VA radiculopathy ratings for legs and arms

The pain that runs from a bad back down a leg, or from a bad neck down an arm, is not part of the back rating. It is rated separately, under its own code, one rating for each affected limb. VA can rate it as a complication of a claimed back condition, but it is safer to list it on the claim by name.

Last reviewed October 2026 · Not legal advice, VA.gov always controls

VA rates radiculopathy by the nerve involved and how severe the impairment is. Radiculopathy into a leg is rated under the code for the nerve involved, and for sciatica that is the sciatic nerve code, DC 8520, at 10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, or 80%. Cervical radiculopathy into an arm is rated under the radicular group codes, from 20% up to 70% when one group is involved or 90% when all groups are, with lower figures for the non-dominant arm. Each affected limb is rated separately from the spine condition (38 CFR § 4.124a; § 4.71a, Note (1)).

Radiculopathy is nerve root irritation where a nerve leaves the spine, producing pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness along the path of that nerve into a limb. Sciatica is the common name for the lumbar version. Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerve further along, from diabetes, toxic exposure, or injury. Both are rated under the peripheral nerve codes in 38 CFR § 4.124a, and both are graded on a severity scale, though not every nerve code uses all four steps.

The scale: mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe

Each nerve has its own diagnostic code, and each code has a rating for complete paralysis (the nerve does nothing) and a set of lower ratings for incomplete paralysis, graded by severity. For lower-back radiculopathy, the spine exam form asks whether the femoral nerve roots, the sciatic nerve roots, or other nerves are involved, and the sciatic nerve, DC 8520, is the one behind sciatica:

Cervical radiculopathy into an arm is rated under the upper-extremity nerve codes. The neck exam form asks which of three nerve root groups is involved, and each has its own code: the upper radicular group (DC 8510), middle radicular group (DC 8511), and lower radicular group (DC 8512). When all three groups are involved, the all radicular groups code, DC 8513, applies, with higher figures for severe and complete paralysis. The three single-group codes use the same percentages, with only three steps for incomplete paralysis and no moderately severe tier, and a lower figure for the non-dominant arm. The examiner identifies the group; you do not need to. The neck rating guide covers the spine side.

Why this rating is separate from the spine

The spine rating formula in § 4.71a measures range of motion. Note (1) to that formula directs the rater to evaluate "any associated objective neurologic abnormalities, including, but not limited to, bowel or bladder impairment, separately, under an appropriate diagnostic code." Radiculopathy is one such abnormality. It is not double-counting, because the back rating compensates the back and the nerve rating compensates the limb. The spine guide covers the motion side.

Here is what that does to a typical claim. A lumbar strain at 20% with sciatica rated mild in each leg:

• Two leg ratings at 10% each combine to 19%, and because they are paired limbs, the bilateral factor under § 4.26 adds 10% of that: 19% + 1.9% = 20.9%, treated as 21%.
• 21% combined with the 20% back gives 36.8%, which rounds to 40%.

Without the nerve ratings, the same back is 20%. VA is supposed to rate associated neurologic findings even when only the back is claimed, but the gap closes only if the rater actually decides the legs as conditions of their own, which is why naming them helps. The combined rating guide walks through the math in full.

Claim it by name

On the 21-526EZ, list each limb separately: "radiculopathy, left lower extremity, secondary to lumbar spine condition" and the same for the right. If you only write "lower back condition," VA still has to consider complications of that condition shown in the evidence, including those the rating schedule identifies, and Note (1) to the spine formula names neurologic abnormalities as one. If the decision leaves the legs out anyway, that silence can imply VA decided the evidence did not support them (§ 3.155(d)(2)), and the leg symptoms then have to be raised again, through a supplemental claim or a review of that decision, which can affect the effective date. Name it.

Service connection

Radiculopathy caused by a spine condition is claimed as secondary to it under § 3.310. If the back is already service connected, the nerve follows once there is a medical finding, which can come from the VA examiner, that the radiculopathy is associated with the service-connected spine. The DBQ for the spine asks directly whether radiculopathy is present, which nerve roots are involved, and the likely cause of any neurological findings, so the exam is set up to supply that finding.

Peripheral neuropathy from other causes has its own routes. Neuropathy caused by service-connected diabetes is secondary to it under § 3.310 and, when compensable, rated separately from the diabetes (Note (1) to DC 7913 in § 4.119), and early-onset peripheral neuropathy is an Agent Orange presumptive under § 3.309(e), subject to the timing rule in § 3.307(a)(6)(ii). See the presumptive conditions guide and the secondary conditions guide.

The exam

Nerve findings come from the spine DBQ's neurological section or from a dedicated peripheral nerves DBQ. The examiner tests reflexes, strength, and sensation, and records which roots or nerves are involved and whether the severity is mild, moderate, moderately severe, or severe. Three things to do:

1. Describe the path of the symptom precisely: "from my lower back down the outside of my right leg into the top of my foot," not "my leg hurts."
2. Report weakness and its consequences: tripping, foot drag, dropping things, buttons. These are motor findings, which can lift the rating past the sensory cap.
3. Bring any EMG or nerve conduction study you already have. VA's peripheral nerves exam form says EMG is rarely required to diagnose these conditions, so do not assume you need one; the strength, reflex, and sensory testing is what the exam form records.

Read Preparing for a C&P exam for the general approach.

The checklist

1. Each affected limb listed as its own claimed condition.
2. Treatment records documenting the radiating symptoms and any weakness or reflex loss.
3. Imaging (MRI) showing the nerve root involvement, if you have it.
4. EMG or nerve conduction study results, if done.
5. A statement on what the limb symptoms stop you from doing: standing, walking distance, stairs, grip. See how to write one.

Sources

• 38 CFR § 4.124a, Diagnostic Codes 8510-8513 and 8520: the nerve rating tiers, the wholly-sensory note, and the instruction to apply the bilateral factor when both sides are involved.
• 38 CFR § 4.71a, General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine, Note (1): neurologic abnormalities from the spine are rated separately.
• 38 CFR § 4.25, Combined ratings table and § 4.26, Bilateral factor: the combined ratings table and rounding to the nearest 10, and the bilateral factor for disabilities of both arms or both legs.
• 38 CFR § 3.155(d)(2), How to file a claim: scope of claim: VA considers complications of a claimed condition, including those the rating criteria identify, and a decision that leaves out an issue within the scope of the claim implies the evidence did not support it.
• 38 CFR § 3.310, Disabilities that are proximately due to, or aggravated by, service-connected disease or injury: secondary service connection for conditions caused by a service-connected one.
• 38 CFR § 3.309(e), Disease associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents: early-onset peripheral neuropathy as a herbicide presumptive, with the one-year timing rule in § 3.307(a)(6)(ii).
• 38 CFR § 4.119, Diagnostic Code 7913, Note (1): compensable complications of diabetes are rated separately.
• VA Peripheral Nerves Conditions Disability Benefits Questionnaire (June 2026): the strength, reflex, sensory, trophic-change, and gait sections, the severity estimate for each nerve and radicular group, and the note that EMG studies are rarely required for diagnosis and need not be repeated when current results are on record.
• VA Back (Thoracolumbar Spine) Conditions Disability Benefits Questionnaire, Section VIII and Neck (Cervical Spine) Conditions Disability Benefits Questionnaire, Section VII: the exam questions on radiculopathy symptoms, which nerve roots or radicular groups are involved, and the likely cause of any neurological findings (items 8A-8D and 7A-7D).