38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.124a

The musculospiral nerve (radial nerve), paralysis — VA Diagnostic Code 8514

Peripheral nerves

Diagnostic code

8514

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38 CFR § 4.124a, under Diseases of the Peripheral Nerves, heads this block “The musculospiral nerve (radial nerve).” Diagnostic Code 8514 is “Paralysis of:”. Complete is 70 major and 60 minor. Severe is 50 and 40. Moderate is 30 and 20. Mild is 20 and 20. The complete cell spells “can not” as two words. Appendix B to Part 4 indexes the code as “Musculospiral nerve (radial), paralysis.” The index says “(radial),” not “(radial nerve).”

Reviewed 2026-10-05. Text checked against the eCFR versioner full-text XML for 2026-10-01 on 2026-10-05. Title 38 was up to date as of 2026-10-01 and last amended on 2026-08-27. The § 4.124a source note prints 29 FR 6718, May 22, 1964, as amended at 40 FR 42540, Sept. 15, 1975; 41 FR 11302, Mar. 18, 1976; 43 FR 45362, Oct. 2, 1978; 54 FR 4282, Jan. 30, 1989; 54 FR 49755, Dec. 1, 1989; 55 FR 154, Jan. 3, 1990; 56 FR 51653, Oct. 15, 1991; 57 FR 24364, June 9, 1992; 70 FR 75399, Dec. 20, 2005; 73 FR 54705, Sept. 23, 2008; 73 FR 69554, Nov. 19, 2008; 76 FR 78824, Dec. 20, 2011; 79 FR 2100, Jan. 13, 2014. The § 4.69 source note prints 62 FR 30239, June 3, 1997. The § 4.123 and § 4.124 XML for this version date do not print a Federal Register source note.

The rating criteria at each level

8514 Paralysis of the musculospiral nerve (radial nerve) — Major and Minor

Rating %: 70 major, 60 minor

Criteria (verbatim). Complete; drop of hand and fingers, wrist and fingers perpetually flexed, the thumb adducted falling within the line of the outer border of the index finger; can not extend hand at wrist, extend proximal phalanges of fingers, extend thumb, or make lateral movement of wrist; supination of hand, extension and flexion of elbow weakened, the loss of synergic motion of extensors impairs the hand grip seriously; total paralysis of the triceps occurs only as the greatest rarity

Rating %: —

Criteria (verbatim). Incomplete:

Rating %: 50 major, 40 minor

Criteria (verbatim). Severe

Rating %: 30 major, 20 minor

Criteria (verbatim). Moderate

Rating %: 20 major, 20 minor

Criteria (verbatim). Mild

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
70 major, 60 minor	Complete; drop of hand and fingers, wrist and fingers perpetually flexed, the thumb adducted falling within the line of the outer border of the index finger; can not extend hand at wrist, extend proximal phalanges of fingers, extend thumb, or make lateral movement of wrist; supination of hand, extension and flexion of elbow weakened, the loss of synergic motion of extensors impairs the hand grip seriously; total paralysis of the triceps occurs only as the greatest rarity
—	Incomplete:
50 major, 40 minor	Severe
30 major, 20 minor	Moderate
20 major, 20 minor	Mild

The column headings are Major and Minor. They sit under a heading “Rating”. That heading does not end with a period.

The Diseases of the Peripheral Nerves block says: The term “incomplete paralysis,” with this and other peripheral nerve injuries, indicates a degree of lost or impaired function substantially less than the type picture for complete paralysis given with each nerve, whether due to varied level of the nerve lesion or to partial regeneration. When the involvement is wholly sensory, the rating should be for the mild, or at most, the moderate degree. The ratings for the peripheral nerves are for unilateral involvement; when bilateral, combine with application of the bilateral factor.

Note: Lesions involving only “dissociation of extensor communis digitorum” and “paralysis below the extensor communis digitorum,” will not exceed the moderate rating under code 8514.

The comma after digitorum is inside the closing quotation mark. The note ends with a period. Moderate on this scale is 30 major and 20 minor.

8614 prints “Neuritis.” and 8714 prints “Neuralgia.” Neither row prints a percentage.

38 CFR § 4.123 rates neuritis characterized by loss of reflexes, muscle atrophy, sensory disturbances, and constant pain, at times excruciating, on the scale for the nerve involved, with a maximum equal to severe, incomplete, paralysis. Neuritis not characterized by the organic changes that section names is capped at moderate, or, with sciatic nerve involvement, at moderately severe, incomplete paralysis. The sciatic clause is not the musculospiral nerve. On the DC 8514 scale, severe is 50 major and 40 minor, and moderate is 30 major and 20 minor. 38 CFR § 4.124 caps neuralgia at moderate incomplete paralysis. The complete-paralysis exception in § 4.124 is tic douloureux, or trifacial neuralgia. It is not this nerve. 38 CFR § 4.31 says that in every instance where the schedule does not provide a zero percent evaluation for a diagnostic code, a zero percent evaluation shall be assigned when the requirements for a compensable evaluation are not met. DC 8514’s lowest printed line is mild, 20 and 20.

38 CFR § 4.69 says handedness for the purpose of a dominant rating will be determined by the evidence of record, or by testing on VA examination. Only one hand shall be considered dominant. The injured hand, or the most severely injured hand, of an ambidextrous individual will be considered the dominant hand for rating purposes. Section 4.69 does not use the words Major and Minor. The bilateral sentence in the peripheral-nerve introduction says to combine with application of the bilateral factor. 38 CFR § 4.26 is the bilateral-factor section.

