VA Rating for Gout: How DC 5017 Works and What It Pays (2026)

Gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis, yet many veterans are told it is "just a flare-up" and receive a zero percent rating, or none at all. The reason is how the rating schedule works. This guide explains how the VA rating for gout is actually calculated, why many older articles describe it incorrectly, and how to document a claim, including gout as a secondary condition to hypertension medication, kidney disease, or other service-connected problems.

Is Gout a VA Disability?

Yes. Gout appears in the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities, so it can be compensated. But a diagnosis alone does not earn a rating. VA needs three things for service connection:

1. A current diagnosis of gout, usually with lab evidence such as elevated uric acid or crystals found in joint fluid, plus treatment records.
2. An in-service event or injury, or a service-connected condition that caused or worsened the gout.
3. A medical opinion linking the two.

Gout can also be claimed directly, if it began in service. Most veterans with gout, however, reach it through the secondary route covered below. If you are new to that concept, start with our guide to VA secondary service connection.

What Is the VA Diagnostic Code for Gout (DC 5017)?

Gout is diagnostic code 5017 in the musculoskeletal section of the rating schedule, 38 CFR § 4.71a. It sits in a group of conditions, DCs 5013 through 5024, that includes osteoporosis, bursitis, myositis, and tendinitis. The note to that group says to evaluate these diseases as degenerative arthritis, based on limitation of motion of the affected parts.

Your combined rating is then calculated from every service-connected condition, not by adding percentages.

How Does VA Rate Gout?

Because DC 5017 points to degenerative arthritis, the first paragraph of DC 5003 supplies the logic. In plain English:

• VA rates the limitation of motion of each affected joint under that joint's own diagnostic code (knee, ankle, foot, wrist, and so on).
• If limitation of motion is real but too small to earn a compensable rating under the joint's code, DC 5003 provides a 10 percent rating for each major joint or group of minor joints affected.
• That limitation of motion must be objectively confirmed, for example by swelling, muscle spasm, or satisfactory evidence of painful motion.
• Multiple joints are rated separately and then combined under 38 CFR § 4.25.

Painful motion counts. 38 CFR § 4.59 says that with any form of arthritis, painful motion is an important factor of disability and that the joints should be tested for pain on both active and passive motion, weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing. A good exam reflects that. Many do not, which is why your own documentation matters.

Complications can also be rated separately where they have their own diagnostic code, such as kidney stones, as long as the same symptoms are not rated twice (see the pyramiding rule, 38 CFR § 4.14).

Why Gout Is Not Rated Like Rheumatoid Arthritis (DC 5002)

This is the point most online guides miss. DC 5002 is titled "Multi-joint arthritis (except post-traumatic and gout)." Its criteria, based on constitutional manifestations and the number of exacerbations each year, apply to conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and spondyloarthropathies. Gout is carved out in the title itself.

For the conditions that are rated under DC 5002, Note 3 says the active-process rating is not combined with ratings for limitation of motion, ankylosis, or DC 5003 for chronic residuals. VA assigns the higher evaluation instead. That "one or the other, not both" rule is the active process versus chronic residuals issue you may have seen discussed. It does not apply to gout, because gout is not rated under DC 5002. If you also have an inflammatory arthritis, see our guides to rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Practical takeaway: do not expect a rating based on "three flares a year." Expect a rating based on what your joints can and cannot do, as measured and documented.

How Do Flares and "Incapacitating Exacerbations" Count?

Under DC 5003, a 20 percent rating exists for X-ray evidence of two or more major joints with "occasional incapacitating exacerbations." But the same note states that those X-ray-based ratings are not used for conditions under DCs 5013 through 5024, which includes gout. So the phrase does not directly raise a gout rating.

Flares still matter for three reasons:

• They produce the objective findings. Swelling, redness, warmth, and painful motion during a flare are evidence of limitation.
• They show functional impact. Missed work, inability to walk or wear shoes, and emergency visits show how the condition affects daily life.
• They explain a poor exam. If your C&P exam happens between flares, a written record of flares helps show the exam understated the problem.

Can Gout Be Secondary to Another Service-Connected Condition?

Yes. Under 38 CFR § 3.310(a), a disability that is proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disease or injury is service connected, and is treated as part of the original condition. Paragraph (b) also covers aggravation: a worsening of a non-service-connected condition caused by a service-connected one, but VA will not concede aggravation unless a baseline level of severity is established by medical evidence.

For gout, the realistic secondary pathways are medication effects, kidney disease, and, through a specific legal route, weight gain. Each needs a doctor's opinion. A nexus letter should state that the link is "at least as likely as not" and explain the medical reasoning and records relied on.

Gout Secondary to Hypertension: The Diuretic Link

Searches for "gout secondary to hypertension VA" usually mean one thing: blood pressure medication. High blood pressure itself is listed as a gout risk factor by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. More specifically, MedlinePlus notes that people who take medicines such as hydrochlorothiazide and other water pills may have a higher level of uric acid in the blood.

