Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis — VA Disability Rating & Claim Guide
This is not legal or medical advice. Always consult with a VSO or accredited claims agent.
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The DBQ for Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis
Your C&P examiner fills out DBQ 21-0960M-4 (Elbow and Forearm Conditions) — the form that decides your rating. You can have your own doctor complete the same DBQ and submit it as evidence.
Have a C&P exam coming up? See exactly what the examiner will ask about Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis — and how to describe it.
Prep →2026 Compensation Rates
Monthly compensation for Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis, based on your overall combined VA disability rating.
| Rating | Monthly (Alone) | Monthly (w/ Spouse) | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | — | $2,165.04 |
| 20% | $356.66 | — | $4,279.92 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 | $6,629.64 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $882.84 | $9,550.08 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 | $13,594.80 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,566.02 | $17,220.24 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 | $21,701.40 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 | $25,225.80 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,559.30 | $28,347.60 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 | $47,262.96 |
Common Symptoms
Document these symptoms in your claim. The more thoroughly you describe how they affect your daily life, the stronger your claim.
Functional Limitations
VA rates disabilities based on how they limit your ability to function. Describe these limitations in your personal statement.
Rating Criteria for Musculoskeletal
General rating schedule for musculoskeletalconditions. Your specific rating depends on severity documented in your C&P exam.
Painful motion or limitation of motion that is compensable
Moderate limitation of motion or functional impairment
Severe limitation of motion or significant functional loss
Unfavorable ankylosis or severe impairment
Extremely unfavorable ankylosis
Will adding Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis raise your rating?
Enter your current combined rating and the level this condition would rate at. We'll do the VA math.
New combined
10%
New monthly
$180
Change
+$180
Rates shown are the 2026 veteran-alone amounts (no dependents). VA combines ratings with "whole-person" math and rounds to the nearest 10, so adding a condition does not simply add its percentage. Full combined-rating calculator with dependents →
Peer-Reviewed Medical Evidence
Real, verified studies from PubMed/NIH that support a Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis claim. Bring these citations to your accredited VSO or C&P exam — they help show your condition is recognized in the medical literature and, where noted, linked to other service-connected conditions.
Rheumatology (Oxford), 2009 · PMID 19224937
Finding: Systematic review of occupational populations found medial epicondylitis specifically associated with handling loads >5 kg (2x/min for >=2 h/day), handling loads >20 kg at least 10 times/day, high hand-grip forces for >1 h/day, repetitive movements for >2 h/day (ORs of 2.2-3.6), and using vibrating tools >2 h/day (OR 2.2). Cubital tunnel syndrome at the same elbow was associated with 'holding a tool in position' (OR 3.53).
Why it helps: One of the few reviews that isolates MEDIAL epicondylitis (golfer's elbow). It supports an association between forceful gripping, repetitive forearm/wrist loading, and vibrating-tool use, exposures common in mechanics, ordnance, construction, and heavy-equipment military occupations, and the development of the condition.
Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology, 2011 · PMID 21663849
Finding: Review reporting general-population prevalence of medial epicondylitis near 0.3-0.6% in men and 0.3-1.1% in women, and identifying forceful activities, high force combined with high repetition, and awkward wrist/forearm postures as occupational risk factors. Poorer prognosis was reported with high physical strain at work and non-neutral wrist postures.
Why it helps: Provides background prevalence and supports an association between physically demanding work involving force, repetition, and awkward postures and epicondylitis, useful context for a service member whose duties involved heavy manual labor.
- Work-relatedness of lateral epicondylitis: Systematic review including meta-analysis and GRADEDirect
American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2022 · PMID 34674287
Finding: Meta-analysis of five prospective studies (318 cases among 5,036 workers) found high-quality evidence that a Strain Index score >5.1 raised the risk of epicondylitis (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.11-2.78) and moderate-quality evidence for forearm rotation >4 h/day or forearm rotation >=45 degrees for >=45% of the time (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.10-3.10).
Why it helps: High-quality prospective evidence (GRADE-rated) that demanding, force-and-repetition work raises epicondylitis risk. Although the meta-analysis pooled lateral epicondylitis, the mechanical strain exposures it implicates are the same forearm-loading patterns that drive medial epicondylitis, supporting an occupational/duty-related association.
