Bunions VA Rating

Bunions, rated by VA as hallux valgus, are one of the more disappointing conditions to claim if you go in expecting a rating that matches the pain. The diagnostic code that covers them, DC 5280 under 38 CFR § 4.71a (opens in a new tab), has a single 10 percent maximum per foot. There is no higher tier. Not for a severe deformity, not for a failed surgery, not for daily pain that limits how far you can walk. Ten percent is the ceiling under that code, and it is the single most important fact to understand before you file.

That cap is why so many bunion claims end in disappointment. Claim Raven read 3,467 decided Board rulings on bunions from 2021 to 2026. A ruling is one issue the Board decided in one decision; one decision often rules on several issues. The most common result was a remand, at 43.4 percent, and the denial share of 35.5 percent runs 5.5 points above the Board-wide 30.0 percent. The interesting part of a bunion claim is almost never the bunion. It is everything around it: wider damage to the foot, flat feet, a painful surgical scar, and the ankle, knee or back problems a medical opinion can tie to how you walk.

This page walks through DC 5280 and its 10 percent cap, bilateral bunions and what VA pays, the codes for wider foot damage (DC 5284 and DC 5276), bunion surgery and scars, service connection, the secondary chains under 38 CFR § 3.310 (opens in a new tab), the C&P exam, and why VA denies bunion claims.

TL;DR

• Bunions are rated by VA as hallux valgus under 38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5280, with a single 10 percent maximum per foot. There is no higher tier under this code.
• The 10 percent applies if the bunion was operated on with resection of the metatarsal head, or if it is severe and equivalent to amputation of the great toe. Under § 4.59, the Board has also assigned it for painful bunions that were never operated on.
• Bilateral bunions can each get up to 10 percent, and the bilateral factor under § 4.26 applies. If they are your only ratings, two 10s come to 20 percent, $356.66 a month in 2026 for a veteran alone.
• Where the foot damage is broader than the bunion, DC 5284 (foot injuries, other) may apply at 10, 20 or 30 percent, or 40 percent with actual loss of use of the foot. Hallux valgus itself cannot be moved to DC 5284 by analogy, because a condition listed in the schedule must be rated under its own code. Associated flat feet rate under DC 5276.
• A painful or unstable surgical scar can rate separately under DC 7804, and surgery that needs at least a month of recovery can bring a temporary 100 percent rating under § 4.30.
• The value usually sits in the secondary chain: flat feet, ankle, knee and back conditions that a medical opinion ties to the bunion, rather than in DC 5280 itself.
• Across 3,467 decided Board rulings on bunions from 2021 to 2026, 21.1% were granted, 35.5% denied and 43.4% remanded. Remand is the most common outcome, and the grant rate is 3.6 points below the Board-wide 24.7%.

Hallux valgus VA rating criteria (DC 5280)

Hallux valgus is the condition listed under DC 5280, and the code is short.

Hallux valgus, unilateral: Operated with resection of metatarsal head, 10% Severe, if equivalent to amputation of great toe, 10%

"Unilateral" means each foot is rated on its own. There are two ways to qualify in the code and one rating. If surgery removed part of the metatarsal head, that is 10 percent. If the bunion is severe enough that the toe is as disabled as if it had been amputated, that is also 10 percent; amputation of the great toe without metatarsal involvement rates 10 percent under DC 5171, so the two match. There is no 20 percent, no 30 percent, and no increase within this code for having bunions on both feet.

A third route runs through 38 CFR § 4.59 (opens in a new tab), which recognizes "actually painful, unstable, or malaligned joints" as entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating for the joint, even under a code that does not measure motion (Southall-Norman v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 346 (2016)). In a March 2025 decision, the Board assigned 10 percent per foot, back to a 2012 claim, for bunions that had never been operated on, on exam findings of mild to moderate hallux valgus with pain on use; its analysis set out the § 4.59 rule (Citation 25004273). A bunion that meets none of these stays at 0 percent (38 CFR § 4.31).

