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Osteoarthritis — also called degenerative arthritis — is wear-and-tear breakdown of the cartilage that cushions the joints. The VA rates it largely by how much it limits the motion of the affected joints.
VA rating schedule, diagnostic code 5003
Degenerative arthritis, also called osteoarthritis, is the "wear-and-tear" kind of arthritis. Over the years the smooth cushioning inside a joint slowly wears down and the bones can rub together, causing pain, stiffness, and a joint that does not move as freely as it used to. Under its rules, the VA confirms this condition by X-ray findings of the affected joint.
The VA rates it under 38 CFR § 4.71a, Diagnostic Code 5003 (degenerative arthritis). The main way the VA scores it is by limitation of motion: a doctor checks how far the affected joint can bend, straighten, or rotate, and how that loss of movement lines up with the rating chart for that specific joint.
The VA looks at each joint that is affected, not just one. The shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle are treated as "major joints," and groups of smaller joints (such as those in the hand, foot, or spine) are looked at as joint groups. When the loss of motion in a joint is too small to earn a rating on its own, the rules still allow a 10% or 20% rating if an X-ray shows arthritis in two or more major joints or two or more minor joint groups (20% also requires occasional flare-ups that are seriously disabling). Keeping copies of your X-rays and notes about pain and stiffness can help the VA see the full picture.
This is general educational information about how the VA's rules work — not legal advice, not a VA decision, and not a prediction about any individual claim. Outcomes depend on your own facts and evidence; a denial can be appealed.
Grounded in federal regulations and VA guidance, independently reviewed June 2026. Educational information, not legal advice or a VA determination.
Across 43,270 real Board appeals for Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis)
A denial is often not the end either — remands (shown below) are sent back for more development and can still end in a grant. These are historical outcomes, not a prediction of your case.
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Among the appeals that were granted or partly granted, the most common ways Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) was linked to service:
In appeals where Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) was the only condition decided and the Board granted it, the rating most often assigned was:
These appeals involved a recognized exposure — which can mean the link to service is presumed, with no nexus to prove:
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, including degenerative arthritis and IVDS. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury during active duty and his continuous symptoms since then.
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been granted. The initial rating of 10 percent, but not higher, has been assigned for pulmonary sarcoidosis. Service connection has also been established for migraine headaches, degenerative arthritis in the left knee, right knee disorder (osteoarthritis), right ankle sprain, right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, bilateral flat feet, and various foot conditions.
The Board has granted earlier effective dates of January 13, 2020 for the service connection of low back disability and related radiculopathy issues. The Veteran's claims were reopened due to new evidence submitted in January 2020.
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the spine with intervertebral disc syndrome was granted service connection as it is at least as likely as not secondary to his in-service injury.
The Board has granted service connection for right knee disability, left knee arthritis, and bilateral knee instability. The decision is based on the Veteran's competent and credible lay evidence regarding the onset of symptoms in service.
Jump to the decisions from a specific year.
New decisions are added every week, and older years are actively being backfilled — a year that looks thin or missing here (especially 2011–2017) is a gap in our library, not in the Board’s decisions.
Veterans appealing Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) often look at outcomes for these too:
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