Yes, osteoarthritis is a recognized VA disability. The VA rates degenerative arthritis under Diagnostic Code 5003, and thousands of veterans receive monthly compensation for it. Getting approved requires proving a connection between your arthritis and your military service, which can be direct, presumptive, or secondary to another service-connected condition.
How the VA Rates Osteoarthritis
The VA rates degenerative arthritis primarily based on how much it limits your joint movement. Under Diagnostic Code 5003, arthritis confirmed by X-ray is rated using the limitation of motion codes for whichever joint is affected. So knee arthritis gets rated under the knee motion codes, shoulder arthritis under the shoulder codes, and so on. The rating you receive depends on how restricted your movement is in that specific joint.
When your arthritis causes some limitation of motion but not enough to qualify for a compensable rating under the joint-specific codes, the VA assigns a 10% rating for each major joint or group of minor joints involved. If you have no measurable limitation of motion at all but X-rays confirm arthritis in two or more major joints or minor joint groups, you can still receive a 10% rating, or 20% if you also experience occasional flare-ups severe enough to be incapacitating.
At current rates effective December 2025, a 10% disability rating pays $180.42 per month and a 20% rating pays $356.66 per month. Higher ratings are possible when arthritis severely restricts joint motion or affects multiple joints, since ratings from different joints are combined.
Three Ways to Establish Service Connection
The VA won’t compensate you for osteoarthritis simply because you have it. You need to establish that your military service caused or contributed to the condition. There are three paths to do this.
Direct Service Connection
This is the most straightforward route. You need three things: a current diagnosis of osteoarthritis, evidence of an injury or repetitive stress during service, and a medical opinion linking the two. For example, if you injured your knee during a training exercise and now have osteoarthritis in that knee, a doctor’s opinion explaining how that original injury led to joint degeneration satisfies the “nexus” requirement. Service treatment records documenting the original injury strengthen your case significantly.
Presumptive Service Connection
Arthritis is one of several chronic diseases the VA recognizes as presumptive. If your arthritis appeared within one year of discharge from active duty, the VA presumes it is related to your service, and you don’t need a separate medical opinion connecting the two. Former prisoners of war have an even broader presumption: post-traumatic osteoarthritis is automatically presumed service-connected regardless of when it appears.
Secondary Service Connection
This is where many veterans successfully claim osteoarthritis. If you already have a service-connected condition that caused or worsened your arthritis, you can file a secondary claim. Common examples include ACL tears or meniscus injuries that destabilize a knee, ankle fractures that change how you walk, hip injuries that shift your posture, lower back problems that alter weight distribution, and foot conditions like flat feet or plantar fasciitis that change your gait mechanics.
The logic is straightforward. A veteran with a service-connected right ankle injury may start favoring their left leg, putting extra stress on the left knee for years. When that knee eventually develops osteoarthritis, a physician can explain that the altered gait from the original injury caused the joint to break down. That qualifies as arthritis secondary to the ankle disability.
What Happens at the C&P Exam
After you file your claim, the VA will schedule a Compensation and Pension exam. This is the exam that determines your rating, and it matters more than almost anything else in the process.
The examiner will measure your range of motion using a goniometer, a protractor-like tool placed against your joint. They measure both active range of motion (how far you can move the joint yourself) and passive range of motion (how far the examiner can move it for you). These numbers get compared against what’s considered normal for that joint, and the difference drives your rating percentage. The examiner also looks for signs like swelling, muscle spasm, and painful motion, all of which can support a compensable rating even when your raw range of motion numbers don’t look severe on paper.
Go to this exam on a typical day, not your best day. If your joints are worse in the morning, try to schedule accordingly. Don’t minimize your pain or push through discomfort to impress the examiner. The measurements they record that day will largely determine your compensation.
A Recent Rule Change That Affects Ratings
In February 2026, the VA amended its rules on how medication factors into disability evaluations. Under the updated regulation, if your arthritis medication reduces your symptoms, your rating is based on your actual current level of impairment while taking that medication, not on how bad things would be without it. The examiner will not estimate or discount improvements from treatment.
This matters because a previous line of court cases had suggested the VA should consider what a veteran’s disability would look like without medication, which could have resulted in higher ratings. The VA pushed back, clarifying that ratings reflect how you’re actually functioning in daily life. If your medication is working well and your joints move freely at the exam, your rating will reflect that, even though your underlying disease might be severe without treatment.
Rating Multiple Joints Without “Pyramiding”
If you have osteoarthritis in several joints, you can receive separate ratings for each one. Knee arthritis and shoulder arthritis, for instance, are distinct conditions rated independently. The VA combines these ratings using a formula (not simple addition) to arrive at your overall disability percentage.
What you cannot do is receive two ratings for overlapping symptoms in the same joint. This is called pyramiding, and the VA prohibits it under 38 C.F.R. ยง 4.14. If your knee has arthritis causing painful motion, you can’t also get a separate rating for limitation of motion in that same knee, since both ratings would compensate for the same symptom. However, if that same knee also has instability (the joint giving way), instability is a distinct symptom from painful motion, so both can be rated separately.
When Arthritis Prevents You From Working
If your service-connected osteoarthritis is severe enough that you can’t maintain substantially gainful employment, you may qualify for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability, known as TDIU. This pays at the 100% disability rate even if your combined rating is lower. To apply, you file VA Form 21-8940, which asks for detailed information about your employment history, income, and how your disabilities affect your ability to work.
TDIU claims require you to actively participate in the process. The VA will request employment and financial records, and failing to respond to these requests can result in a denial regardless of how severe your condition is. If your arthritis limits your ability to perform physical work, like gripping tools, standing for extended periods, or driving commercially, document those specific functional limitations clearly.
Building a Strong Claim
The evidence that matters most for an osteoarthritis claim includes X-rays or other imaging confirming the diagnosis, service treatment records showing relevant injuries or complaints, and a medical opinion (often called a nexus letter) from a qualified physician explaining how your service caused or contributed to your arthritis. For secondary claims, the nexus letter should explain the biomechanical chain, such as how an altered gait from one injury led to degeneration in another joint.
Private medical records, buddy statements from fellow service members who witnessed your injuries or symptoms, and your own consistent reporting of symptoms over time all strengthen a claim. The VA has a duty to assist you in gathering evidence, but the more complete your initial submission, the faster and smoother the process tends to go.