Feet: flatfoot, claw foot, amputation and the exam

How VA rates foot conditions

38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5276 to 5284

The foot codes cover flatfoot (5276), weak foot (5277), claw foot (5278), metatarsalgia or Morton’s disease (5279), hallux valgus (5280), hallux rigidus (5281), hammer toe (5282), malunion or nonunion of foot bones (5283) and other foot injuries (5284). Flatfoot and claw foot list the findings for each level. The bone and injury codes use the words moderate, moderately severe and severe.

For exam preparation on flat feet see flat feet C&P exam prep. For footwear benefits see VA therapeutic footwear.

Acquired flatfoot (pes planus)

38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5276

• Pronounced (50% both feet, 30% one foot): marked pronation, extreme tenderness of the plantar surfaces, marked inward displacement and severe spasm of the Achilles tendon on manipulation, not improved by orthopedic shoes or appliances.
• Severe (30% both feet, 20% one foot): objective evidence of marked deformity (pronation, abduction and similar), pain on manipulation and use accentuated, indication of swelling on use, and characteristic callosities.
• Moderate (10%, one or both feet): weight-bearing line over or medial to the great toe, inward bowing of the Achilles tendon, and pain on manipulation and use of the feet.
• Mild (0%): symptoms relieved by a built-up shoe or arch support.

The exam form asks about pain and swelling on use, calluses, response to arch supports or built-up shoes, arch height, pronation, the weight-bearing line and the Achilles tendon.

Claw foot, toe and metatarsal conditions

38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5277 to 5283

• Claw foot (pes cavus, 5278): marked contraction of the plantar fascia, dropped forefoot, all toes hammer toes, very painful callosities and marked varus deformity: 50% both feet, 30% one foot. All toes tending to dorsiflexion, dorsiflexion at the ankle limited to a right angle, shortened plantar fascia and marked tenderness under the metatarsal heads: 30% both, 20% one. Great toe dorsiflexed, some limit of ankle dorsiflexion, definite tenderness under the metatarsal heads: 10%. Slight: 0%.
• Metatarsalgia, anterior (Morton’s disease, 5279): 10%, one foot or both.
• Hallux valgus (5280), one foot: 10% if operated with resection of the metatarsal head, or if severe and equivalent to amputation of the great toe.
• Hallux rigidus (5281), severe: rated as severe hallux valgus, and not combined with claw foot ratings.
• Hammer toe (5282): all toes of one foot without claw foot 10%; single toes 0%.
• Weak foot (5277): rate the underlying condition, with a minimum of 10%.
• Malunion or nonunion of tarsal or metatarsal bones (5283): severe 30%, moderately severe 20%, moderate 10%.
• Other foot injuries (5284): severe 30%, moderately severe 20%, moderate 10%.

For both 5283 and 5284, actual loss of use of the foot is rated 40%. Plantar fasciitis has its own code, DC 5269 (38 CFR 4.71a): 10%, or 20% for one foot and 30% for both feet when there is no relief from non-surgical and surgical treatment.

Amputation and loss of use, leg and foot

38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5160 to 5173

• Thigh: trans-pelvic amputation 100%; hip disarticulation 90%; upper third 80%; middle or lower thirds 60%.
• Leg: defective stump with thigh amputation recommended 60%; amputation not improvable by a prosthesis controlled by natural knee action 60%; at a lower level permitting prosthesis 40%.
• Forefoot proximal to the metatarsal bones (more than half of metatarsal loss): 40%. Loss of use of the foot: 40%.
• Toes: all toes, or transmetatarsal with up to half of metatarsal loss, 30%. Great toe with removal of the metatarsal head 30%, without 10%. Other toes with removal of the metatarsal head: one or two 20%; without metatarsal involvement 0%. Three or four toes without metatarsal involvement: 20% including the great toe, 10% not including it.

The thigh, leg, forefoot and foot levels carry a footnote saying the Veteran is also entitled to special monthly compensation. The trans-pelvic level also directs separate ratings for residuals in other body systems, such as bowel and bladder. See also the paired extremities rule.

How foot ratings fit with other ratings

38 CFR 4.25

Nerve damage in the foot or leg, scars, arthritis and ankle conditions are rated under their own codes when the effects are separate. See nerve damage ratings, skin and scar ratings and combined rating math. Feet problems that follow another condition may be secondary: see secondary conditions.

What VA’s foot and amputation exam forms cover

VA Foot Conditions DBQ (updated 2024-09-03), Amputations DBQ (updated 2024-07-19)

• Foot form: diagnoses by side, pain and flare-ups in your words, then sections for flatfoot, plantar fasciitis, Morton’s neuroma, hammer toe, hallux valgus and rigidus, pes cavus, and bone malunion or nonunion. It also asks about surgery, functional loss, assistive devices, remaining effective function, imaging and functional impact on work.
• Amputations form: amputation sites and dates, upper and lower extremities, fingers and toes, whether a suitable prosthetic appliance is possible, assistive devices and functional impact.

See Preparing for Your C&P Exam.

What I could not verify

• Rating levels come from the eCFR text of 38 CFR 4.71a, current as of October 16, 2026. eCFR is unofficial, and the official text wins over me.
• I did not research ankle ratings, or the rules on functional loss (38 CFR 4.40, 4.45 and 4.59), or the bilateral factor for the feet.
• I did not read the full regulation text on what counts as loss of use of a foot (38 CFR 3.350), so I do not define it here.
• I checked the exam forms through a text reader, not line by line. The forms themselves are the authority.