YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Spinal Stenosis VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Spinal Stenosis under diagnostic code 5238, 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 Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis is narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the spinal cord and the nerve roots leaving it. Where the narrowing is decides what it feels like and which spinal segment gets measured: cervical stenosis, in the neck, tends to produce arm and hand symptoms and problems with balance and fine movement, while lumbar stenosis, in the lower back, typically produces leg pain and heaviness that come on with walking or standing and ease when you sit or lean forward. DC 5238 is the code for both, and 38 CFR 4.71a evaluates the cervical and thoracolumbar segments separately unless both are unfavorably ankylosed.
Rated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine (38 CFR 4.71a) on goniometer-measured forward flexion and combined range of motion, ankylosis, or muscle spasm or guarding. MRI or CT confirming the canal narrowing establishes the diagnosis but does not set the percentage, and the formula applies with or without symptoms such as pain, stiffness, or aching. Any associated objective neurologic abnormality is evaluated separately under an appropriate diagnostic code rather than folded into the spine percentage.
- Diagnostic code
- 5238
- 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
Spinal Stenosis VA rating criteria (DC 5238)
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 Spinal Stenosis
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 Spinal Stenosis 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 Spinal Stenosis?
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 Spinal Stenosis 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 5238 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 Spinal Stenosis 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 claim5 tips
- 01
Get range-of-motion testing on the record for the segment that is actually affected. The spine formula sets different thresholds for the cervical and thoracolumbar spine, and Note (6) evaluates the two segments separately unless both are unfavorably ankylosed.
- 02
Say which segment the stenosis is in and make sure the examination measures that one. A lumbar diagnosis with only cervical measurements recorded leaves the formula with nothing to read.
- 03
Mention the impact on walking and standing specifically for lumbar stenosis, since symptoms that appear with walking and ease with sitting are the pattern this condition produces.
- 04
Submit the MRI or CT early, since imaging of the canal narrowing is what separates stenosis from general back pain even though it does not set the percentage.
- 05
Claim any objective neurologic abnormality separately. The formula's Note (1) evaluates those under their own diagnostic codes rather than raising the spine percentage.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind5 tips
- 01
Missing imaging proof of spinal narrowing
- 02
No ROM documentation
- 03
Underreporting neurological impact
- 04
Not recording range of motion during the exam, which is central to how this condition is rated.
- 05
No neurological assessment performed, missing evidence of any nerve compression effects.
Common filing mistakes5 tips
- 01
No imaging documentation
- 02
Claimed without describing nerve issues or mobility loss
- 03
Submitted under general back pain
- 04
Submitting the claim without imaging, since MRI confirmation of the narrowing is what distinguishes stenosis from general back pain.
- 05
Relying on a generic back pain description instead of the specific findings this diagnosis requires.
When symptoms may first appear3 tips
- 01
Spinal stenosis usually develops gradually, from degenerative change that narrows the canal over years, and often accelerates after a back or neck injury.
- 02
Lumbar stenosis symptoms characteristically appear with standing and walking and ease on sitting or bending forward; cervical stenosis more often shows up as arm symptoms, clumsiness or balance changes.
- 03
Both segments can be affected at once, and the schedule evaluates them separately unless both are unfavorably ankylosed.
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 Spinal Stenosis 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
SECONDARY TO SOMETHING ELSE
Conditions that can lead to Spinal Stenosis
Each links to a page on claiming Spinal Stenosis as secondary to that condition.
THE BROADER PICTURE
Spinal Stenosis by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- High – when supported with imaging and ROM loss.
- Veterans service-connected
- ~25,900 veterans
- Typical rating awarded
- ~30%
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 Spinal Stenosis
Is Spinal Stenosis a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Spinal Stenosis under VASRD diagnostic code 5238 (Musculoskeletal System). Spinal stenosis is narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the spinal cord and the nerve roots leaving it. Where the narrowing is decides what it feels like and which spinal segment gets measured: cervical stenosis, in the neck, tends to produce arm and hand symptoms and problems with balance and fine movement, while lumbar stenosis, in the lower back, typically produces leg pain and heaviness that come on with walking or standing and ease when you sit or lean forward. DC 5238 is the code for both, and 38 CFR 4.71a evaluates the cervical and thoracolumbar segments separately unless both are unfavorably ankylosed.
What VA disability rating can I get for Spinal Stenosis?
Possible VA ratings for Spinal Stenosis 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 Spinal Stenosis?
Vetrify estimates the typical rating awarded for Spinal Stenosis at around 30%, based on VA claims data and the rating schedule. An estimated 25,900 veterans are service-connected for Spinal Stenosis. Estimated approval outlook: High – when supported with imaging and ROM loss.
What evidence helps prove Spinal Stenosis for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Spinal Stenosis claim includes: MRI or CT scan showing narrowing; Neurological testing (EMG or reflex tests); C&P exam results showing ROM loss or symptoms; Statements describing pain and mobility issues.
Which DBQ is used for Spinal Stenosis?
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 Spinal Stenosis?
Common pitfalls when filing for Spinal Stenosis: No imaging documentation; Claimed without describing nerve issues or mobility loss; Submitted under general back pain; Submitting the claim without imaging, since MRI confirmation of the narrowing is what distinguishes stenosis from general back pain.
What is the VA rating for spinal stenosis?
DC 5238 is evaluated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine, which runs 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 100 percent. The percentage comes from goniometer-measured forward flexion and combined range of motion, from muscle spasm or guarding, and from ankylosis - not from the degree of narrowing on the MRI. The imaging establishes the diagnosis; the measurements set the evaluation. The formula also applies with or without symptoms such as pain, whether or not it radiates, stiffness, or aching, so a claim that describes only pain gives the rater nothing to work from.
Is cervical spinal stenosis rated differently from lumbar spinal stenosis?
Same code, different measurements, and often two evaluations rather than one. DC 5238 covers stenosis wherever it is, but the General Rating Formula sets different thresholds for the two segments: the cervical spine is rated on cervical forward flexion and its combined range of motion, the thoracolumbar spine on its own, and normal ranges differ - normal cervical forward flexion is zero to 45 degrees against zero to 90 for the thoracolumbar spine. Note (6) then says to evaluate the thoracolumbar and cervical segments separately, except where both are unfavorably ankylosed, in which case they are rated as a single disability. So a veteran with stenosis in both the neck and the low back should expect both segments measured, and the practical failure is an examination that records motion for the wrong one.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.71a, Schedule of ratings, musculoskeletal system (Diagnostic Code 5238)
- 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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