VA Rating for Peripheral Neuropathy: Rated Under the Nerve Codes, 2026 Pay
The CFR has no diagnostic code named for peripheral neuropathy; it is rated under the code for the nerve affected. This page prints the tables for diagnostic codes (DC) 8520, 8620, 8720, 8521, 8522, 8523, 8524, 8525, 8514, 8515 and 8516 in 38 CFR § 4.124a. The first table below, the sciatic nerve, DC 8520, has 5 levels: 10%, 20%, 40%, 60% and 80%; 8 more tables follow, one for each of the other codes. Each table quotes its levels word for word from the current CFR text and adds a one-line summary; the 2026 monthly compensation figures are VA's published rates for every rating in these tables.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Criteria checked against the eCFR and Federal Register October 26, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Peripheral neuropathy rating criteria in 38 CFR § 4.124a
Diagnostic codes: DC 8520 Paralysis of: Sciatic nerve; DC 8620 Neuritis: Sciatic nerve; DC 8720 Neuralgia: Sciatic nerve; DC 8521 Paralysis of: External popliteal nerve (common peroneal); DC 8522 Paralysis of: Musculocutaneous nerve (superficial peroneal); DC 8523 Paralysis of: Anterior tibial nerve (deep peroneal); DC 8524 Paralysis of: Internal popliteal nerve (tibial); DC 8525 Paralysis of: Posterior tibial nerve; DC 8514 Paralysis of: The musculospiral nerve (radial nerve); DC 8515 Paralysis of: The median nerve; DC 8516 Paralysis of: The ulnar nerve. Criteria are quoted from the current CFR; the plain-English column is our summary and is not part of the regulation.
Section lead-in (quotation). Printed once at the start of the peripheral nerve tables, above DC 8510 (the first table); its own words say it covers "this and other peripheral nerve injuries".
The term “incomplete paralysis,” with this and other peripheral nerve injuries, indicates a degree of lost or impaired function substantially less than the type picture for complete paralysis given with each nerve, whether due to varied level of the nerve lesion or to partial regeneration. When the involvement is wholly sensory, the rating should be for the mild, or at most, the moderate degree. The ratings for the peripheral nerves are for unilateral involvement; when bilateral, combine with application of the bilateral factor.
| Rating | Criteria as printed in 38 CFR (quotation) | In plain English (our summary) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% |
| Incomplete paralysis, mild. |
| 20% |
| Incomplete paralysis, moderate. |
| 40% |
| Incomplete paralysis, moderately severe. |
| 60% |
| Incomplete paralysis, severe, with marked muscular atrophy. |
| 80% | Complete; the foot dangles and drops, no active movement possible of muscles below the knee, flexion of knee weakened or (very rarely) lost | Complete paralysis: the foot dangles and drops, no active movement possible of muscles below the knee, flexion of knee weakened or (very rarely) lost. |
External popliteal nerve (common peroneal): 8521 Paralysis of:
Another rating table of 38 CFR § 4.124a that this page covers. Quoted from the current CFR; the plain-English column is our summary.
| Rating | Criteria as printed in 38 CFR (quotation) | In plain English (our summary) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% |
| Incomplete paralysis, mild. |
| 20% |
| Incomplete paralysis, moderate. |
| 30% |
| Incomplete paralysis, severe. |
| 40% | Complete; foot drop and slight droop of first phalanges of all toes, cannot dorsiflex the foot, extension (dorsal flexion) of proximal phalanges of toes lost; abduction of foot lost, adduction weakened; anesthesia covers entire dorsum of foot and toes | Complete paralysis: foot drop and slight droop of first phalanges of all toes, cannot dorsiflex the foot, with the other findings the CFR lists. |
Musculocutaneous nerve (superficial peroneal): 8522 Paralysis of:
Another rating table of 38 CFR § 4.124a that this page covers. Quoted from the current CFR; the plain-English column is our summary.
| Rating | Criteria as printed in 38 CFR (quotation) | In plain English (our summary) |
|---|---|---|
| 0% |
| Incomplete paralysis, mild. |
| 10% |
| Incomplete paralysis, moderate. |
| 20% |
| Incomplete paralysis, severe. |
| 30% | Complete; eversion of foot weakened | Complete paralysis: eversion of foot weakened. |
Anterior tibial nerve (deep peroneal): 8523 Paralysis of:
Another rating table of 38 CFR § 4.124a that this page covers. Quoted from the current CFR; the plain-English column is our summary.
