A torn meniscus is most often rated at 20 percent under diagnostic code 5258 or 10 percent under diagnostic code 5259. DC 5258 pays 20 percent when the cartilage is dislocated and the knee has frequent episodes of locking, pain, and effusion (swelling inside the joint). DC 5259 pays 10 percent when the meniscus has been surgically removed and symptoms remain. Neither code has a higher tier. Veterans who need more than 20 percent for one knee usually get there by adding separate ratings for instability, limited motion, or arthritis. At 2026 rates, 10 percent pays $180.42 a month and 20 percent pays $356.66.
The VA Has No Code Named "Meniscus Tear"
The rating schedule at 38 CFR 4.71a does not list "meniscus tear" anywhere. The meniscus is the semilunar cartilage, and the two codes that cover it use that older medical language. The VA has held that "dislocated" in DC 5258 includes "torn," so a torn meniscus that has not been removed is evaluated under 5258.
Because the two meniscus codes cap out at 20 percent, the rating that lands on your decision letter usually depends less on the tear itself and more on what the tear did to the rest of the knee. A meniscus tear that also caused ligament laxity, lost range of motion, or degenerative arthritis can support additional ratings under separate codes.
| Diagnostic code | What it covers | Available ratings |
|---|
| 5258 | Semilunar cartilage, dislocated, with frequent locking, pain, and effusion | 20% only |
| 5259 | Semilunar cartilage, removed, symptomatic | 10% only |
| 5257 | Knee instability or recurrent subluxation | 10%, 20%, 30% |
| 5260 | Limitation of flexion (bending) | 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% |
| 5261 | Limitation of extension (straightening) | 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% |
| 5003 | Degenerative arthritis with painful motion | 10%, 20% |
| 5055 | Knee replacement or resurfacing | 30%, 60%, 100% (temporary) |
| 5256 | Ankylosis (knee fused in place) | 30%, 40%, 50%, 60% |
Diagnostic Code 5258: The 20 Percent Rating
DC 5258 requires three findings together: frequent episodes of locking, pain, and effusion into the joint. Rating examiners read that list strictly. Missing any one of the three is the single most common reason a veteran with a documented tear gets 10 percent or 0 percent instead of 20.
What each element means in practice:
- Locking. The knee catches or sticks and will not fully bend or straighten until you work it loose. A torn flap of cartilage physically blocking the joint is the classic cause.
- Pain. Straightforward, but it needs to be documented in treatment records, not just mentioned at the exam.
- Effusion. Fluid buildup that makes the knee visibly swell. This one gets missed most often, because swelling comes and goes and the C&P exam may happen on a good day.
The word "frequent" is not defined in the regulation. Veterans have successfully argued that more than an isolated episode qualifies. A symptom journal noting the date of each locking episode and each flare of swelling is often the difference between 10 and 20 percent, since it converts "occasional" into a documented pattern.
Diagnostic Code 5259: The 10 Percent Rating After Surgery
If you had a meniscectomy, partial or total, the cartilage is gone and there is nothing left to dislocate. Post-surgical residuals get rated at 10 percent under DC 5259 as long as the knee remains symptomatic. Symptoms that count include pain, weakness, giving way, swelling, and tenderness to palpation.
Ten percent is the ceiling for this code. Veterans who are only rated 5259 and feel the number is too low should look at whether they also have compensable limitation of motion, instability, or arthritis in the same knee, since those are separate ratings rather than a higher tier of 5259.
You generally cannot hold a 5258 rating and a 5259 rating on the same knee at the same time. Both compensate the same anatomical structure, which the VA treats as pyramiding under 38 CFR 4.14.
Instability After a Meniscus Tear: DC 5257
The VA rewrote DC 5257 effective February 7, 2021. The old slight, moderate, and severe language is gone for claims decided under the current schedule. The new criteria are tied to whether a medical provider prescribed a brace or an assistive device.
| Rating | Current DC 5257 criteria |
|---|
| 10% | Sprain, incomplete tear, or complete ligament tear causing the knee to give out regularly, with no provider prescription for a brace, cane, crutch, or walker |
| 20% | Knee gives out regularly and a provider prescribed a brace and/or an assistive device, or an unrepaired or failed ligament repair with a prescription for either a brace or a device |
| 30% | Unrepaired or failed complete ligament repair causing the knee to give out regularly, with a provider prescription for both a brace and an assistive device |
The practical takeaway: an over-the-counter brace bought at a pharmacy does not count. The prescription has to come from a medical provider and appear in the record. If you wear a brace daily and nobody has written it down, ask your provider to document the prescription before your exam.
Patellar instability (kneecap) has its own parallel criteria at the same 10, 20, and 30 percent levels.
Limitation of Motion: DC 5260 and 5261
Normal knee motion is 0 degrees of extension to 140 degrees of flexion. Both flexion and extension can be rated separately on the same knee when each one is independently compensable.
DC 5260, flexion (bending):
| Flexion limited to | Rating |
|---|
| 60 degrees | 0% |
| 45 degrees | 10% |
| 30 degrees | 20% |
| 15 degrees | 30% |
DC 5261, extension (straightening):
| Extension limited to | Rating |
|---|
| 5 degrees | 0% |
| 10 degrees | 10% |
| 15 degrees | 20% |
| 20 degrees | 30% |
| 30 degrees | 40% |
| 45 degrees | 50% |
Most meniscus veterans do not lose enough motion to reach these thresholds. That is where 38 CFR 4.59 matters: a joint with actually painful motion is entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating for that joint, which is 10 percent, even when the measured degrees look close to normal. Tell the examiner clearly at what point in the arc the pain starts.