Doctors grade a bunion by its angle on an X-ray. One study, for example, called 20 to 30 degrees mild, 30 to 40 degrees moderate and more than 40 degrees severe (PMID 24338050). VA's word "severe" in DC 5280 means something else: the question is whether the toe is as disabled as an amputated one, not how wide the angle is.

If you had surgery, get the operation report and identify exactly what was done. If you also have flat feet or plantar fasciitis, the evidence must distinguish any separate impairment rather than counting the same foot symptoms more than once.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5280 (opens in a new tab).

Bilateral bunions: the bilateral factor and what VA pays

Bunions are frequently bilateral, and that brings in the bilateral factor under 38 CFR § 4.26 (opens in a new tab). The regulation says that when "a partial disability results from disease or injury of both arms, or of both legs, or of paired skeletal muscles, the ratings for the disabilities of the right and left sides will be combined as usual, and 10 percent of this value will be added (i.e., not combined) before proceeding with further combinations, or converting to degree of disability."

For two feet each rated 10 percent under DC 5280, combine 10 and 10 under the table at 38 CFR § 4.25 (opens in a new tab), which gives 19. Then add 10 percent of that value, about 1.9, for roughly 21; the example in § 4.26 itself turns two bilateral 10 percent ratings into 21. If the bunions are your only ratings, 21 rounds to a combined 20 percent, which pays $356.66 a month in 2026 for a veteran alone, against $180.42 for one foot at 10 percent.

When you carry other ratings, the bilateral value enters the combined ratings table as one disability. Combined values round to the nearest 10, with values ending in 5 rounded up, so the small bilateral add-on matters most when your total sits near a rounding line. The factor applies whenever both feet carry a compensable rating, even with different ratings or different conditions on each side, and since 2023, § 4.26(d) leaves a bilateral disability out of the calculation when that gives you a higher combined rating. The rating calculator runs the math.

Wider foot damage: DC 5284 and DC 5276

If your foot disability is more than the bunion, part of it may belong under another code. DC 5284 covers other foot injuries on a scaling ladder.

Foot injuries, other: Severe, 30% Moderately severe, 20% Moderate, 10% Note: With actual loss of use of the foot, rate 40 percent.

There is a limit. In Copeland v. McDonald, 27 Vet. App. 333 (2015), the Court held that a condition the rating schedule lists by name may not be rated by analogy under DC 5284, and the Board has applied that to hallux valgus (Citation 25002135). So the bunion itself cannot be moved to DC 5284 just to reach a higher number. DC 5284 comes into play when the record shows foot damage beyond the hallux valgus. In a February 2025 decision, for example, the Board assigned 30 percent per foot under DC 5284 for plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, hallux valgus and metatarsalgia rated together, because the heel spurs were an unlisted foot injury and the combined symptoms were severe (Citation 25001604). The foot conditions page covers DC 5284 in detail.

The other code that often appears alongside bunions is DC 5276, acquired flatfoot (pes planus), which reaches 30 percent for severe and 50 percent for pronounced flat feet on both sides. The two go together in studies: in 1,502 older adults, people with flat feet had higher odds of hallux valgus (PMID 25418024), and in 213 men, a lower arch on X-ray went with a larger bunion angle (PMID 31866373). Those are associations, not proof that one caused the other. The flat feet page walks through DC 5276.

The catch is pyramiding. Under 38 CFR § 4.14 (opens in a new tab), "the evaluation of the same manifestation under different diagnoses" is to be avoided. DC 5280, DC 5284 and DC 5276 can sit side by side only when each captures a different problem. If the same forefoot pain is counted once for the bunion and again for the arch, VA will collapse it to one rating, so the exam should separate the bunion findings from the arch findings.

VA disability for bunion surgery

Surgery changes the rating in three ways.