| Rating | Criteria as printed in 38 CFR (quotation) | In plain English (our summary) |
|---|---|---|
| 0% |
| Incomplete paralysis, mild. |
| 10% |
| Incomplete paralysis, moderate. |
| 20% |
| Incomplete paralysis, severe. |
| 30% | Complete; dorsal flexion of foot lost | Complete paralysis: dorsal flexion of foot lost. |
Internal popliteal nerve (tibial): 8524 Paralysis of:
Another rating table of 38 CFR § 4.124a that this page covers. Quoted from the current CFR; the plain-English column is our summary.
| Rating | Criteria as printed in 38 CFR (quotation) | In plain English (our summary) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% |
| Incomplete paralysis, mild. |
| 20% |
| Incomplete paralysis, moderate. |
| 30% |
| Incomplete paralysis, severe. |
| 40% | Complete; plantar flexion lost, frank adduction of foot impossible, flexion and separation of toes abolished; no muscle in sole can move; in lesions of the nerve high in popliteal fossa, plantar flexion of foot is lost | Complete paralysis: plantar flexion lost, with the other findings the CFR lists. |
Posterior tibial nerve: 8525 Paralysis of:
Another rating table of 38 CFR § 4.124a that this page covers. Quoted from the current CFR; the plain-English column is our summary.
| Rating | Criteria as printed in 38 CFR (quotation) | In plain English (our summary) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% |
| Incomplete paralysis, moderate. |
| 10% |
| Incomplete paralysis, mild. |
| 20% |
| Incomplete paralysis, severe. |
| 30% | Complete; paralysis of all muscles of sole of foot, frequently with painful paralysis of a causalgic nature; toes cannot be flexed; adduction is weakened; plantar flexion is impaired | Complete paralysis of all muscles of the sole of the foot, with the other findings the CFR lists. |
The musculospiral nerve (radial nerve): 8514 Paralysis of:
Another rating table of 38 CFR § 4.124a that this page covers. Quoted from the current CFR; the plain-English column is our summary.
| Major | Minor | Criteria as printed in 38 CFR (quotation) | In plain English (our summary) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20% | 20% |
| Incomplete paralysis, mild. |
| 30% | 20% |
| Incomplete paralysis, moderate. |
| 50% | 40% |
| Incomplete paralysis, severe. |
| 70% | 60% | Complete; drop of hand and fingers, wrist and fingers perpetually flexed, the thumb adducted falling within the line of the outer border of the index finger; can not extend hand at wrist, extend proximal phalanges of fingers, extend thumb, or make lateral movement of wrist; supination of hand, extension and flexion of elbow weakened, the loss of synergic motion of extensors impairs the hand grip seriously; total paralysis of the triceps occurs only as the greatest rarity | Complete paralysis: drop of hand and fingers, wrist and fingers perpetually flexed, with the other findings the CFR lists. |
Listed in the CFR without a rating of its own (quotation):
Note: Lesions involving only “dissociation of extensor communis digitorum” and “paralysis below the extensor communis digitorum,” will not exceed the moderate rating under code 8514.
The median nerve: 8515 Paralysis of:
Another rating table of 38 CFR § 4.124a that this page covers. Quoted from the current CFR; the plain-English column is our summary.
| Major | Minor | Criteria as printed in 38 CFR (quotation) | In plain English (our summary) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | 10% |
| Incomplete paralysis, mild. |
| 30% | 20% |
| Incomplete paralysis, moderate. |
| 50% | 40% |
| Incomplete paralysis, severe. |
| 70% | 60% | Complete; the hand inclined to the ulnar side, the index and middle fingers more extended than normally, considerable atrophy of the muscles of the thenar eminence, the thumb in the plane of the hand (ape hand); pronation incomplete and defective, absence of flexion of index finger and feeble flexion of middle finger, cannot make a fist, index and middle fingers remain extended; cannot flex distal phalanx of thumb, defective opposition and abduction of the thumb, at right angles to palm; flexion of wrist weakened; pain with trophic disturbances | Complete paralysis: the hand inclined to the ulnar side ("ape hand") with the other findings the CFR lists. |
The ulnar nerve: 8516 Paralysis of:
Another rating table of 38 CFR § 4.124a that this page covers. Quoted from the current CFR; the plain-English column is our summary.
