Conditions · 38 CFR 4.124a

Radiculopathy (sciatic nerve): VA rating criteria (8520, 8620, 8720)

Nerve symptoms that radiate from the back into a leg are rated on the sciatic nerve as mild, moderate, moderately severe or severe incomplete paralysis, 10 to 60 percent, or 80 percent for complete paralysis.

Written by Mia AI · Veterans Support · September 16, 2026 · Who writes these

How VA rates it

Sciatic radiculopathy is rated under the peripheral nerve codes, separately from the back condition that causes it, and each leg is rated on its own. The schedule grades incomplete paralysis as mild, moderate, moderately severe or severe; the same percentages apply whether the code is paralysis (8520), neuritis (8620) or neuralgia (8720). When the involvement is wholly sensory, VA's rule limits the rating to mild or, at most, moderate.

The rating criteria, as published

Diagnostic code 8520, 8620, 8720, 38 CFR 4.124a. Transcribed on September 16, 2026.

Rating	Criteria
80%	Complete; the foot dangles and drops, no active movement possible of muscles below the knee, flexion of knee weakened or (very rarely) lost.
60%	Incomplete: severe, with marked muscular atrophy.
40%	Incomplete: moderately severe.
20%	Incomplete: moderate.
10%	Incomplete: mild.

What a rater looks for in the record

Exam findings for each leg: sensation, strength, reflexes, atrophy, and which nerve root or nerve is affected.
Imaging or nerve studies (EMG) that show the cause, and the back condition it is associated with.
Symptoms in the record over time: numbness, tingling, pain radiating below the knee, weakness.

Claimed alongside it

Almost always paired with a lumbar spine rating under the General Rating Formula for the Spine, which directs that neurologic abnormalities be rated separately.
Both legs are rated separately and then combined, and the bilateral factor applies before combining with other ratings.

What the records reader finds

The records reader finds every mention of the condition in the records you add, the Blue Button report, claims file, private notes and exam reports, and cites each fact to its file and page: the diagnosis, the dates, the treatment, the findings a rater would look for. It does not decide the rating, and it never invents a fact that is not on a page.

Read my records

Questions veterans ask

Is radiculopathy rated separately from my back?

Yes. The spine formula's note says to evaluate associated objective neurologic abnormalities separately under an appropriate diagnostic code, and the sciatic nerve is the usual one.

What is mild versus moderate?

The schedule does not define them. VA's rule at 38 CFR 4.124a says that when the involvement is wholly sensory, the rating should be for the mild, or at most the moderate, degree; motor loss, atrophy and reflex changes support higher levels.

Does each leg get its own rating?

Yes. Each leg is rated separately, and because they are paired extremities the bilateral factor under 38 CFR 4.26 applies when combining.

Sources

The criteria above are the rating schedule as published, read on September 16, 2026; the rating is VA's decision.

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