EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. Not legal or medical advice. Not affiliated with the VA.
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Navicular Stress Fracture (Residuals)
✓ VERIFIED AGAINST 38 C.F.R.§ 4.71a (Musculoskeletal system) · reviewed 2026-05-27 · ClaimRecon Editorial Team
Navicular Stress Fracture (Residuals) is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 5283 of 38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5283 across 4 severity tiers (30% / 20% / 10% / 0%). Service connection requires (1) a current diagnosis, (2) an in-service event, injury, or exposure, and (3) a medical nexus opinion linking the two under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303.
OVERVIEW
Residual pain and limited function from a stress fracture of the tarsal navicular bone, a high-risk fracture prone to nonunion
RATING CRITERIA (4 LEVELS)
30%
Severe — navicular nonunion with marked midfoot pain, antalgic gait, refractory to operative fixation, residual midfoot collapse.
20%
Moderately severe — documented navicular nonunion or malunion with pain on weight-bearing, altered midfoot biomechanics.
10%
Moderate — navicular stress fracture with delayed union or partial nonunion, intermittent pain on use.
0%
Slight — healed navicular stress fracture without residual functional impairment.
KEY EVIDENCE TO GATHER
-Service treatment records showing injury or complaints
-Imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT)
-Range of motion measurements
-Flare-up documentation per Sharp v. Shulkin
-Buddy statements describing limitations
-Prescription history
-Physical therapy records
-Employment impact documentation
C&P EXAM TIPS (6)
1.Do NOT stretch, warm up, or take pain medication before your exam. The VA needs your baseline limitation.
2.Report your WORST day. DeLuca v. Brown requires documentation of functional loss during flare-ups.
3.Tell the examiner about flare-ups: frequency, duration, estimated ROM loss. Sharp v. Shulkin (2017) requires estimates.
4.Request active, passive, weight-bearing, and non-weight-bearing ROM testing per Correia v. McDonald (2016).
5.If you use assistive devices (brace, cane), bring them.
6.Describe daily activity impact: work, sleep, household tasks.
SOURCES & EDITORIAL
Rating criteria text quoted verbatim from 38 C.F.R. § 4.71a (Musculoskeletal system). Source verified 2026-05-27 by ClaimRecon Editorial Team during a regulation-text comparison against the Cornell Law CFR mirror; eCFR.gov is the authoritative government source.
EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. NOT LEGAL OR MEDICAL ADVICE.
NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
CLAIM RECON 2026