YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Ankylosing Spondylitis VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Ankylosing Spondylitis under diagnostic code 5240, in 38 CFR § 4.71a (musculoskeletal system), and the schedule provides six evaluation levels for it: 100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20% and 10%.
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A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Plan your preparationTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Ankylosing Spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks the spine and the sacroiliac joints, causing pain and stiffness that is typically worst in the morning and eases with movement, and over years can fuse segments of the spine. It is a different condition from spondylolisthesis, which is a vertebra slipping forward, and from spondylosis, which is the clinical name for degenerative spine arthritis and appears nowhere in 38 CFR Part 4. DC 5240 is ankylosing spondylitis's own diagnostic code.
Rated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine (38 CFR 4.71a), which assigns diagnostic code 5240 to ankylosing spondylitis. Imaging showing sacroiliac joint involvement and a clinician's diagnosis establish the inflammatory disease, but the percentage comes from measured forward flexion, combined range of motion, and whether any ankylosis is favorable or unfavorable under Note (5). This formula has no 60 percent level — its levels are 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 100 percent. An active inflammatory process affecting two or more joints can instead be evaluated under diagnostic code 5002, whose criteria do include a 60 percent level and whose Note (1) names spondyloarthropathies as an example; DC 5002's Note (3) says the active-process evaluation is not combined with the residual ratings for limitation of motion or ankylosis — VA assigns the higher of the two. Any associated objective neurologic abnormality — including, but not limited to, bowel or bladder impairment — is evaluated separately under an appropriate diagnostic code rather than raising the spine percentage.
- Diagnostic code
- 5240
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.71a
- Schedule levels
- 100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20% and 10%
How does the VA choose a rating level?
Which level applies is set by the criteria the evidence meets, not by the diagnosis. Where there is a question as to which of two evaluations applies, 38 CFR § 4.7 assigns the higher one if the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating.
This code prints no 0% row. Under 38 CFR § 4.31, a 0% evaluation is assigned where the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met.
EXPLORE THE PERCENTAGES
Ankylosing Spondylitis VA rating criteria (DC 5240)
Choose a percentage to see what that level means. Open the full comparison to read all the criteria in one place.
These are published rating criteria. Selecting a level does not predict your VA decision.
IN THE REGULATION’S OWN WORDS
What 38 CFR also says about Ankylosing Spondylitis
The notes 38 CFR Part 4 prints with these criteria, quoted. They govern how the evaluation is made without being a rating level themselves.
- “Note (1): Evaluate any associated objective neurologic abnormalities, including, but not limited to, bowel or bladder impairment, separately, under an appropriate diagnostic code.”General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine
- “Note (2): (See also Plate V.) For VA compensation purposes, normal forward flexion of the cervical spine is zero to 45 degrees, extension is zero to 45 degrees, left and right lateral flexion are zero to 45 degrees, and left and right lateral rotation are zero to 80 degrees. Normal forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine is zero to 90 degrees, extension is zero to 30 degrees, left and right lateral flexion are zero to 30 degrees, and left and right lateral rotation are zero to 30 degrees. The combined range of motion refers to the sum of the range of forward flexion, extension, left and right lateral flexion, and left and right rotation. The normal combined range of motion of the cervical spine is 340 degrees and of the thoracolumbar spine is 240 degrees. The normal ranges of motion for each component of spinal motion provided in this note are the maximum that can be used for calculation of the combined range of motion.”General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine
- “Note (3): In exceptional cases, an examiner may state that because of age, body habitus, neurologic disease, or other factors not the result of disease or injury of the spine, the range of motion of the spine in a particular individual should be considered normal for that individual, even though it does not conform to the normal range of motion stated in Note (2). Provided that the examiner supplies an explanation, the examiner's assessment that the range of motion is normal for that individual will be accepted.”General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine
- “Note (4): Round each range of motion measurement to the nearest five degrees.”General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine
- “Note (5): For VA compensation purposes, unfavorable ankylosis is a condition in which the entire cervical spine, the entire thoracolumbar spine, or the entire spine is fixed in flexion or extension, and the ankylosis results in one or more of the following: difficulty walking because of a limited line of vision; restricted opening of the mouth and chewing; breathing limited to diaphragmatic respiration; gastrointestinal symptoms due to pressure of the costal margin on the abdomen; dyspnea or dysphagia; atlantoaxial or cervical subluxation or dislocation; or neurologic symptoms due to nerve root stretching. Fixation of a spinal segment in neutral position (zero degrees) always represents favorable ankylosis.”General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine
- “Note (6): Separately evaluate disability of the thoracolumbar and cervical spine segments, except when there is unfavorable ankylosis of both segments, which will be rated as a single disability.”General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine
BUILD YOUR EVIDENCE, ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Evidence for your Ankylosing Spondylitis claim
A long list feels easier when you have a place to start. Use this checklist to see what you have and what still needs gathering.
Check off what you’ve gathered. Progress stays on this page until you leave or refresh.
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Ankylosing Spondylitis?