Knee Replacement: DC 5055
If the knee eventually needs a total replacement, DC 5055 assigns 100 percent for four months following implantation, then a minimum of 30 percent afterward. Chronic residuals consisting of severe painful motion or weakness rate 60 percent. Partial resurfacing follows a similar path, with 100 percent for four months and 60 percent for severe chronic residuals.
2026 VA Payment Amounts
VA compensation rose 2.8 percent with the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment, effective December 1, 2025, and reflected in payments starting January 2026. Ratings of 10 and 20 percent pay a flat amount with no added compensation for dependents. From 30 percent up, dependents increase the payment.
| Combined rating | Monthly amount, veteran alone (2026) |
|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
VA disability compensation is not taxable and does not count as income for most need-based programs.
Stacking Ratings on One Knee
Separate ratings on the same knee are allowed when the symptoms do not overlap. Instability under 5257 is a different impairment than limited motion under 5260 or 5261, so those can coexist. A symptomatic meniscectomy under 5259 can be combined with a limitation-of-motion rating when there are residual symptoms beyond the lost motion itself.
Three rules constrain how high a single knee can go:
- No pyramiding. The same symptom cannot be paid twice under two codes. Pain that is already the basis of a limitation-of-motion rating cannot separately support another rating for the same pain.
- VA math is not addition. Two 10 percent ratings combine to 19 percent, which rounds to 20, not 20 percent flat. Each additional rating is applied to the remaining healthy portion.
- The amputation rule. Under 38 CFR 4.68, the combined rating for one knee generally cannot exceed the rating that would be assigned for amputation at that level.
If both knees are service connected, the bilateral factor under 38 CFR 4.26 adds an extra 10 percent of the combined value of the paired disabilities before they are combined with everything else.
Filing a Meniscus Tear Claim
Step 1: Submit an intent to file. VA Form 21-0966 locks in your effective date for 12 months while you gather evidence. It takes about five minutes on VA.gov and can add months of back pay if the claim takes a while to build.
Step 2: Establish the three elements of service connection. You need a current diagnosis, an in-service event or injury, and a medical nexus linking the two. For direct claims, the in-service event can be documented in service treatment records or established through buddy statements describing the injury.
Step 3: Gather the medical evidence. The strongest file usually includes the MRI report naming the tear and its location, any operative report from a meniscectomy or repair, imaging showing arthritis or joint space narrowing, and treatment notes documenting locking, swelling, and giving way over time.
Step 4: Add a nexus letter if the connection is not obvious. This matters most for secondary claims, such as a meniscus tear caused by an altered gait from a service-connected ankle, hip, or back condition. A private physician's opinion stating that the knee condition is at least as likely as not related to the service-connected condition is the standard the VA applies.
Step 5: File VA Form 21-526EZ. Online at VA.gov is fastest. Filing as a Fully Developed Claim, which means submitting all evidence up front, typically shortens the timeline. Recent VA reporting puts average claim decision time in early 2026 at roughly 76 days, though individual claims vary widely.
Step 6: Prepare for the C&P exam. Bring copies of imaging reports. Describe your worst days, not your best day, and specifically say the words "locking," "swelling," and "gives out" if those are true. Mention flare-ups and how long they last, since the examiner is required to address functional loss during flares.
Why Meniscus Ratings Come In Low
The three most common reasons a meniscus rating lands under 20 percent:
- Effusion was never documented. No record of swelling means DC 5258 fails on its face, no matter how bad the locking is.
- The brace was never prescribed. Instability gets held at 10 percent because the daily brace does not appear in the medical record as a prescription.
- Range of motion was measured on a good day. A single goniometer reading taken during a quiet week does not capture what the knee does after a shift on your feet.
If any of those apply, a supplemental claim with new and relevant evidence is usually the cleanest path. A higher-level review is the better option when the evidence was already in the file and the rater applied the criteria incorrectly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest VA rating for a torn meniscus?
Twenty percent under DC 5258 is the highest rating available for the meniscus itself. Higher combined ratings for the knee come from adding separate ratings for instability, limited flexion or extension, or arthritis, up to the limit set by the amputation rule.
Can I get 20 percent if I already had the meniscus removed?
Not under DC 5258, because there is no cartilage left to dislocate. Post-meniscectomy residuals rate 10 percent under DC 5259. Additional compensation would have to come from a separate code such as 5257 for instability or 5261 for lost extension.
Do I need surgery to get a VA rating for a meniscus tear?
No. Surgery is not required. A conservatively treated tear can be rated 20 percent under DC 5258 if the locking, pain, and effusion are documented, or 10 percent under the painful motion provision at 38 CFR 4.59.
Can a meniscus tear be secondary to another service-connected condition?
Yes. Meniscus tears are frequently granted secondary to a service-connected hip, ankle, back, or opposite knee condition that changed the way you walk. A nexus opinion from a physician is usually necessary for these claims.
Does a meniscus tear rating increase over time?
Not automatically. Ratings under 5258 and 5259 are fixed. If the knee worsens, you file a claim for increase and the additional compensation typically comes from newly compensable instability, lost range of motion, or arthritis, or eventually from a knee replacement under DC 5055.
How much does a 20 percent VA rating pay in 2026?
$356.66 per month for a veteran at a combined 20 percent rating. Ratings of 10 and 20 percent do not pay extra for a spouse, children, or dependent parents.
Can I get separate ratings for both knees?
Yes. Each knee is rated on its own, and when both are service connected the bilateral factor under 38 CFR 4.26 adds 10 percent of the combined value of the two before combining with other disabilities.
