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Thoracolumbar Spinal Cord Injury is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 5235 of 38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5235 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.
Spinal cord injury in the thoracolumbar region refers to traumatic or compressive damage to the spinal cord or cauda equina at roughly the T1 through L5 levels, frequently occurring together with a vertebral body fracture or dislocation (the basis for Diagnostic Code 5235). Depending on the level and completeness of the lesion, it can produce lower-extremity weakness or paraplegia, sensory loss, spasticity, and neurogenic bowel and bladder dysfunction, while the surrounding bony and soft-tissue injury drives chronic back pain and lost range of motion. Because the condition spans both an orthopedic injury (the spine fracture) and a neurological injury (the cord deficit), an accurate evaluation almost always requires more than one diagnostic code rather than a single spine rating.
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.