EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. Not legal or medical advice. Not affiliated with the VA.
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Bone Spurs (Osteophytes)
✓ VERIFIED AGAINST 38 C.F.R.§ 4.71a (Musculoskeletal system) · reviewed 2026-05-27 · ClaimRecon Editorial Team
Bone Spurs (Osteophytes) is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 5015 of 38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5015 across 2 severity tiers (10% / 0%). 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.
OVERVIEW
Bony projections (osteophytes) developing along bone edges at joints, causing pain, inflammation, and restricted range of motion
RATING CRITERIA (2 LEVELS)
10%
Per § 4.59 with X-ray-confirmed osteophyte and objectively-documented painful motion (swelling, muscle spasm, or satisfactory evidence of painful motion) of the affected joint: the minimum 10% single-joint compensable rating applies under DC 5003 (single-joint painful-motion floor). For non-painful-motion symptomatic osteophytes, rating is limited to the joint-specific LOM tier (e.g., DC 5260/5261 knee, DC 5252/5253 hip, DC 5215 wrist).
0%
X-ray-confirmed osteophyte without compensable LOM under the joint-specific DC AND without § 4.59 painful-motion findings — schedularly noncompensable. Service connection is preserved; § 3.310 secondary claims for derived conditions remain compensable.
KEY EVIDENCE TO GATHER
-Service treatment records showing injury or complaints
-Imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT)
-Range of motion measurements
-Flare-up documentation per Sharp v. Shulkin
-Buddy statements describing limitations
-Prescription history
-Physical therapy records
-Employment impact documentation
C&P EXAM TIPS (6)
1.Do NOT stretch, warm up, or take pain medication before your exam. The VA needs your baseline limitation.
2.Report your WORST day. DeLuca v. Brown requires documentation of functional loss during flare-ups.
3.Tell the examiner about flare-ups: frequency, duration, estimated ROM loss. Sharp v. Shulkin (2017) requires estimates.
4.Request active, passive, weight-bearing, and non-weight-bearing ROM testing per Correia v. McDonald (2016).
5.If you use assistive devices (brace, cane), bring them.
6.Describe daily activity impact: work, sleep, household tasks.
SOURCES & EDITORIAL
Rating criteria text quoted verbatim from 38 C.F.R. § 4.71a (Musculoskeletal system). Source verified 2026-05-27 by ClaimRecon Editorial Team during a regulation-text comparison against the Cornell Law CFR mirror; eCFR.gov is the authoritative government source.
EDUCATIONAL TOOL ONLY. NOT LEGAL OR MEDICAL ADVICE.
NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
CLAIM RECON 2026