The claim theory is therefore:

1. You have service-connected hypertension (see how it is rated in our hypertension rating guide).
2. Your doctor prescribed a diuretic, such as a thiazide, to treat it.
3. Gout began or worsened after starting that medication.
4. Your doctor writes that the medication caused or aggravated the gout, and addresses other possible causes.

Your prescription history is the backbone of this claim. Pull pharmacy and treatment records showing the start date of the diuretic and the first documented gout flare or uric acid result. If hypertension itself is secondary to PTSD or another condition, the chain extends, which is covered in our guides on hypertension secondary to PTSD and the hypertension nexus letter.

A caution: some veterans ask whether medications for PTSD can cause gout. VA has no presumption for that. It could be raised only if a qualified provider identifies a specific medication, supports the connection with your records, and explains why it more likely than not caused or aggravated gout.

Kidney Disease, Obesity and Other Secondary Theories

Kidney disease

NIAMS lists chronic kidney disease among the conditions that may increase gout risk, and also lists kidney stones among the conditions people with gout commonly have. The causal direction depends on your records. If you have service-connected kidney disease, a doctor can address whether it contributed to your uric acid problem. If you have gout and later developed kidney stones, a doctor can address that link as well. See kidney disease as a secondary condition for how those claims are built.

Obesity as an intermediate step

Obesity is a recognized risk factor for gout (NIAMS), but VA does not compensate obesity itself. In VA General Counsel Precedent Opinion VAOPGCPREC 1-2017, VA concluded that obesity per se is not a disease or injury for service connection. The opinion also recognizes that obesity may act as an "intermediate step" between a service-connected disability and a non-service-connected one, and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims applied that idea in Walsh v. Wilkie, 32 Vet. App. 300 (2020).

In practice, the chain looks like this: a service-connected condition (for example, a back or knee problem that limits exercise, or a medication with weight gain as a side effect) caused weight gain, and the weight gain caused gout. Each link needs medical support. A bare statement that you are overweight will not do it. More detail is in our guide to obesity as a secondary condition, and a broader list of options is in secondary conditions.

How to Document a Gout Claim, Step by Step

1. Confirm the diagnosis in your records. Look for uric acid labs, joint aspiration results, imaging, and a clear "gout" diagnosis by a clinician.
2. Choose your theory. Direct (started in service) or secondary (medication, kidney disease, or another service-connected condition). Match it to your records rather than guessing.
3. Build the timeline. Dates of the service-connected condition, the medication start date, the first flare, and each flare after.
4. Get a medical opinion. Ask your treating provider or a private physician for a nexus opinion that cites your records. A statement that gout is "possible" is weaker than "at least as likely as not."
5. Document every flare. Seek care during flares so the swelling and loss of motion are charted by a clinician. Keep a log with dates, joints, duration, and what you could not do.
6. File and attend the C&P exam. Describe how each affected joint moves and hurts on a bad day. Ask that flare-up limitations be recorded.
7. Read the decision carefully. Check which joints were rated, whether painful motion was credited, and whether a 10 percent rating under DC 5003 was considered. If you disagree, our team can point you to options at claim.vet/get-help.

If you disagree with a decision, the deadlines and review choices matter. Check the current options on VA.gov decision reviews.

Evidence Checklist for a Gout Claim

• Diagnosis of gout by a clinician, with serum uric acid results and any joint fluid or imaging findings
• Pharmacy records showing start dates for diuretics or other suspected medications
• Treatment notes from flares showing swelling, warmth, redness, and painful or limited motion
• Range-of-motion measurements for each affected joint, ideally taken during or soon after a flare
• A nexus opinion that names the service-connected condition or medication and explains the reasoning
• Records of kidney function or kidney stones, if you are claiming a kidney link
• Records showing weight change and its cause, if relying on the obesity intermediate-step theory
• Your flare log and a personal statement about missed work and daily limits
• Statements from a spouse, coworker, or friend who has seen you during a flare

What Does VA Pay in 2026?

VA does not pay a set amount "for gout." Compensation is based on your combined rating from all service-connected conditions. These are the rates for a veteran with no dependents, effective December 1, 2025, from VA.gov:

Veterans rated 30 percent and above receive higher amounts with a spouse, children, or dependent parents; the full tables are on VA.gov. Try our combined ratings calculator to see how a new gout rating changes your total.

Even a low gout rating can add value for veterans with other service-connected conditions, because ratings combine, and an additional service-connected condition can support related claims.

Sources

• 38 CFR § 4.71a, Schedule of ratings, musculoskeletal system (DC 5002, 5003, 5017)
• Federal Register, 85 FR 76453 (Nov. 30, 2020), effective Feb. 7, 2021
• 38 CFR § 3.310, secondary service connection
• 38 CFR § 4.59, painful motion
• 38 CFR § 4.14, avoidance of pyramiding
• 38 CFR § 4.25, combined ratings table
• VA.gov, 2026 veteran disability compensation rates
• NIAMS, Gout
• MedlinePlus, Gout

Frequently Asked Questions