VA Disability Rating for Synovitis (DC 5020 Retired)
Diagnostic Code 5020 · 38 CFR §4.71a
What Is It?
DC 5020 no longer exists, and there is no code that replaced it. VA rewrote the musculoskeletal schedule effective February 7, 2021 (85 FR 76453) and removed DC 5018 (intermittent hydrarthrosis), DC 5020 (synovitis) and DC 5022 (periostitis). A commenter asked VA to add notes saying where these conditions should go instead. VA declined, and its answer is the answer this page has to give: "hydrarthrosis and synovitis are signs of underlying conditions that are already captured within the evaluation criteria of other DCs," "periostitis is a non-specific inflammatory process caused by underlying conditions that can be rated in accordance with the primary diagnosis," and "VA sees no need to limit these signs to specific DCs; they will be evaluated with an underlying diagnosis." The mechanic itself did not change, which is the part worth holding onto. The surviving codes in this family — DC 5013 through DC 5024 — carry a shared Note: "Evaluate the diseases under diagnostic codes 5013 through 5024 as degenerative arthritis, based on limitation of motion of affected parts." DC 5003 then directs that the evaluation be made on limitation of motion under the code for the specific joint, and where that limitation of motion is noncompensable, 10 percent applies for each major joint or group of minor joints affected by limitation of motion, combined and not added. Two provisions cut against a low result: § 4.59 entitles an actually painful, unstable or malaligned joint to at least the minimum compensable rating for that joint, and DC 5003’s own limitation-of-motion route requires only that the limitation be objectively confirmed by findings such as swelling, muscle spasm or satisfactory evidence of painful motion. One provision cuts the other way, and it applied before 2021 too: DC 5003 Note (2) states that the 20 and 10 percent ratings based on X-ray findings "will not be utilized in rating conditions listed under diagnostic codes 5013 to 5024, inclusive." An X-ray alone was never a route to a percentage here. 38 CFR § 3.951(a) is the provision that answers it: a readjustment to the rating schedule "shall not be grounds for reduction of a disability rating in effect on the date of the readjustment unless medical evidence establishes that the disability to be evaluated has actually improved." Under § 3.951(b), an evaluation continuously held at or above its level for 20 years or more cannot be reduced at all except on a showing of fraud, with the 20 years counted from the effective date of the evaluation. Under § 3.957, service connection in effect for 10 years or more cannot be severed except for fraud or a showing from military records that the person did not have the requisite service or character of discharge. And any reduction at all has to run through § 3.105(e): a written proposal setting out all material facts and reasons, 60 days to submit evidence, and — under § 3.105(i) — 30 days from the notice to request a predetermination hearing. Synovitis is inflammation of the synovial membrane, the lining that produces the fluid lubricating a joint. It causes swelling, warmth, stiffness and pain, and it is a consequence of something else — injury, degenerative change, an inflammatory arthritis, an infection, crystal deposition. That is precisely why VA removed the code: synovitis is a finding on examination, not a diagnosis that stands alone.
Rating Criteria
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| See pathways | DC 5020 was removed effective February 7, 2021 and there is no successor code for synovitis. The code assigns no percentage of its own, and it never did: DCs 5013 through 5024 are evaluated as degenerative arthritis based on limitation of motion of the affected part, under the diagnostic code for the specific joint (DC 5200 and following). Where limitation of motion of that joint is noncompensable under its own code, DC 5003 provides 10 percent for each major joint or group of minor joints affected by limitation of motion, combined and not added; the limitation must be objectively confirmed by findings such as swelling, muscle spasm or satisfactory evidence of painful motion. 38 CFR § 4.59 entitles an actually painful, unstable or malaligned joint to at least the minimum compensable rating for that joint. DC 5003 Note (2) bars the X-ray-based 20 and 10 percent ratings for every condition in the 5013–5024 range. |
Evidence Needed
- Medical records diagnosing synovitis with connection to military service
- Imaging studies such as MRI showing synovial inflammation
- Range of motion measurements of the affected joint
- Joint fluid analysis results if aspiration was performed
- Treatment records including medications and physical therapy
C&P Exam Tips
- Point out any visible joint swelling to the examiner
- Demonstrate your range of motion and note where pain begins
- Describe how the swelling and stiffness affect daily activities
- Mention how symptoms change throughout the day, especially morning stiffness
- Bring MRI reports showing synovial inflammation
How to File
Do not file "for synovitis under DC 5020." File for the joint and the underlying diagnosis, and let the synovitis do its work as evidence. Name the joint, attach the range-of-motion measurements in degrees with and without repetitive use, and make sure the record contains objective confirmation of the limitation — swelling, effusion, muscle spasm, or a clinician’s finding of painful motion. If range of motion is noncompensable under the joint’s own code, ask expressly for the DC 5003 10 percent and for the § 4.59 minimum compensable rating for a painful joint, citing both by section. Each affected major joint or group of minor joints is evaluated separately and combined under § 4.25.
Common Mistakes
Not getting an MRI to confirm synovial inflammation when symptoms persist Having synovitis dismissed as simple joint pain without proper diagnosis Not documenting the joint effusion and swelling during active episodes Failing to connect chronic synovitis to a service-related joint injury
Frequently Asked Questions
The code on my rating decision was removed. Can VA reduce me?
Not on that basis. 38 CFR § 3.951(a) provides that a readjustment to the rating schedule "shall not be grounds for reduction of a disability rating in effect on the date of the readjustment unless medical evidence establishes that the disability to be evaluated has actually improved." An evaluation held continuously at or above its level for 20 years is protected under § 3.951(b) except on a showing of fraud, and service connection in effect 10 years cannot be severed under § 3.957 except for fraud or a defect in the record of service. Any reduction also has to run through § 3.105(e) — written proposal, 60 days to submit evidence, and 30 days under § 3.105(i) to request a predetermination hearing.
If there is no code for synovitis, how does a new claim work?
You claim the joint and the underlying condition. VA said it "sees no need to limit these signs to specific DCs; they will be evaluated with an underlying diagnosis." In practice that means the rating comes from the joint’s own limitation-of-motion code, or from DC 5003’s 10 percent per joint where that limitation is noncompensable, with § 4.59 setting a floor for a joint that is actually painful.