La Tunisie Medicale, 2024 · PMID 38746963
Finding: Among 431 compensated occupational elbow disorders, medial epicondylitis made up 14.2% of cases; biomechanical exposures were repetitive movements (92.8%) and forced movements (67.1%), and these elbow disorders carried a 10.6% rate of permanent partial incapacity with job loss in 15.6% and over 15,000 lost workdays.
Why it helps: Real-world occupational-disease registry data treating medial epicondylitis as a recognized work-related condition tied to repetitive and forceful tasks, and documenting that it causes measurable permanent disability, relevant to a duty-related claim and to a rating argument.
SpringerPlus, 2015 · nexus to diabetes mellitus / chronic hyperglycemia · PMID 26266078
Finding: In a general-population study of 1,777 adults, subjects with chronic hyperglycemia (HbA1c >= 6.5) had a 3.37-fold higher risk of epicondylitis than those with good glycemic control (95% CI 1.16-8.56), independent of age, sex, occupation, smoking, and alcohol. Overall prevalence was 2.5% lateral and 0.3% medial.
Why it helps: Supports an association between poorly controlled diabetes and epicondylitis, useful for a secondary-service-connection theory when a veteran already has a service-connected diabetes diagnosis (for example, diabetes presumptive to herbicide exposure).
- Association between Epicondylitis and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Pooled Occupational CohortsSecondary
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2017 · nexus to cardiovascular / metabolic risk factors (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia) · PMID 28558776
Finding: Among 1,824 workers in two prospective cohorts, a higher modified Framingham cardiovascular risk score was strongly associated with epicondylitis after adjusting for job exposures and psychosocial confounders, with adjusted odds ratios as high as 3.81 (95% CI 2.11-6.85) for symptoms and 6.20 (95% CI 2.04-18.82) for combined symptoms plus positive exam.
Why it helps: Supports the idea that cardiovascular/metabolic conditions are independently associated with epicondylitis beyond physical workload, helping a secondary-connection argument where a veteran carries service-connected hypertension, diabetes, or related metabolic disease. (Note: the cohort outcome was lateral epicondylitis.)
Clinics in Sports Medicine, 2001 · nexus to ulnar neuropathy / cubital tunnel syndrome (claimed as secondary to this condition) · PMID 11494840
Finding: Review describing how repetitive valgus overload at the medial elbow produces medial epicondylitis together with inflammation of the adjacent flexor-pronator mass, ulnar collateral ligament, and ulnar nerve, so medial epicondylitis and ulnar nerve problems (cubital tunnel syndrome) commonly occur together.
Why it helps: Supports an anatomical/mechanistic link between medial epicondylitis and adjacent ulnar nerve irritation, useful when a veteran claims cubital tunnel syndrome or ulnar neuropathy as secondary to an established medial epicondylitis.
Journal of Hand Therapy, 2026 · PMID 41966927
Finding: Study of 35 U.S. military service members stating that elbow tendinopathy is a common musculoskeletal diagnosis in the U.S. military population; an exercise intervention significantly reduced pain and improved function and grip strength (p < 0.001).
Why it helps: Documents that elbow tendinopathy is a recognized, common diagnosis among active U.S. service members, supporting the plausibility of a duty-related elbow condition. (Note: this study addresses lateral elbow tendinopathy and is a treatment trial, not an epidemiologic study of medial epicondylitis.)
Every citation is real and verified against PubMed. This is general information, not medical or legal advice — your accredited VSO or representative can advise on your specific claim.
Evidence Checklist
Gather these types of evidence before filing your claim. The strongest claims include multiple evidence types.
Common Treatments
Documenting ongoing treatment strengthens your claim and supports higher ratings.
Secondary Conditions Linked to Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis
These conditions are commonly claimed as secondary to Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis. A secondary condition can increase your overall combined rating and monthly compensation.
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Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis as a Secondary Condition
Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis is commonly claimed secondary to these primary conditions:
Filing a Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitisclaim? Don't skip these.
Most veterans filing for Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis should also be looking at:
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Secondary Condition Claim Guides
Detailed guides on claiming each secondary condition linked to Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis.
Golfer's Elbow/Medial Epicondylitis Claim Guide by State
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Educational content, not professional advice
This article is published by Military Transition Toolkit for educational and planning purposes. It is not legal, medical, or financial advice. VA rating criteria, benefits, and regulations change — verify anything benefits-affecting against VA.gov, 38 CFR Part 4, or a VA-accredited representative (VSO, agent, or attorney) before filing.
MTT is a veteran-owned planning tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, or any military branch.