VA's page says: “You can use these forms to submit medical evidence from your health care providers.”
Source: VA: Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs), read September 18, 2026.
THE EVERYDAY PICTURE
What the Ankylosing Spondylitis examination has to record
The criteria above are read off an examination, and three sections of Part 4 govern what that examination has to contain. None of them is a diagnostic code, so none of them appears in the 5240 table, and all three apply to it. 38 CFR § 4.40: “Weakness is as important as limitation of motion, and a part which becomes painful on use must be regarded as seriously disabled.”
38 CFR § 4.45 lists what an examination of a joint is directed to consider:
- Less movement than normal (due to ankylosis, limitation or blocking, adhesions, tendon-tie-up, contracted scars, etc.).
- More movement than normal (from flail joint, resections, nonunion of fracture, relaxation of ligaments, etc.).
- Weakened movement (due to muscle injury, disease or injury of peripheral nerves, divided or lengthened tendons, etc.).
- Excess fatigability.
- Incoordination, impaired ability to execute skilled movements smoothly.
- Pain on movement, swelling, deformity or atrophy of disuse.
38 CFR § 4.59: “It is the intention to recognize actually painful, unstable, or malaligned joints, due to healed injury, as entitled to at least the minimum compensable rating for the joint.” So a joint that is painful on use is not a finding of nothing, even where the measured motion is close to normal.
The same section says how the joint is to be tested: “The joints involved should be tested for pain on both active and passive motion, in weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing and, if possible, with the range of the opposite undamaged joint.” An examination that records one measurement, taken once, sitting down, has not done what the section asks, and that is worth reading the exam report for.
SMALL DETAILS. BETTER PREPARATION.
Preparing your Ankylosing Spondylitis claim
Start with the practical tips, then explore the common oversights. You don’t need to work through everything at once.
Practical tips for your claim4 tips
- 01
Include imaging reports specifically showing sacroiliac joint changes, since that is the key finding separating ankylosing spondylitis from ordinary back pain or degenerative disc disease.
- 02
Document how stiffness limits work and daily life, especially morning stiffness that eases with activity, which is this condition's characteristic pattern.
- 03
Ask for range of motion in degrees for each affected segment. The spine formula has no 60 percent level, so the tiers under DC 5240 are 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 100.
- 04
If the disease is an active process across two or more joints, get that documented. DC 5002 is the alternative route, it does have a 60 percent level, and its Note (3) says VA assigns the higher of the two evaluations rather than combining them.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind2 tips
- 01
Lack of imaging during the exam, since sacroiliac joint findings are central to confirming this specific diagnosis rather than general back pain.
- 02
An incomplete spinal mobility assessment that doesn't capture the condition's actual severity.
Common filing mistakes3 tips
- 01
No imaging proof of sacroiliac involvement, which is what distinguishes this diagnosis from ordinary back conditions.
- 02
Not showing a consistent pattern of mobility limitation over time.
- 03
Failure to include a rheumatologist's notes confirming the inflammatory diagnosis.
When symptoms may first appear1 tips
- 01
Ankylosing spondylitis typically begins before age 40, often presenting first as morning stiffness that improves with activity, and progresses slowly toward spinal fusion over years.
LOOK AT THE WHOLE PICTURE
Nerve symptoms are rated separately from the spine
Evaluate any associated objective neurologic abnormalities, including, but not limited to, bowel or bladder impairment, separately, under an appropriate diagnostic code.
So pain, numbness or weakness travelling down a limb is not what raises a Ankylosing Spondylitis evaluation. It is claimed on its own and evaluated under the peripheral-nerve schedule in 38 CFR § 4.124a, then combined with the spine evaluation under 38 CFR § 4.25.
Which nerve code applies is decided by the nerve the evidence identifies, not by where the pain is felt. There is no diagnostic code named radiculopathy, and none named sciatica: both are descriptions of what a nerve is doing, and the schedule rates the nerve.
Two ceilings are worth knowing before claiming one. Under 38 CFR § 4.123, neuritis characterized by loss of reflexes, muscle atrophy, sensory disturbances and constant pain is rated on the scale for the nerve involved up to a maximum equal to severe incomplete paralysis; without those organic changes the maximum is moderate, or moderately severe where the sciatic nerve is involved. Under 38 CFR § 4.124, neuralgia, usually a dull and intermittent pain of typical distribution, is capped at moderate incomplete paralysis.
- DC 8520
Paralysis of the Sciatic Nerve
Claimed for the low back and leg
- DC 8620
Sciatic Nerve, Neuritis
Claimed for the low back and leg
- DC 8510
Upper Radicular Group (Nerve Damage)
Claimed for the neck, shoulder and arm
- DC 8511
Middle Radicular Group (Nerve Damage)
Claimed for the neck and arm
THE BROADER PICTURE
Ankylosing Spondylitis by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- Moderate – increases with documented imaging and rheumatologist report.
