Neuritis, posterior tibial nerve — VA Diagnostic Code 8625

38 CFR § 4.123 says: “Neuritis, cranial or peripheral, characterized by loss of reflexes, muscle atrophy, sensory disturbances, and constant pain, at times excruciating, is to be rated on the scale provided for injury of the nerve involved, with a maximum equal to severe, incomplete, paralysis. See nerve involved for diagnostic code number and rating. The maximum rating which may be assigned for neuritis not characterized by organic changes referred to in this section will be that for moderate, or with sciatic nerve involvement, for moderately severe, incomplete paralysis.” On the DC 8525 scale, severe incomplete paralysis is 20. Moderate is 10. This nerve is not the sciatic nerve, so the moderately severe clause in that sentence does not name DC 8625. DC 8620 is sciatic neuritis. DC 8525 is the paralysis row. Complete on that row is 30, and that line is above the neuritis maximum. 38 CFR § 4.124 says: “Neuralgia, cranial or peripheral, characterized usually by a dull and intermittent pain, of typical distribution so as to identify the nerve, is to be rated on the same scale, with a maximum equal to moderate incomplete paralysis. See nerve involved for diagnostic code number and rating. Tic douloureux, or trifacial neuralgia, may be rated up to complete paralysis of the affected nerve.” DC 8725 prints “Neuralgia.” and no percentage. Moderate on this scale is 10. 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.

The peripheral-nerve sentence says wholly sensory involvement should be mild, or at most moderate. On this scale both of those words are 10. Bilateral ratings combine with application of the bilateral factor. 38 CFR § 4.26 is the bilateral factor. 38 CFR § 4.63(b) names complete paralysis of the external popliteal nerve (common peroneal) and consequent, footdrop. It does not name the posterior tibial nerve or DC 8625. 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 8525’s lowest printed line is mild, at 10. 38 CFR § 4.14 says the evaluation of the same disability under various diagnoses is to be avoided, and that the evaluation of the same manifestation under different diagnoses is to be avoided.

DC 8524 is the internal popliteal nerve (tibial). Its complete rating is 40. DC 8525’s complete rating is 30. The complete sentences are not the same. Appendix B indexes DC 8525 as “Posterior tibial nerve, paralysis.” It indexes DC 8625 as “Neuritis, posterior tibial nerve.”

The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “posterior tibial” or “neuritis.” Section 3.309(a) lists “Other organic diseases of the nervous system.” That family name is not assigned to DC 8625. 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.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.124a and 38 CFR § 4.123, Diagnostic Code 8625, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.