Peripheral neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is nerve damage in the arms, legs, hands, or feet. The VA does not have one single "peripheral neuropathy" listing. Instead, it rates the condition under 38 CFR 4.124a, "Diseases of the Peripheral Nerves," by looking at which specific nerve is affected and how badly it works. Each nerve has its own diagnostic codes for paralysis, neuritis (a series ending in 20, like 8620), and neuralgia (a series ending in 20, like 8720). For example, the sciatic nerve is rated under diagnostic code 8520, with codes 8620 and 8720 covering neuritis and neuralgia of that same nerve.

What drives a higher percentage is how much the nerve has stopped working. The VA rates the loss as "complete" paralysis (the highest level for that nerve) or as "incomplete" paralysis at mild, moderate, severe, or (for some nerves) moderately severe levels. The rules explain that "incomplete paralysis" means lost or impaired function that is substantially less than complete paralysis. When the problem is wholly sensory (numbness or tingling without muscle weakness), the rating is meant to stay at the mild, or at most the moderate, level. Peripheral-nerve ratings are written for one side of the body; when both sides are affected, the VA combines them and applies the bilateral factor. Because the rating follows the nerve and the severity, the exact code and percentage depend on a medical exam.

There is also a presumptive (exposure) pathway. "Early-onset peripheral neuropathy" is on the VA's list of diseases tied to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposure under 38 CFR 3.309(e). For this presumptive route, the VA's timing rule in 38 CFR 3.307 requires that early-onset peripheral neuropathy become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more within one year after the veteran's last herbicide exposure during service. A separate presumptive for former prisoners of war covers peripheral neuropathy except where it is directly related to infectious causes. When a presumptive applies, the VA generally treats the link to service as established, which can remove the usual need to prove a direct nexus.

This is educational information about how the VA's rules generally work, not legal advice or a VA decision about any individual claim.