38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.124a

Internal popliteal nerve (tibial), paralysis — VA Diagnostic Code 8524

Peripheral nerves

Diagnostic code

8524

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38 CFR § 4.124a lists “Internal popliteal nerve (tibial)” and then Diagnostic Code 8524, “Paralysis of:”. This block has one Rating column. It does not print Major and Minor. Complete is 40. The complete cell does not end with a period. Appendix B to Part 4 says “Internal popliteal nerve (tibial), paralysis.”

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 § 4.123 and § 4.124 XML for this date print the neuritis and neuralgia paragraphs and do not print a Federal Register source note. The § 4.31 source note prints 58 FR 52018, Oct. 6, 1993. The § 4.69 source note prints 62 FR 30239, June 3, 1997.

The rating criteria at each level

8524 Paralysis of the internal popliteal nerve (tibial)

Rating %: 40

Criteria (verbatim). Complete; plantar flexion lost, frank adduction of foot impossible, flexion and separation of toes abolished; no muscle in sole can move; in lesions of the nerve high in popliteal fossa, plantar flexion of foot is lost

Rating %: —

Criteria (verbatim). Incomplete:

Rating %: 30

Criteria (verbatim). Severe

Rating %: 20

Criteria (verbatim). Moderate

Rating %: 10

Criteria (verbatim). Mild

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
40	Complete; plantar flexion lost, frank adduction of foot impossible, flexion and separation of toes abolished; no muscle in sole can move; in lesions of the nerve high in popliteal fossa, plantar flexion of foot is lost
—	Incomplete:
30	Severe
20	Moderate
10	Mild

8624 Neuritis. 8724 Neuralgia. Those two rows sit under DC 8524 and do not print a percentage.

The complete cell says “plantar flexion lost” and, for a lesion high in the popliteal fossa, “plantar flexion of foot is lost.” It says “no muscle in sole can move.” It does not say “the sole.”

The heading is “Internal popliteal nerve (tibial).” The next heading is “Posterior tibial nerve,” which is DC 8525. Those are different complete sentences.

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. That sentence uses “varied level.” It says wholly sensory involvement should be mild, or at most moderate. 38 CFR § 4.26 is the bilateral factor the peripheral-nerve sentence names. DC 8524 is in the peripheral-nerve block. It has one rating column, so the Major and Minor columns used on the upper-extremity blocks are not on this row. 38 CFR § 4.7 assigns the higher rating when the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating. Otherwise, the lower rating will be assigned. 38 CFR § 4.6 requires each element affecting the evidence to be studied so that decisions will be equitable and just.

38 CFR § 4.123 caps neuritis characterized by loss of reflexes, muscle atrophy, sensory disturbances, and constant pain, at times excruciating, at severe, incomplete, paralysis. Neuritis not characterized by those organic changes is capped at moderate, or, with sciatic nerve involvement, at moderately severe, incomplete paralysis. The sciatic clause is not this nerve. On the DC 8524 scale, severe is 30 and moderate is 20. DC 8624 prints “Neuritis.” and no percentage. 38 CFR § 4.124 caps neuralgia at moderate incomplete paralysis. DC 8724 prints “Neuralgia.” and no percentage. 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 8524’s lowest printed line is mild, 10.

DC 8525 is the posterior tibial nerve. Its complete line is paralysis of all muscles of the sole of the foot, frequently with painful paralysis of a causalgic nature, at 30. Its mild line is also 10. That complete sentence is not the DC 8524 complete cell, and 30 is not the DC 8524 complete rating.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8524, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.

What the words mean in your records

One rating column

The internal popliteal block prints 40, 30, 20, and 10. It does not print a second column. The lower radicular group, DC 8512, uses Major and Minor. Those columns are not on DC 8524.

Two plantar-flexion clauses

The complete cell says plantar flexion is lost, and then says that in lesions of the nerve high in the popliteal fossa, plantar flexion of the foot is lost. It also says frank adduction of the foot is impossible, flexion and separation of the toes are abolished, and no muscle in the sole can move.

Posterior tibial is the next nerve

DC 8525’s complete rating is 30. DC 8524’s complete rating is 40. The schedule uses “internal popliteal nerve (tibial)” for this code and “posterior tibial nerve” for the next one.

Evidence that speaks to each level

The complete picture or the incomplete level

What the rater needs to see. Plantar flexion, adduction of the foot, flexion and separation of the toes, and whether any muscle in the sole can move, matched to the complete cell, or the severe, moderate, or mild incomplete line.

Where that usually lives. The peripheral-nerve examination and the records that name the tibial nerve, including whether the lesion is high in the popliteal fossa.

One side or both

What the rater needs to see. The peripheral-nerve sentence says the ratings are for unilateral involvement and that bilateral involvement is combined with the bilateral factor.

Where that usually lives. The examination of each side.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
The complete picture or the incomplete level	Plantar flexion, adduction of the foot, flexion and separation of the toes, and whether any muscle in the sole can move, matched to the complete cell, or the severe, moderate, or mild incomplete line.	The peripheral-nerve examination and the records that name the tibial nerve, including whether the lesion is high in the popliteal fossa.
One side or both	The peripheral-nerve sentence says the ratings are for unilateral involvement and that bilateral involvement is combined with the bilateral factor.	The examination of each side.

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

The exam form

DC 8524 prints four percentage lines. This page does not say the form replaces those lines.

Related codes and how they interact

Neuritis and neuralgia sit under this block.

DC 8624 and DC 8724 print no percentage. Section 4.123 and § 4.124 set the caps. Posterior tibial paralysis is DC 8525, at a complete rating of 30.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “popliteal” or “tibial.” Section 3.309(a) lists “Other organic diseases of the nervous system.” That family name is not assigned to DC 8524.

A separate question, when a presumption does not decide it, is a medical question on the facts under 38 CFR § 3.310. Paragraph (a) covers disability proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disease or injury. Paragraph (b) covers increase in severity and requires a medical baseline.

Short answers

What is the VA rating for internal popliteal (tibial) paralysis?

Diagnostic Code 8524 in 38 CFR § 4.124a prints 40 for complete, 30 for severe, 20 for moderate, and 10 for mild. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Does this nerve use major and minor ratings?

The internal popliteal block does not. It has one Rating column. Major and Minor are on the upper-extremity nerve blocks, including the lower radicular group.

FAQ

What percentages does DC 8524 print?

Complete is 40. Severe incomplete is 30. Moderate is 20. Mild is 10. The block has one rating column. The complete cell describes lost plantar flexion, impossible frank adduction, abolished flexion and separation of the toes, and no muscle in the sole that can move, with a further plantar-flexion clause for a lesion high in the popliteal fossa. Education only.

Is this the posterior tibial nerve?

No. DC 8525 is the posterior tibial nerve. Its complete rating is 30, and its complete sentence includes painful paralysis of a causalgic nature. DC 8524 is the internal popliteal nerve (tibial), and its complete rating is 40.

What is the cap for neuralgia of this nerve?

Section 4.124 caps neuralgia at moderate incomplete paralysis. On DC 8524, moderate is 20. The row 8724 prints “Neuralgia.” and no percentage. Neuritis is DC 8624 and § 4.123.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 8524, 8624, or 8724, and whether the findings were complete, severe, moderate, or mild.
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 8524 • va.gov

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