Surgical replacement of the wrist joint with an artificial implant.
Medical records documenting the date of your wrist replacement surgery and your hospital discharge help establish when the 100% rating period begins and ends. After that period, VA looks for evidence of what residuals remain in the affected arm. Records from follow-up appointments, physical therapy notes, and VA or private examination reports that describe the degree of pain during motion, the range of motion available, and measurable weakness in the wrist or hand are directly relevant to whether your residuals meet the severe level.
Your own statements, and statements from people who know you, describing how pain or weakness in the affected arm limits tasks at work or in daily life — such as gripping, lifting, or using tools — can help show the functional impact of your residuals. If your condition does not clearly fit the severe level, the examiner may assess it under diagnostic code 5214, so records showing the specific degree of limitation of motion in the wrist become important at that stage.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