| Major | Minor | Criteria as printed in 38 CFR (quotation) | In plain English (our summary) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | 10% |
| Incomplete paralysis, mild. |
| 30% | 20% |
| Incomplete paralysis, moderate. |
| 40% | 30% |
| Incomplete paralysis, severe. |
| 60% | 50% | Complete; the “griffin claw” deformity, due to flexor contraction of ring and little fingers, atrophy very marked in dorsal interspace and thenar and hypothenar eminences; loss of extension of ring and little fingers cannot spread the fingers (or reverse), cannot adduct the thumb; flexion of wrist weakened | Complete paralysis: the "griffin claw" deformity with the other findings the CFR lists. |
2026 VA monthly pay at each peripheral neuropathy rating
| Rating | Veteran alone | With spouse |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | $0.00 | VA's rate table starts at 10%, so a 0% rating has no monthly compensation rate |
| 10% | $180.42 | Same as alone; spouse amounts start at 30% |
| 20% | $356.66 | Same as alone; spouse amounts start at 30% |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $882.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,566.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 |
VA does not add ratings together. When a veteran has more than one rated condition, VA combines them with its combined ratings table (38 CFR § 4.25), so the amounts above apply to a combined rating, not to this condition alone. Work out a combined rating with the VA disability calculator at /va-disability-calculator/.
VA disability calculator · Full VA disability pay chart with children and parents
How the criteria are written
There is no diagnostic code named "peripheral neuropathy" in 38 CFR Part 4. The CFR rates diseases of the peripheral nerves by the nerve involved: paralysis codes 8510 to 8530, neuritis codes 8610 to 8630 and neuralgia codes 8710 to 8730 in § 4.124a.
VA's Peripheral Nerves DBQ, which asks the examiner for "an estimation of the severity of the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy", has a severity section for each nerve. Upper extremity: Radial nerve (musculospiral nerve), Median nerve, Ulnar nerve, Musculocutaneous nerve, Circumflex nerve, Long thoracic nerve, Upper radicular group (5th & 6th cervicals), Middle radicular group and Lower radicular group. Lower extremity: Sciatic nerve, External popliteal (common peroneal) nerve, Musculocutaneous (superficial peroneal) nerve, Anterior tibial (deep peroneal) nerve, Internal popliteal (tibial) nerve, Posterior tibial nerve, Anterior crural (femoral) nerve, Internal saphenous nerve, Obturator nerve and External cutaneous nerve of the thigh. This page prints the CFR tables for the sciatic, peroneal and tibial nerves and for the radial, median and ulnar nerves; the other nerves in § 4.124a are not reproduced.
The lead-in printed at the start of the peripheral nerve tables (above DC 8510, so before any of the tables here) says that it applies to "this and other peripheral nerve injuries". It says the term "incomplete paralysis" means a degree of lost or impaired function substantially less than complete paralysis, and that "When the involvement is wholly sensory, the rating should be for the mild, or at most, the moderate degree." The DBQ repeats it: "For VA purposes, when nerve impairment is wholly sensory, the evaluation should be mild, or at most, moderate."
DC 8620 (neuritis) and DC 8720 (neuralgia) have no rows of their own; the FAQ below quotes § 4.123 and § 4.124, which say how they are rated. The note at the end of the nerve table reads: "Note: Combined nerve injuries should be rated by reference to the major involvement, or if sufficient in extent, consider radicular group ratings."
DC 8525 (posterior tibial nerve) lists Moderate and Mild as separate rows that both carry 10%; the table shows them in the order the CFR prints them.
The radial, median and ulnar tables have two rating columns, headed Major and Minor. Section 4.69 (Dominant hand) is the CFR rule on which hand is dominant; the median nerve page quotes it.
CFR Appendix A has no entry for any of these codes. The neurological section is the subject of a proposed rule (89 FR 88917) that has not been finalized; the criteria on this page are the current CFR text.
VA publishes Disability Benefits Questionnaires for this area (benefits.va.gov): Peripheral Nerves DBQ · Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy DBQ.
Is this the current rule?
Source text. § 4.124a Schedule of ratings—neurological conditions and convulsive disorders. from the eCFR (38 CFR Part 4), text up to date as of October 22, 2026, retrieved October 26, 2026. Read the section on eCFR.
Latest final rule affecting the section. 79 FR 2099 (final rule), VA Compensation Service and Pension and Fiduciary Service Nomenclature Changes, published January 13, 2014, effective January 13, 2014. Latest entry in the section's amendment history in the eCFR.
- Appendix A (table of amendments since 1946) has no entry for DC 8520, 8620, 8720, 8521, 8522, 8523, 8524, 8525, 8514, 8515, 8516.
Upcoming changes. Our Federal Register search on October 26, 2026 found no final rule for this section with an effective date after that day.