The DC 5280 rating. Surgery that resected the metatarsal head meets the first DC 5280 criterion, so the operation report matters. It still pays 10 percent per foot, not more.

A temporary 100 percent rating. Under 38 CFR § 4.30 (opens in a new tab), surgery on a service-connected condition that needs at least one month of convalescence, or leaves severe postoperative residuals such as required crutches with no regular weight-bearing, brings a total rating for one, two or three months from the first day of the month after discharge or outpatient release. Ask your surgeon to write down how long you cannot work or bear weight.

A scar rating. Scars are rated under 38 CFR § 4.118. DC 7804 covers unstable or painful scars.

One or two scars that are unstable or painful, 10% Three or four scars that are unstable or painful, 20% Five or more scars that are unstable or painful, 30%

A painful bunionectomy scar can support a separate 10 percent. Because DC 7804 counts scars, one painful scar on each foot usually shares a single 10 percent; in a February 2025 decision, painful scars from bunion surgery on both feet carried one 10 percent rating alongside the foot ratings (Citation A25009446). The scar does not pyramid with the DC 5280 rating because it is a different manifestation from the joint deformity. The scars page covers the other scar codes.

How to get bunions service connected

Direct service connection needs a current diagnosis, an in-service event or onset, and a medical link between them. When the Board denied bunion service connection, it most often found no link to service, and often no in-service event; the Board section below shows how often each part of the claim failed.

Service treatment records that show foot complaints, a bunion on an exam, or treatment during service are the strongest evidence. If your entrance exam noted a bunion, VA treats it as preexisting under the presumption of soundness rules in 38 CFR § 3.304(b), and the question becomes whether service made it worse beyond its natural progress (38 CFR § 3.306). Statements from you and people you served with can describe foot problems the records missed.

A bunion can also be the secondary condition. In a February 2025 decision, the Board granted hallux valgus secondary to service-connected hallux rigidus in the same foot (Citation 25002768). The Board section below shows how direct, secondary and presumptive bunion claims fared.

Bunions and secondary conditions

This is the part of a bunion claim worth the most attention, because DC 5280 caps at 10 percent but the conditions linked to a bunion do not. Under 38 CFR § 3.310, a condition is service connected when your service-connected bunion caused it, or when it is aggravated by the bunion, meaning it would be less severe but for the bunion. An opinion that addresses only causation and not aggravation is inadequate (El-Amin v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 136 (2013)).

The research supports parts of the chain. A systematic review found that people with hallux valgus load the big toe and inner forefoot differently and move the ankle and rearfoot less late in each step, but the authors cautioned that the studies could not show cause and effect (PMID 23497584). In a community study, hallux valgus also went with knee and hip arthritis (PMID 25418024). These are associations, so the opinion has to explain your own gait and time line.

Bunion to flat feet. In an April 2025 decision, the Board granted flat feet secondary to service-connected bunions on both feet, finding the flat feet aggravated by the bunions after a VA examiner's addendum explained the mechanism (Citation 25004729). Flat feet rate under DC 5276, which runs higher than DC 5280. If your flat feet are service connected too, the back pain secondary to flat feet page covers that claim and its Board results.

Bunion to ankle. In a January 2025 decision, the Board granted a right ankle condition secondary to bunion surgery and other service-connected foot conditions. A private nurse practitioner explained that the ankle problem developed after the veteran began compensating for the feet and cited medical literature, and the Board found the evidence at least in balance against a negative VA opinion (Citation A25005439). See the ankle page.

Bunion to knee or low back. These chains are argued more often than they win. VA examiners often reason that one joint does not damage another unless there is a marked gait change, such as a Trendelenburg gait or a leg-length difference of more than 5 cm, a stock rationale that shows up in dozens of 2025 Board decisions. In a February 2025 decision, the Board relied on that reasoning to deny knee strains claimed secondary to bunions, and it rejected a favorable opinion that blamed foot pain in general without naming the foot condition; the veteran's flat feet, which other opinions blamed for the knees, were not service connected (Citation A25013998). The opinion has to tie the knee or back to the service-connected bunion specifically.

