VA BENEFITS REFERENCE
DC 5309: Group IX. Function: The Forearm Muscles Act In Strong Grasping Movements And Are Supplemented By The Intrinsic Muscles In Delicate Manipulative Movements. Intrinsic Muscles Of Hand: Thenar Eminence; Short Flexor, Opponens, Abductor And Adductor Of Thumb; Hypothenar Eminence; Short Flexor, Opponens And Abductor Of Little Finger; 4 Lumbricales; 4 Dorsal And 3 Palmar Interossei
Read VA diagnostic code 5309 for Group IX. Function: The forearm muscles act in strong grasping movements and are supplemented by the intrinsic muscles in delicate manipulative movements. Intrinsic muscles of hand: Thenar eminence; short flexor, opponens, abductor and adductor of thumb; hypothenar eminence; short flexor, opponens and abductor of little finger; 4 lumbricales; 4 dorsal and 3 palmar interossei: published criteria, regulatory notes, related codes and official sources checked October 25, 2026.
Published criteria from 38 CFR 4.73, current through 2026-10-22. Historical decisions may require a different version. This reference does not diagnose a condition or determine an evaluation.
The Musculoskeletal System · All Diagnostic Codes
DC 5309: Group IX. Function: The Forearm Muscles Act In Strong Grasping Movements And Are Supplemented By The Intrinsic Muscles In Delicate Manipulative Movements. Intrinsic Muscles Of Hand: Thenar Eminence; Short Flexor, Opponens, Abductor And Adductor Of Thumb; Hypothenar Eminence; Short Flexor, Opponens And Abductor Of Little Finger; 4 Lumbricales; 4 Dorsal And 3 Palmar Interossei
Diagnostic code 5309 addresses Group IX. Function: The forearm muscles act in strong grasping movements and are supplemented by the intrinsic muscles in delicate manipulative movements. Intrinsic muscles of hand: Thenar eminence; short flexor, opponens, abductor and adductor of thumb; hypothenar eminence; short flexor, opponens and abductor of little finger; 4 lumbricales; 4 dorsal and 3 palmar interossei. Read its specific instructions together with any shared formula, notes and linked provisions. These criteria describe evaluation after the applicable entitlement requirements are met; this reference does not diagnose a condition or determine a claim.
| Rating | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dominant | Nondominant | |
| 5309 Group IX. Function: The forearm muscles act in strong grasping movements and are supplemented by the intrinsic muscles in delicate manipulative movements. Intrinsic muscles of hand: Thenar eminence; short flexor, opponens, abductor and adductor of thumb; hypothenar eminence; short flexor, opponens and abductor of little finger; 4 lumbricales; 4 dorsal and 3 palmar interossei | ||
| Note: The hand is so compact a structure that isolated muscle injuries are rare, being nearly always complicated with injuries of bones, joints, tendons, etc. Rate on limitation of motion, minimum 10 percent. | ||
What The Criteria Measure
- Does the decision identify diagnostic code 5309, and does the medical record describe the condition named by this code?
- Have the code-specific notes and cross-references been read before comparing any listed evaluation?
Related Public DBQs
Editorial subject matches, not official VA code-to-form assignments. Read the form scope and clinician instructions.
Shared Rules And Regulatory Context
Context provisions do not create an additional evaluation automatically assigned to every condition.
Related Guides
Official Sources
Last verified 2026-10-25. Source publication or legal effective dates are shown separately where available.
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