EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. Not legal or medical advice. Not affiliated with the VA.
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Peroneal Tendon Tear/Subluxation
✓ VERIFIED AGAINST 38 C.F.R.§ 4.71a (Musculoskeletal system) · reviewed 2026-05-27 · ClaimRecon Editorial Team
Peroneal Tendon Tear/Subluxation is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 5271 of 38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5271 across 3 severity tiers (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
Tear or subluxation of the peroneal tendons on the lateral ankle causing pain, snapping, and chronic ankle instability
RATING CRITERIA (3 LEVELS)
20%
Marked: less than 5 degrees dorsiflexion or less than 10 degrees plantar flexion.
10%
Moderate: less than 15 degrees dorsiflexion or less than 30 degrees plantar flexion.
0%
Slight: dorsiflexion of 15 degrees or more AND plantar flexion of 30 degrees or more — schedularly noncompensable. Per § 4.59, painful motion with X-ray pathology supports 10% single-joint floor under DC 5003.
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