The Board section below shows how bunion rulings went by the medical opinion the Board relied on. A factually accurate opinion that explains the altered gait, the load shift and the time course from the foot to the downstream condition carries the case. A generic one does not.

The bunion C&P exam

The bunion C&P exam follows the foot conditions DBQ. An inadequate VA exam or opinion was the most common reason the Board sent bunion claims back, and the Board section below shows the remand reasons. The examiner should document these items.

• Whether the hallux valgus was operated on with resection of the metatarsal head
• Whether the deformity is severe and the disability equivalent to amputation of the great toe
• Pain on use, on weight-bearing and on manipulation, which is what § 4.59 turns on
• Functional loss after repetitive use, and an estimate of the added loss during flare-ups or an explanation of why one is not feasible (Sharp v. Shulkin, 29 Vet. App. 26 (2017))
• Any wider forefoot or whole-foot impairment that might fall under DC 5284, and any flat feet findings for DC 5276
• The surgical scar: location, size, and whether it is painful or unstable

DC 5280 has no higher level for functional loss to climb into, so on a standalone bunion the DeLuca v. Brown and Sharp analysis rarely raises the rating above 10 percent. Its real value is in supporting a DC 5284 rating, the flat feet rating, or the severity findings a secondary opinion needs.

Why VA denies bunion claims

When the Board denied bunion service connection, a missing link to service was the element it most often found not shown. Appeals over the rating fared worse than appeals over service connection; the Board section below shows results by what the appeal asked for and by diagnostic code. Across the bunion decisions I review, the same gaps repeat.

Filing the bunion as the whole claim. The claim establishes a 10 percent bunion and stops, leaving the flat feet, the wider foot damage under DC 5284, the surgical scar and the secondary chain unclaimed. With a hard 10 percent cap on the code, a bunion-only claim is limited from the start.

No documentation of a qualifying finding. DC 5280 pays on resection of the metatarsal head, severity equivalent to amputation of the great toe, or, through § 4.59, a joint that is actually painful. When the exam shows a bunion but records none of those, the rater has no basis for even the 10 percent.

No scar examination after surgery. Veterans who had bunion surgery often have a painful scar that would support a separate 10 percent under DC 7804, but the exam addressed the joint and never looked at the scar.

A secondary opinion that does not single out the bunion. The record has a bunion and a bad knee or back, but no opinion explaining the gait pathway, or an opinion that blames foot pain in general when other foot conditions are not service connected.

Service-connection and effective-date gaps. A bunion that began or worsened in service may have spotty records covering the period. Without that documentation, service connection can be denied or the effective date can default to the date of claim rather than the date the disability arose, costing back pay.

I don't know exactly what share of bunion claims have one or more of these gaps. What I can say from Claim Raven's read of 3,467 decided Board rulings on bunions is that 21.1% were granted, 35.5% denied and 43.4% remanded. That lines up with the problem this page describes: a bunion claim standing alone runs into a 10 percent cap and a narrow set of qualifying findings, so the cases that recover real value develop the secondary conditions and surgical residuals rather than fighting for more under DC 5280.

Questions veterans ask about bunions

Are bunions a disability for VA?

Yes, once they are service connected. VA rates bunions as hallux valgus under DC 5280, at up to 10 percent per foot.

What is the highest VA rating for bunions?

Ten percent per foot under DC 5280. More is possible only through other ratings: wider foot damage under DC 5284, flat feet under DC 5276, a painful scar under DC 7804, or secondary conditions.

What is the VA rating for bilateral bunions?

Each foot can be rated up to 10 percent, and the bilateral factor adds 10 percent of their combined value. If they are your only ratings, the result is a combined 20 percent.

Does VA pay more after bunion surgery?

