Claim Raven explanation
What this means
VA looks at whether a musculoskeletal condition limits normal movement, strength, speed, coordination, or endurance. Functional loss describes what the affected part cannot do, not just the name of the injury.
An examination should show the damage and resulting loss of function. Pain may be relevant when supported as the rule describes, but the applicable diagnostic code and the rest of the evidence still matter.
How this helps your claim
This helps you explain the practical limits of an orthopedic condition. Describe accurate examples of repeated activity and the effects recorded by clinicians, rather than guessing which percentage those examples should receive.
What to check in your records
Use your decision, examination reports, and relevant records to check the following points.
- Find measurements and findings about movement, strength, and endurance.
- Compare the examination with documented pain and observable limitations.
- Locate dated examples of activities affected by the condition.
Describe loss of function beyond a single measurement
Musculoskeletal function includes strength, endurance, speed and coordination as well as range of motion. An examination's measurements should be read with its description of repeated use, painful activity and other relevant limitations. A single number may not explain the entire functional effect.
Use concrete observations, such as needing to stop carrying an object or being unable to repeat a movement, with the circumstances and frequency stated accurately. Those observations describe function; they should not be converted into invented degrees of motion or an unsupported percentage.
Does reporting pain automatically establish a particular rating?
No. Pain and functional loss must be considered under the applicable provisions and diagnostic code. Explain what the pain limits and how the record supports that limitation. The word painful alone does not supply every finding required for an evaluation or determine its level.
Official regulatory text
38 CFR § 4.40
eCFR snapshot: September 3, 2026. Layout and spacing are adapted for reading. The full section and its tables are included below.
§ 4.40 Functional loss.
Disability of the musculoskeletal system is primarily the inability, due to damage or infection in parts of the system, to perform the normal working movements of the body with normal excursion, strength, speed, coordination and endurance. It is essential that the examination on which ratings are based adequately portray the anatomical damage, and the functional loss, with respect to all these elements. The functional loss may be due to absence of part, or all, of the necessary bones, joints and muscles, or associated structures, or to deformity, adhesions, defective innervation, or other pathology, or it may be due to pain, supported by adequate pathology and evidenced by the visible behavior of the claimant undertaking the motion. Weakness is as important as limitation of motion, and a part which becomes painful on use must be regarded as seriously disabled. A little used part of the musculoskeletal system may be expected to show evidence of disuse, either through atrophy, the condition of the skin, absence of normal callosity or the like.
Related references
- 38 CFR § 4.1: What a VA disability rating measures
- 38 CFR § 3.159: VA duty to assist: records and examinations
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