Proposed rule (not law). VA proposed a revision of the neurological conditions section on November 12, 2024 (89 FR 88917). It is only a proposal: it has not been finalized, so the CFR text above is the rule that applies and no proposed criteria are shown here. 89 FR 88917
Related conditions
- Radiculopathy: Nerve-root conditions of the spine are rated under the same nerve entries (sciatic, femoral and the radicular groups).
- Carpal tunnel: The median nerve (DC 8515, 8615, 8715) has its own page, with the Major and Minor columns explained.
- Back pain (spine): The spine General Rating Formula sends associated neurologic abnormalities to separate evaluation under an appropriate diagnostic code (Note 1).
- Diabetes: VA has a separate Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy DBQ; DC 7913 Note (1) sends compensable complications of diabetes to separate evaluation.
- All VA disability ratings by condition
Questions about the Peripheral neuropathy rating
What diagnostic code does VA use for peripheral neuropathy?
None by that name: 38 CFR Part 4 has no diagnostic code named "peripheral neuropathy". Peripheral neuropathy of a limb is evaluated under the code for the nerve affected, for example DC 8520 for the sciatic nerve or DC 8515 for the median nerve, and VA's Peripheral Nerves DBQ collects the affected nerve, side and severity. The codes printed on this page are the tables for the sciatic, peroneal, tibial, radial, median and ulnar nerves, not a complete list of the nerve codes in § 4.124a. Which nerve and level apply to a claim is for VA to decide.
What are the VA rating levels for peripheral neuropathy?
The first table on this page, the sciatic nerve, DC 8520, has 5 levels: 10%, 20%, 40%, 60% and 80%. The other diagnostic codes of peripheral neuropathy have their own tables on this page with their own levels. VA decides which code and level applies to a claim.
How much is VA disability pay for a peripheral neuropathy rating in 2026?
VA's 2026 monthly rates for a veteran alone, with the with-spouse amount for 30% and higher, are 10%: $180.42; 20%: $356.66; 30%: $552.47 ($617.47 with a spouse); 40%: $795.84 ($882.84 with a spouse); 50%: $1,132.90 ($1,241.90 with a spouse); 60%: $1,435.02 ($1,566.02 with a spouse); 70%: $1,808.45 ($1,961.45 with a spouse); 80%: $2,102.15 ($2,277.15 with a spouse). A 0% rating is not in VA's rate table, which starts at 10%. Rates took effect December 1, 2025. The amount you are paid depends on your combined rating, not on this condition alone.
Are ratings for peripheral neuropathy added to my other ratings?
No. VA does not add ratings together; it combines them using the combined ratings table in 38 CFR § 4.25. Use the VA disability calculator on this site at /va-disability-calculator/ to see how ratings combine.
Which nerves does VA's Peripheral Nerves DBQ ask about?
The DBQ has a severity section for each nerve of the upper extremity (10A to 10I, from the radial nerve to the lower radicular group) and of the lower extremity (11A to 11J, from the sciatic nerve to the external cutaneous nerve of the thigh); the first paragraph under "How the criteria are written" lists them.
How are neuritis and neuralgia of a nerve rated?
Section 4.123 says: "Neuritis, cranial or peripheral, characterized by loss of reflexes, muscle atrophy, sensory disturbances, and constant pain, at times excruciating, is to be rated on the scale provided for injury of the nerve involved, with a maximum equal to severe, incomplete, paralysis. See nerve involved for diagnostic code number and rating. The maximum rating which may be assigned for neuritis not characterized by organic changes referred to in this section will be that for moderate, or with sciatic nerve involvement, for moderately severe, incomplete paralysis." Section 4.124 says: "Neuralgia, cranial or peripheral, characterized usually by a dull and intermittent pain, of typical distribution so as to identify the nerve, is to be rated on the same scale, with a maximum equal to moderate incomplete paralysis."
Is a wholly sensory neuropathy rated lower?
The lead-in to the peripheral nerve tables says: "When the involvement is wholly sensory, the rating should be for the mild, or at most, the moderate degree." VA's Peripheral Nerves DBQ says the same in its severity sections.
Is diabetic peripheral neuropathy rated differently?
Radial, median, ulnar, sciatic and femoral nerves are the nerves listed in VA's separate Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy DBQ, which uses the same wholly-sensory wording. Note (1) under DC 7913 says to evaluate compensable complications of diabetes separately. Whether a neuropathy is service connected, including as a complication of diabetes, is a separate question this page does not address.
Does this page decide my VA rating?
No. FedRateCalc is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. This page quotes the rating schedule and VA's published rates for information only; it is not legal or medical advice. VA decides the rating and the payment.