Musculoskeletal

Musculoskeletal conditions — the back, neck, knees, and the nerves that run through them — make up the largest share of VA disability claims. These injuries often trace directly to the physical demands of service: the rucking, the jumps, the repetitive strain, the falls. The challenge is rarely proving the injury exists; it is connecting today’s pain to a specific in-service cause, especially when the condition worsened slowly over years. The guides below explain how the VA rates each condition, why range-of-motion measurements matter so much, and what a nexus letter needs to establish for each one.