Neck VA rating
The VA rates neck under DC 5237, and most ratings land in the 10–30% range. What decides yours is the criteria below and what your record actually documents.
What the criteria ask for at each level
DC 5237 — 38 CFR §4.71a (General Rating Formula for the Spine)
| Rating | What the record has to show |
|---|---|
| 10% | Cervical forward flexion >30° but ≤40°, or spasm/tenderness without abnormal gait. |
| 20% | Cervical forward flexion >15° but ≤30°, or spasm/guarding causing abnormal spinal contour. |
| 30% | Cervical forward flexion 15° or less. |
| 40–100% | Ankylosis of the cervical spine (40% favorable; higher when unfavorable/entire spine). |
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:
- forward flexion of the cervical spine
- muscle spasm and guarding
- flare-ups
Evidence that moves this rating
- Goniometer-measured range of motion in degrees
- Imaging (MRI/X-ray)
- Flare-up log with frequency and duration
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.
- Describe measurable limits: how far you can turn/bend your neck on bad days (driving checks, overhead work).
- Describe radiating symptoms into shoulders/arms — that supports a separate radiculopathy rating.
Our Statement Builderwalks through the questions that produce that kind of statement, in the schedule's own terms.
What neck can lead to5 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 |
|---|---|
| Shoulder condition (limitation of arm motion) | Cervical nerve compression and chronic neck strain impair shoulder function and mechanics. |
| GERD (acid reflux) | Long-term NSAID / pain-medication use for this condition damages the stomach lining and relaxes the esophageal sphincter — a well-established medication-side-effect pathway. |
| Radiculopathy / nerve pain | Cervical nerve compression radiates pain and numbness down the shoulders, arms, and hands. |
| Migraine headaches | Neck muscle strain and cervical nerve irritation trigger tension and cervicogenic headaches. |
| Depression | Chronic neck pain and limited mobility directly degrade mental health. |
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.