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Spinal Stenosis is rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under DC 5238 of 38 CFR § 4.71a, DC 5238 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 stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal or the neural foramina that compresses the spinal cord and/or exiting nerve roots, most commonly in the lumbar and cervical segments and usually arising from degenerative changes such as facet arthritis, ligamentum flavum hypertrophy, disc bulging, or spondylosis. Lumbar stenosis classically produces neurogenic claudication (buttock and leg pain, numbness, and weakness that worsen with standing or walking and ease with sitting or forward flexion), while cervical stenosis can cause myelopathy with hand clumsiness, gait disturbance, and bowel or bladder changes. For VA purposes the underlying orthopedic disability is rated on lost spinal motion, contour, and ankylosis, while any nerve-root compression is evaluated as a separate neurologic disability.
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.