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Ankylosing Spondylitis is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 5240 of 38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5240 across 6 severity tiers (10% / 20% / 30% / 40% / 50%…). Service connection requires (1) a current diagnosis, (2) an in-service event, injury, or exposure, and (3) a medical nexus opinion linking the two under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic, progressive inflammatory arthritis of the axial skeleton, primarily affecting the sacroiliac joints and spine, strongly associated with the HLA-B27 genetic marker. Sustained inflammation drives new bone formation that can fuse vertebrae (forming the radiographic bamboo spine), producing progressive stiffness, loss of motion, and a fixed forward-stooped posture. As a systemic seronegative spondyloarthropathy it can also involve the hips, peripheral joints, eyes (acute anterior uveitis), and rarely the heart and lungs, and it follows a relapsing-remitting course with painful flares.
Rating criteria reference 38 C.F.R. Part 4 (Schedule for Rating Disabilities). This entry has not yet undergone editorial review against the live regulation text — consult the authoritative source directly before relying on the criteria shown.