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Radiculopathy and sciatica are nerve conditions usually claimed as secondary to a back disability, rated by the severity of nerve impairment.
VA rating schedule, diagnostic code 8520
Radiculopathy and sciatica are nerve problems. Sciatica is pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness that travels along the sciatic nerve, from the lower back down through the buttock and leg. It usually happens when a back or spine problem presses on a nerve root. The VA rates nerve conditions like this under its rules for neurological conditions in 38 CFR 4.124a. To be service-connected, the VA looks at whether the condition started during or was caused by military service. Under the general rule, service connection means the evidence shows the injury or disease that caused the disability happened during service, or got worse during service (38 CFR 3.303). Many veterans also have radiculopathy recognized as a 'secondary' condition, because under 38 CFR 3.310 a disability that is caused by, or made worse by, an already service-connected condition (such as a service-connected back disability) can also be service-connected.
The most common diagnostic code is 8520, for paralysis of the sciatic nerve. The percentage goes up as the nerve damage gets worse. Under 38 CFR 4.124a, mild incomplete paralysis is rated 10%, moderate is 20%, moderately severe is 40%, and severe with marked muscle atrophy is 60%. The highest rating, 80%, is for complete paralysis, described as when the foot dangles and drops, no active movement is possible in the muscles below the knee, and bending the knee is weakened or (very rarely) lost. So what drives a higher rating is how much function you lose, measured by motor weakness, sensory changes like numbness, and muscle wasting (atrophy). If both legs are affected, each leg is looked at on its own. The same nerve can also be rated as neuritis (code 8620) or neuralgia (code 8720), which use the same severity scale.
Unlike some conditions tied to toxic exposure, radiculopathy and sciatica are usually mechanical nerve problems linked to a spine or back injury. Because of that, they are most often service-connected directly under 38 CFR 3.303 or as a secondary condition under 38 CFR 3.310, rather than through a specific toxic-exposure presumptive list. If your radiculopathy is connected to a back condition you believe is related to service, that spine condition is often the key link the VA examines. A denial is not the end of the road; it can be a starting point for adding medical evidence or seeking a review. This is educational information about how the VA's rules generally work, not legal advice or a VA decision about your claim.
Grounded in federal regulations and VA guidance, independently reviewed June 2026. Educational information, not legal advice or a VA determination.
Across 37,926 real Board appeals for Radiculopathy & sciatica
A denial is often not the end either — remands (shown below) are sent back for more development and can still end in a grant. These are historical outcomes, not a prediction of your case.
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Among the appeals that were granted or partly granted, the most common ways Radiculopathy & sciatica was linked to service:
In appeals where Radiculopathy & sciatica was the only condition decided and the Board granted it, the rating most often assigned was:
These appeals involved a recognized exposure — which can mean the link to service is presumed, with no nexus to prove:
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
An initial 30 percent rating for radiculopathy, right upper extremity, is granted.,An initial rating in excess of 20 percent for radiculopathy, left upper extremity, is denied.
The Board has granted service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy and denied the claims for right knee disability, erectile dysfunction, GERD, sleep apnea, and hypertension. The decision is remanded for further action on these issues.
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Marfan's syndrome was dismissed as the appellant withdrew his request.,Service connection is granted for left lower extremity neuropathy of the sciatic nerve (left foot disability) and peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity. The low back degenerative arthritis has also been granted.
The Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine disability, including associated bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy.,Service connection is also granted for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy secondary to the service-connected cervical spine disability.
The Veteran's left and right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve have been granted a 40 percent rating, while his left and right lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve have been granted a 30 percent rating.
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New decisions are added every week, and older years are actively being backfilled — a year that looks thin or missing here (especially 2011–2017) is a gap in our library, not in the Board’s decisions.
Veterans appealing Radiculopathy & sciatica often look at outcomes for these too:
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