VA Diagnostic Code 8620Neuritis.
Rated from 10% to 40% under § 4.124a. Here is what the VA requires at each level.
Not the right code?
What each rating requires
The VA assigns the highest level your evidence actually supports. Read up the stack until your records stop matching.
- 40%
Incomplete: Moderately severe
- 20%
Incomplete: Moderate
- 10%
Incomplete: Mild
General rating formula
Rate as Paralysis of: (DC 8520)
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: (DC 8520). 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 moderately severe incomplete paralysis; with such organic changes it may be rated up to severe incomplete paralysis.
Neuritis (VA Diagnostic Code 8620)
Understanding Neuritis and How the VA Rates It
Body system: Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders Regulation: 38 CFR § 4.124a — Diagnostic Code 8620
What Is Neuritis?
Neuritis is a nerve condition. Under the VA's rating schedule, it is evaluated by analogy to Paralysis of the sciatic nerve (Diagnostic Code 8520). In other words, the VA looks at how the condition affects nerve function and applies the same rating framework used for that form of paralysis.
How the VA Rates Neuritis
The VA assigns a disability percentage based on the severity of incomplete paralysis. The available rating levels for this entry are:
| Rating | Level of Severity |
|---|---|
| 40% | Incomplete: Moderately severe |
| 20% | Incomplete: Moderate |
| 10% | Incomplete: Mild |
What the VA Looks For
Because neuritis is rated by analogy to Paralysis of DC 8520, the VA considers the degree to which nerve function is impaired. A key factor is whether the condition is accompanied by organic changes, which are described under § 4.123 as:
- Loss of reflexes
- Muscle atrophy
- Sensory disturbances
- Constant pain, at times excruciating
How these factors affect the rating:
- Neuritis that is not characterized by these organic changes is rated at a maximum of moderately severe incomplete paralysis.
- Neuritis that is accompanied by such organic changes may be rated up to severe incomplete paralysis.
Each claim is evaluated on its own facts based on the medical evidence and the criteria set out in the VA rating schedule.
These criteria are a rendering of § 4.124a, diagnostic code 8620. 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 8620 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 →