Surgery that resected the metatarsal head meets DC 5280 at 10 percent, a painful scar can add a separate 10 percent, and surgery needing at least a month of recovery can bring a temporary 100 percent rating under 38 CFR § 4.30.

What does severe mean for a VA bunion rating?

It means the great toe is as disabled as if it had been amputated. It is not the same as a severe bunion angle on an X-ray.

Can bunions cause knee or back problems VA will rate?

They can be claimed that way under 38 CFR § 3.310, but the claim needs a medical opinion that ties the knee or back to the service-connected bunion and explains your gait. The Board has granted flat feet and an ankle condition this way and denied knee claims that lacked that link.

Bottom Line

Bunions are a low-ceiling rating attached to a painful, disabling condition, and the gap between the two is where claims go wrong. DC 5280 pays a single 10 percent per foot, reached through resection of the metatarsal head, severity equal to amputation of the great toe, or a painful joint under § 4.59. It does not scale with severity, with bilateral involvement within the code, or with failed surgery. If your claim lives entirely inside DC 5280, you are fighting over 10 percent per foot, and the denial share at the Board, 35.5 percent of decided rulings, runs above the Board-wide 30.0 percent. The cases that recover meaningful value treat the bunion as the starting point: wider foot damage under DC 5284, flat feet under DC 5276, a separate painful-scar rating under DC 7804, a temporary total rating after surgery, and above all a secondary chain with an opinion that ties the ankle, knee or back to the bunion. Same foot, different paper trail, very different combined rating.

Related Conditions

Bunion claims commonly connect to flat feet because pes planus and hallux valgus travel together, to foot conditions for wider foot damage under DC 5284, and to the ankle, knee, and back pages for secondary claims built on how you walk. If you have had surgery, review the scars page for the separate rating a painful surgical scar can carry, and the arthritis page for degenerative changes in the big toe joint. Veterans with bilateral foot involvement should work through the secondary conditions tool before assuming a single bunion rating tells the whole story.

Methodology and Limitations

• Data source: Rating criteria quoted from 38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5280 (hallux valgus), DC 5284 (foot injuries, other), DC 5276 (acquired flatfoot) and DC 5171 (amputation of the great toe), checked against the eCFR text current to October 2, 2026. Scar criteria from § 4.118, DC 7804. Painful motion from § 4.59, convalescent ratings from § 4.30, bilateral factor from § 4.26, combined ratings from § 4.25, pyramiding from § 4.14, the presumption of soundness and aggravation from §§ 3.304(b) and 3.306, and secondary service connection from § 3.310. Case law and Board decisions are cited where used; medical statements come from the PubMed abstracts cited by PMID. Compensation figures are the 2026 VA rates (effective December 1, 2025) for a veteran alone.
• Sample size: Board figures in this post come from Claim Raven's read of every Board decision from 2021 to 2026 that it holds: 511,036 decisions containing 1,378,030 rulings, including 3,857 Board rulings on bunions, 3,467 of them decided. Of the decided rulings, 732 were granted (21.1%), 1,232 denied (35.5%) and 1,503 remanded (43.4%). The Board section on this page breaks these down by denial reason, remand reason, appeal type, medical opinion, claim theory, diagnostic code and era; those figures are computed from the data, not typed here.
• Limitations:
• Compensation figures change each year with the cost-of-living adjustment.
• DC 5280 has a hard 10 percent maximum per foot. The secondary-chain discussion describes how value is built outside that code, not above it.
• Whether foot damage belongs under DC 5280 or DC 5284 is fact-specific, and Board practice on combined foot ratings varies.
• Board decisions cited as examples bind only those appeals, and the medical studies describe associations in groups of people, not the cause of any one veteran's knee or back problem.
• Selection bias: BVA-level patterns reflect cases that appealed. Most bunion claims resolve at the RO level and aren't in any BVA dataset, and the denial share at the Board may not match the RO-level grant rate.
• These observations reflect patterns from the regulatory text, case law, and BVA decisions. They are not predictions of individual outcomes.