Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis)

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.