Neuritis, obturator nerve — VA Diagnostic Code 8628

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.” The higher maximum is severe, incomplete, paralysis, with commas around “incomplete.” The lower maximum, when those organic changes are not present and the nerve is not the sciatic nerve, is moderate. DC 8528 does not print a line that says only “Severe” or only “Moderate.” The line that contains the word severe also says complete, and that line is 10. The line that contains moderate also says mild, and that line is 0. DC 8528 is the paralysis row. DC 8620 is sciatic neuritis. The moderately severe clause does not name the obturator nerve. 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 § 4.124 caps neuralgia at moderate incomplete paralysis, without commas between those three words. On this scale the word moderate is on the 0 percent line, together with mild. DC 8728 prints “Neuralgia.” and no percentage. The tic douloureux sentence in § 4.124 is not the obturator nerve. The 0 percent line is printed. 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 8527 is the internal saphenous nerve. Its lower line says “Mild to moderate,” with the word “to.” DC 8528’s lower line says “Mild or moderate,” with the word “or.” Both lower lines are 0. Both upper lines are “Severe to complete,” at 10. Appendix B indexes DC 8528 as “Obturator nerve, paralysis.” It indexes DC 8628 as “Neuritis, obturator nerve.”

The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “obturator.” Section 3.309(a) lists “Other organic diseases of the nervous system.” That family name is not assigned to DC 8628. 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 8628, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.