38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.124a

Neuritis, anterior crural (femoral) nerve — VA Diagnostic Code 8626

Peripheral nerves

Diagnostic code

8626

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38 CFR § 4.124a lists “Anterior crural nerve (femoral),” then Diagnostic Code 8626 as “Neuritis.” The row prints no percentage. Section 4.123 rates neuritis on the scale for the nerve involved. The paralysis scale is DC 8526. That scale has one Rating column. Appendix B to Part 4 indexes “Neuritis, anterior crural (femoral) nerve.” The catalog slug is dc-8626-neuritis-anterior-crural-femoral-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 last amended on 2026-08-27. On 2026-10-05 the titles list reports up to date as of 2026-10-02. Section 4.124a source note: 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 rating criteria at each level

8626 Neuritis — the row under the anterior crural (femoral) nerve

Rating %: —

Criteria (verbatim). Neuritis.

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
—	Neuritis.

8526 Paralysis of the anterior crural nerve (femoral) — the scale § 4.123 names

Rating %: 40

Criteria (verbatim). Complete; paralysis of quadriceps extensor muscles

Rating %: —

Criteria (verbatim). Incomplete:

Rating %: 30

Criteria (verbatim). Severe

Rating %: 20

Criteria (verbatim). Moderate

Rating %: 10

Criteria (verbatim). Mild

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
40	Complete; paralysis of quadriceps extensor muscles
—	Incomplete:
30	Severe
20	Moderate
10	Mild

DC 8626 prints the word “Neuritis.” and no number. DC 8726 prints “Neuralgia.” and no number. The percentages above are the DC 8526 column. There is no Major or Minor column.

The 2026-10-01 table prints “Incomplete:” on its own row, then Severe, Moderate, and Mild. The DC 8526 page groups those words as “Incomplete: Severe,” “Incomplete: Moderate,” and “Incomplete: Mild.” The percentages are 30, 20, and 10.

The complete cell does not end with a period. It says “paralysis of quadriceps extensor muscles.”

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.

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 8526 scale, severe incomplete paralysis is 30. Moderate is 20. This scale has no moderately severe line. The sciatic clause is a different nerve. Complete is 40, and that line is above the neuritis maximum. DC 8526 is the paralysis row. Its severe incomplete line is 30 percent. Its moderate line is 20 percent. 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.” The tic douloureux sentence is not this nerve. Moderate on this scale is 20. 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 § 4.14 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.

The peripheral-nerve sentence says wholly sensory involvement should be mild, or at most moderate, and that bilateral ratings combine with application of the bilateral factor. 38 CFR § 4.26 is the bilateral factor. 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 8526’s lowest printed line is mild, at 10.

The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “femoral,” “crural,” or “8626.” This page does not add DC 8626 to a presumptive row.

Source: 38 CFR § 4.124a and 38 CFR § 4.123, Diagnostic Code 8626, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.

What the words mean in your records

Severe is 30 when the organic changes are present

Section 4.123’s higher neuritis maximum is severe, incomplete, paralysis when the organic changes it names are present. DC 8526 prints Severe at 30.

Otherwise the maximum is moderate

Without those organic changes, the maximum is moderate, except the sciatic clause. This is not the sciatic nerve. Moderate is 20. Mild is 10. There is no moderately severe line.

Quadriceps extensor muscles

The DC 8526 complete cell uses that phrase, at 40. That complete line is above the neuritis maximum.

Evidence that speaks to each level

The DC 8626 row

What the rater needs to see. Neuritis of the anterior crural (femoral) nerve, and whether the organic changes § 4.123 names are present.

Where that usually lives. The neurological examination that identifies the femoral nerve.

Severe — 30, or moderate — 20

What the rater needs to see. The severe line when those organic changes are present. Otherwise the maximum is moderate. The sciatic moderately severe clause is a different nerve.

Where that usually lives. The same examination. Complete, 40, is the DC 8526 paralysis line and is above the neuritis maximum. Neuralgia under § 4.124 stops at moderate, 20.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
The DC 8626 row	Neuritis of the anterior crural (femoral) nerve, and whether the organic changes § 4.123 names are present.	The neurological examination that identifies the femoral nerve.
Severe — 30, or moderate — 20	The severe line when those organic changes are present. Otherwise the maximum is moderate. The sciatic moderately severe clause is a different nerve.	The same examination. Complete, 40, is the DC 8526 paralysis line and is above the neuritis maximum. Neuralgia under § 4.124 stops at moderate, 20.

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

The exam form

DC 8626 prints no percentage. Section 4.123 and DC 8526 are the scale. This page does not say the form replaces that text.

Related codes and how they interact

Paralysis of this nerve is DC 8526.

That row’s complete line is paralysis of the quadriceps extensor muscles at 40. Severe incomplete is 30. Moderate is 20. Mild is 10. Neuralgia is DC 8726 and stops at moderate.

Secondary conditions and presumptions

Section 3.309 does not contain “femoral,” “crural,” or “8626.” This page does not add DC 8626 to a presumptive row.

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 neuritis of the anterior crural (femoral) nerve?

Under 38 CFR § 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8626 prints “Neuritis.” and no percentage. Section 4.123 caps that neuritis at severe, incomplete, paralysis when the organic changes it names are present. On Diagnostic Code 8526, severe is 30 percent. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Is the femoral nerve the sciatic nerve?

No. DC 8526 is the anterior crural nerve, also called the femoral nerve. The sciatic moderately severe clause in § 4.123 is a different nerve.

FAQ

How does VA rate femoral neuritis under DC 8626?

The DC 8626 row prints “Neuritis.” and no percentage. Section 4.123 rates neuritis on the DC 8526 scale. When the organic changes that section names are present, the maximum is severe, 30 percent. Otherwise the maximum is moderate, 20 percent. Education only.

Is the 40 percent complete line a neuritis rating?

That 40 percent line is complete paralysis of the quadriceps extensor muscles on DC 8526. Section 4.123 sets the neuritis maximum at severe, incomplete, paralysis when the named organic changes are present. Complete is above that maximum.

Does this nerve have a moderately severe line?

No. The words “moderately severe” in § 4.123 are tied to sciatic nerve involvement. DC 8526 does not print a moderately severe line.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 8626 or DC 8526, and whether the evaluation stopped at severe or at moderate.
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 8626 • va.gov

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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.