The next heading is “The median nerve,” Diagnostic Code 8515. Its complete cell spells “cannot” as one word. The public page for DC 8515 is the carpal tunnel guide. DC 8513 is all radicular groups. Its complete cell is the word “Complete,” at 90 major and 80 minor.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8514, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.

What the words mean in your records

can not, and synergic

The complete cell says “can not extend hand at wrist” as two words, and “synergic motion of extensors.” The median-nerve complete cell spells “cannot” as one word. This page keeps the spelling on this nerve.

Moderate is 30 and 20

Severe is 50 major and 40 minor. Moderate is 30 major and 20 minor. Mild is 20 and 20. The extensor-communis note caps the lesions it names at the moderate rating under code 8514.

Neuritis and neuralgia have no percentage on the row

8614 prints “Neuritis.” and 8714 prints “Neuralgia.” The caps are in § 4.123 and § 4.124, applied to this nerve’s scale.

Evidence that speaks to each level

70 major, 60 minor

What the rater needs to see. The complete picture the cell prints: drop of hand and fingers, wrist and fingers perpetually flexed, the thumb adducted falling within the line of the outer border of the index finger, and the movements the cell says the hand can not make, plus which side the Major or Minor column is using.

Where that usually lives. The neurological examination of the hand, wrist, thumb, and elbow, and the evidence of which hand is dominant.

50 and 40, 30 and 20, or 20 and 20

What the rater needs to see. Severe, moderate, or mild incomplete paralysis. The note caps lesions involving only the two extensor-communis findings it quotes at the moderate rating.

Where that usually lives. The same examination. Wholly sensory involvement is mild, or at most moderate, under the peripheral-nerve sentence.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
70 major, 60 minor	The complete picture the cell prints: drop of hand and fingers, wrist and fingers perpetually flexed, the thumb adducted falling within the line of the outer border of the index finger, and the movements the cell says the hand can not make, plus which side the Major or Minor column is using.	The neurological examination of the hand, wrist, thumb, and elbow, and the evidence of which hand is dominant.
50 and 40, 30 and 20, or 20 and 20	Severe, moderate, or mild incomplete paralysis. The note caps lesions involving only the two extensor-communis findings it quotes at the moderate rating.	The same examination. Wholly sensory involvement is mild, or at most moderate, under the peripheral-nerve sentence.

VA’s public DBQ list, checked October 5, 2026, names “Peripheral Nerves” under Neurological. The file is Peripheral Nerves.

The exam form

DC 8514 prints 70 and 60, 50 and 40, 30 and 20, and 20 and 20. This page does not say the form replaces those columns.

Related codes and how they interact

The median nerve is the next heading.

DC 8515 is the median nerve. Its complete cell uses “cannot” as one word and describes a different hand picture, including the thumb in the plane of the hand. DC 8514’s complete cell is drop of the hand and fingers and the extensor findings it lists.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “radial” or “musculospiral.” DC 8514 is a rating-schedule line, not a § 3.309 name. “Other organic diseases of the nervous system” is a family row with no diagnostic code. This page does not assign DC 8514 to that name.

Short answers

What is the VA rating for musculospiral (radial) nerve paralysis?

Diagnostic Code 8514 in 38 CFR § 4.124a uses Major and Minor columns. Complete is 70 and 60. Severe is 50 and 40. Moderate is 30 and 20. Mild is 20 and 20. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Which hand is major?

The column headings are Major and Minor. Section 4.69 says only one hand shall be considered dominant, determined by the evidence of record or by testing on VA examination. It does not use the words Major and Minor.

FAQ

What are the major and minor ratings for DC 8514?

Complete is 70 and 60. Severe is 50 and 40. Moderate is 30 and 20. Mild is 20 and 20. The complete cell includes “can not” as two words. Education only.

What is the extensor communis note?

Lesions involving only “dissociation of extensor communis digitorum” and “paralysis below the extensor communis digitorum,” will not exceed the moderate rating under code 8514. Moderate is 30 major and 20 minor.

Do neuritis and neuralgia have their own percentages?

The rows 8614 and 8714 print “Neuritis.” and “Neuralgia.” and no percentage. Section 4.123 caps neuritis at severe incomplete paralysis when the organic changes that section names are present, and otherwise at moderate. Section 4.124 caps neuralgia at moderate incomplete paralysis. On this scale, severe is 50 major and 40 minor, and moderate is 30 major and 20 minor.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 8514, which column was used, and whether the finding was complete or incomplete.
The free worksheet is a place to write the code, the findings, and the records you already have. It does not file a claim or protect a filing date. An accredited representative is at find a VSO.
Other nerve codes are on the peripheral-nerve diagnostic-code index.

Education only. Not legal or medical advice. My Claim Packet is not a VA-accredited representative and does not file claims. VA decides every claim on its own evidence.

Other codes in this body system

Nearby catalog entries in Peripheral nerves, ordered by diagnostic code number. All Peripheral nerves codes

Also: DC code lookup (tools) lists the same index in a compact layout.

Source: 38 CFR Part 4, Diagnostic Code 8514 • va.gov

⚠️ Important Disclaimer

This page provides general educational information based on public VA regulations and VA.gov resources. It is not legal or medical advice, and My Claim Packet is not a VA-accredited representative. Any worksheets or draft documents produced by the tools must be reviewed for accuracy and are not filed with VA for you. Ratings and service connection are decided case-by-case from the individual record. Consult a VA-accredited VSO, claims agent, attorney, or qualified clinician for help with your situation, and verify current rules using the linked official source.