38 CFR Part 4, Rating Schedule

38 CFR § 4.46

Accurate measurement

Comes up when a veteran challenges an exam's measurements as imprecise or inconsistent.

How the Board actually uses this section

Original RateMyVSO research, catalogued from the full archive of published Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions. No other source measures how each regulation plays out at the Board.

42.4%
granted at least one issue
3,314
published decisions citing it

The grant figure reflects the mix of claims where this section comes up, not the legal merit of any single claim.

Read the 3,314 decisions citing § 4.46

The conditions it decides

Decision counts per diagnostic code. Select a bar to read those exact Board decisions.

Lumbosacral or cervical strain (DC 5237)586about this conditionKnee, other impairment of (DC 5257)579about this conditionDegenerative arthritis, other than post-traumatic (DC 5003)572about this conditionIntervertebral disc syndrome (DC 5243)410about this conditionAnkle, limited motion of (DC 5271)142about this conditionPost-traumatic arthritis (DC 5010)117about this conditionArm, limitation of motion of (DC 5201)104about this conditionFlatfoot, acquired (DC 5276)101about this condition

What this regulation says, in plain English

This section requires accurate, consistent measurement in VA exams, using a goniometer to measure limited motion and precise measurements for amputation stumps, scars, and muscle atrophy.

Read the full text of 38 CFR § 4.46

This text was last amended by VA on December 14, 2016. We check it against eCFR every week.

Accurate measurement of the length of stumps, excursion of joints, dimensions and location of scars with respect to landmarks, should be insisted on. The use of a goniometer in the measurement of limitation of motion is indispensable in examinations conducted within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Muscle atrophy must also be accurately measured and reported.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 1155)

Related Tools and Guides

38 CFR § 4.42
Complete medical examination of injury cases
38 CFR § 4.17a
Misconduct etiology
38 CFR § 4.72
[Reserved]
38 CFR § 4.26
Bilateral factor
38 CFR § 4.41
History of injury

Read this section on eCFR ↗  ·  All rating regulations

RateMyVSO. Educational aggregate of published Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions and 38 CFR text. Not affiliated with the VA. Not legal advice. Find a VSO representative.