EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. Not legal or medical advice. Not affiliated with the VA.
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Trigger Finger (Stenosing Tenosynovitis)
✓ VERIFIED AGAINST 38 C.F.R.§ 4.71a (Musculoskeletal system) · reviewed 2026-05-27 · ClaimRecon Editorial Team
Trigger Finger (Stenosing Tenosynovitis) is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 5228 of 38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5228 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
Stenosing tenosynovitis causing the finger tendon to catch, lock, or snap when bending, with pain and stiffness
RATING CRITERIA (3 LEVELS)
20%
With a gap of more than two inches (5.1 cm) between the thumb pad and the fingers, with the thumb attempting to oppose the fingers — Major or Minor (same rating).
10%
With a gap of one to two inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) between the thumb pad and the fingers, with the thumb attempting to oppose the fingers — Major or Minor (same rating).
0%
Gap less than one inch (2.5 cm) — schedularly noncompensable under DC 5228; if painful motion is objectively documented (per § 4.59), the minimum compensable evaluation of 10% applies under DC 5003 single-joint fallback.
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