Degenerative arthritis VA rating
The VA rates degenerative arthritis under DC 5003, and most ratings land in the 10–20%+ range. What decides yours is the criteria below and what your record actually documents.
What the criteria ask for at each level
DC 5003 — 38 CFR §4.71a
| Rating | What the record has to show |
|---|---|
| 10% | X-ray evidence of arthritis in a major joint group with painful or limited motion. |
| 20% | X-ray evidence in 2+ major joint groups with occasional incapacitating exacerbations. |
The schedule's own words
Ratings turn on specific terms, and a record that describes the same reality in different language often reads as a lower rating. These are the words this code measures:
- X-ray evidence
- painful motion
- incapacitating exacerbations
Evidence that moves this rating
- X-rays of each claimed joint (non-negotiable — arthritis requires imaging)
- A flare-up log
What your statement has to cover
Doctors chart symptoms; they rarely chart consequences. That part is yours, and it is usually what separates a documented rating from a reported one.
- Name every affected joint — each major joint can carry its own rating via limitation of motion.
- Describe flare-ups that put you down ("incapacitating exacerbations") with frequency.
Our Statement Builderwalks through the questions that produce that kind of statement, in the schedule's own terms.
What degenerative arthritis can lead to2 documented pathways
A secondary claim runs through a condition the VA already accepts, so the argument about your service is already won. What is left is the medical link — and a nexus opinion has to name the mechanism, not just the pair.
| Can lead to | The mechanism a nexus has to state |
|---|---|
| GERD (acid reflux) | Long-term NSAID reliance for joint pain damages the stomach lining. |
| Depression | Chronic joint pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility cause depression. |
A pathway existing in the literature is not the same as your claim being granted — your records and the VA decide that. How secondary claims work covers the argument.
Before you spend money on this claim
VA ratings do not add. Each new rating applies only to the part of you the VA still counts as unimpaired, then rounds to the nearest ten — so from 70%, a new 10% condition leaves you at exactly 70% and changes your payment by nothing.
That does not make the claim worthless; it can still matter for TDIU, for SMC, or later when something else is added. But it is worth knowing before you pay for a nexus letter rather than after. Check what one more condition does at your rating — it takes a minute.