- Veterans service-connected
- ~4,600 veterans
- Typical rating awarded
- ~40%
Vetrify editorial estimates informed by VA published claims data (VBA Annual Benefits Report) and the VA rating schedule, not official VA statistics.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Common questions about Ankylosing Spondylitis
Is Ankylosing Spondylitis a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Ankylosing Spondylitis under VASRD diagnostic code 5240 (Musculoskeletal System). Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks the spine and the sacroiliac joints, causing pain and stiffness that is typically worst in the morning and eases with movement, and over years can fuse segments of the spine. It is a different condition from spondylolisthesis, which is a vertebra slipping forward, and from spondylosis, which is the clinical name for degenerative spine arthritis and appears nowhere in 38 CFR Part 4. DC 5240 is ankylosing spondylitis's own diagnostic code.
What VA disability rating can I get for Ankylosing Spondylitis?
Possible VA ratings for Ankylosing Spondylitis are 100%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, 10%, 0%. The 0% level comes from 38 CFR 4.31, which assigns it wherever no compensable level is met. Examples: 100%: Unfavorable ankylosis of the entire spine; 50%: Unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine; 40%: Unfavorable ankylosis of the entire cervical spine; or forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine 30 degrees or less; or favorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine.
What's the typical VA rating awarded for Ankylosing Spondylitis?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Ankylosing Spondylitis at around 40%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 4,600 veterans are service-connected for Ankylosing Spondylitis. Estimated approval outlook: Moderate – increases with documented imaging and rheumatologist report.
What evidence helps prove Ankylosing Spondylitis for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Ankylosing Spondylitis claim includes: MRI or X-ray showing sacroiliac joint inflammation or fusion, which is the finding that distinguishes this from degenerative back disease; A rheumatologist's diagnosis and ongoing treatment history; Inflammatory lab markers (ESR, CRP) supporting the inflammatory nature of the condition; Range-of-motion measurements in degrees for the affected spinal segment, since that is what the General Rating Formula reads.
Which DBQ is used for Ankylosing Spondylitis?
VA's Back (Thoracolumbar Spine) Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) is on its public list of DBQs. VA's Neck (Cervical Spine) Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) is on its public list of DBQs. VA's page says: "You can use these forms to submit medical evidence from your health care providers."
What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Ankylosing Spondylitis?
Common pitfalls when filing for Ankylosing Spondylitis: No imaging proof of sacroiliac involvement, which is what distinguishes this diagnosis from ordinary back conditions; Not showing a consistent pattern of mobility limitation over time; Failure to include a rheumatologist's notes confirming the inflammatory diagnosis.
What conditions can be secondary to Ankylosing Spondylitis?
Conditions that can be service-connected as secondary to Ankylosing Spondylitis, when a medical opinion links them, include: Uveitis; Osteoporosis. A secondary condition gets its own rating, which VA combines with the veteran's other ratings under 38 CFR 4.25.
What is the difference between ankylosing spondylitis, spondylosis and spondylolisthesis?
They are three different conditions and Part 4 treats them differently. Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease that fuses the spine over time, and it has its own diagnostic code, DC 5240. Spondylolisthesis is one vertebra slipping forward over another, a structural problem, and it is DC 5239. Spondylosis is the clinical word for degenerative arthritis of the spine, and the term appears nowhere in 38 CFR Part 4 at all - degenerative change in the spine is rated under DC 5242, whose own title names degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease other than intervertebral disc syndrome. All three reach the same General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine, so the percentage is decided by measured forward flexion, combined range of motion, muscle spasm or guarding and ankylosis in every case. What the diagnosis decides is which code the decision cites, what evidence supports service connection, and, for ankylosing spondylitis specifically, whether DC 5002 is also in play.
Can ankylosing spondylitis be rated higher than 50 percent without total fusion?
Under DC 5240 alone, the next step above 50 percent is 100 percent, which requires unfavorable ankylosis of the entire spine - the spine formula has no 60, 70, 80 or 90 percent level. But an ankylosing spondylitis that is an active inflammatory process affecting two or more joints can be evaluated under DC 5002 instead, which does have a 60 percent level and whose Note (1) names spondyloarthropathies among the conditions rated under it. DC 5002's Note (3) is the part that matters: the evaluation for the active process is not combined with the residual ratings for limitation of motion, ankylosis or DC 5003, and VA assigns the higher of the two rather than adding them. So the evidence that matters for that route is documentation of the active process across joints - constitutional manifestations, weight loss and anemia, or incapacitating exacerbations and how often they occur in a year.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.71a, Schedule of ratings, musculoskeletal system (Diagnostic Code 5240)
- 38 CFR § 4.7, higher of two evaluations
- 38 CFR § 4.31, zero percent evaluations
- 38 CFR § 4.123, neuritis, cranial or peripheral
- 38 CFR § 4.124, neuralgia, cranial or peripheral
- 38 CFR § 4.40, functional loss
- 38 CFR § 4.45, the joints
- 38 CFR § 4.59, painful motion
Criteria in quotation marks are the regulation’s own words; everything else on this page is Vetrify’s summary of it. The eCFR text is authoritative. See how Vetrify derives its numbers.
How these figures are checked: our methodology and the open dataset.
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