |
|---|
| 5274 Astragalectomy | 20 |
Related
About every C&P exam
What is it?
After you file a claim, VA may ask you to have a claim exam, also called a compensation and pension (C&P) exam. It helps VA decide whether your condition is connected to your service, and how severe it is. It isn't treatment: the examiner won't treat you, prescribe medicine or refer you to anyone.
Who does it?
A VA provider or a provider from one of VA's exam contractors (Loyal Source, OptumServe, QTC or VES). VA picks; you can't choose. Hearing, mental health, eye and dental exams are done by specialists. For a reproductive, breast, rectal or mental health exam, or a claim related to military sexual trauma, you can ask for a male or female examiner.
How long does it take?
VA says anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour or more, depending on what you claimed. Some exams are by phone or video. If you claimed more than one condition, VA tries to schedule them on the same day.
Does the examiner decide my claim?
No. The examiner writes a report on a standard form (a Disability Benefits Questionnaire, or DBQ) and sends it to VA. VA decides your claim using all the evidence: the report, your medical and service records, and statements from you and others. The examiner can't tell you the results or answer questions about your claim.
Does everyone get one?
No. If your records already have what VA needs, VA can decide from the records alone (VA calls this Acceptable Clinical Evidence, or ACE).
What if I can't make it?
Call the number on your appointment letter at least 48 hours ahead to reschedule. Missing an exam delays your claim. VA may decide your claim on the evidence it already has, and some claims, such as a claim for an increase, are denied (38 CFR 3.655). If you had a good reason, such as being in the hospital or a death in your family, tell VA and ask for a new exam.
What should I bring?
VA says you don't need to bring anything. Send any new medical records to VA before the exam, because the examiner can't send them in for you. Arrive 15 minutes early and wear clothes you can move in. Many veterans find it helps to bring a short list of their symptoms, medicines and side effects, and key dates, so nothing is forgotten.
Can someone come with me?
You can ask the examiner. They may ask family members or caregivers to wait outside. For a sensitive physical exam, you can ask for a chaperone in the room.
Can I get a copy of the report?
Yes. Ask VA with a Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act request (VA Form 20-10206). VetEZ Claim can help you fill it out and send it.
Can my own doctor fill out the form instead?
For many conditions, yes. VA publishes the exam forms (DBQs) your own doctor can fill out and you can send in. VA doesn't pay for this. A few exam forms are for VA's own examiners.
Checked against VA's forms and rules on October 20, 2026. General information only, not medical or legal advice about your claim. VA decides every claim.
