Fibromyalgia

DC 5025Musculoskeletal38 CFR 4.71a, DC 5025

A condition that causes widespread muscle pain, fatigue, and tender points throughout the body. The VA rates fibromyalgia based on how often your symptoms flare up and whether medication controls them.

Rating Levels

Your fibromyalgia symptoms are constant or nearly constant and are resistant to treatment. This is the maximum schedular rating for fibromyalgia.

What the VA looks for

Constant or nearly constant symptoms
Symptoms refractory (resistant) to therapy
Multiple treatments tried without adequate relief
Widespread pain with tender points documented
Significant associated symptoms present

Common Pitfalls

⚠Not documenting the frequency and duration of flare-ups — the rating depends on whether symptoms are present more than one-third of the time or are constant.
⚠Not reporting all associated symptoms — fibromyalgia often comes with fatigue, sleep problems, headaches, IBS, depression, and anxiety. Each may support a separate secondary claim.
⚠Not keeping a symptom diary showing that treatments have been tried and failed — the 40% rating requires showing that symptoms are "refractory to therapy."
⚠Missing the connection to military service — fibromyalgia is a Gulf War presumptive condition for veterans who served in Southwest Asia.

Related DBQ Forms

DBQ Fibromyalgia

View evidence checklist →See secondary conditions →

Condition Rating Guides

Understand what the VA looks for at each rating level — loading conditions…