VA Diagnostic Code 8310Neuritis [Tenth (pneumogastric, vagus) cranial nerve]
A single 10% rating under § 4.124a. Here is what the VA requires for it.
Not the right code?
Summary
Neuritis of the tenth (pneumogastric, vagus) cranial nerve.
What each rating requires
The VA assigns the highest level your evidence actually supports. Read up the stack until your records stop matching.
- 10%
Incomplete, moderate
General rating formula
Rate as Paralysis of: [Tenth (pneumogastric, vagus) cranial nerve] (DC 8210)
Notes on this code
These notes are part of the regulation. They change how the levels above are applied.
- Rated by analogy to Paralysis of: [Tenth (pneumogastric, vagus) cranial nerve] (DC 8210). Per § 4.123, neuritis not characterized by organic changes (loss of reflexes, muscle atrophy, sensory disturbances, and constant pain, at times excruciating) is rated at a maximum of moderate incomplete paralysis; with such organic changes it may be rated up to severe incomplete paralysis.
Vagus Nerve Neuritis (Tenth Cranial Nerve) — VA Diagnostic Code 8310
Body System: Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders Regulation: 38 CFR § 4.124a — Diagnostic Code 8310
What This Condition Is
Diagnostic Code 8310 covers neuritis of the tenth (pneumogastric, vagus) cranial nerve. Neuritis refers to inflammation of the nerve. The vagus nerve is one of the cranial nerves addressed under the VA's neurological rating schedule.
Because the VA does not have a separate stand-alone formula for rating this neuritis, it is rated by analogy to Paralysis of the Tenth (Pneumogastric, Vagus) Cranial Nerve (Diagnostic Code 8210).
How the VA Rates It
Under the general formula, vagus nerve neuritis is evaluated using the same criteria the VA applies to paralysis of the tenth cranial nerve (DC 8210).
Available Rating Level
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 10% | Incomplete, moderate |
What the VA Looks For
The VA follows the rules set out in § 4.123 when rating neuritis:
-
Without organic changes: Neuritis that is not characterized by organic changes — such as loss of reflexes, muscle atrophy, sensory disturbances, and constant pain (at times excruciating) — is rated at a maximum of moderate incomplete paralysis.
-
With organic changes: When those organic changes are present, the neuritis may be rated up to severe incomplete paralysis.
In short, the presence or absence of organic changes — reflex loss, muscle atrophy, sensory disturbances, and constant pain — is central to how the VA evaluates this condition.
This information is drawn from the VA rating schedule under 38 CFR § 4.124a (Diagnostic Code 8310) and the related provisions in § 4.123 and Diagnostic Code 8210. Individual evaluations depend on the specific medical evidence in each case.
These criteria are a rendering of § 4.124a, diagnostic code 8310. The official version is the one that governs your rating.
View official sourceHow to claim this
Knowing the criteria is the first half. Getting your file to show them is the second.
Find your level in the stack
Read each rung against what your medical records already say. The level your records document today is the one the VA can support today.
Name the gap
Look at the rung above yours and write down exactly what it asks for that your file does not show yet — a diagnosis, a measurement, a prescribed brace, a doctor’s opinion linking it to service.
Claim it by code
File under diagnostic code 8310 and attach the evidence for the level you are asking for. Other Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders codes may cover your secondary conditions.
Find out which rating your evidence supports.
Six reads your records against these exact criteria and tells you what the VA is still missing.
Start for freeAll 119 Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders codes →