38 CFR Part 4 — 38 CFR § 4.124a

Neuralgia, anterior tibial nerve (deep peroneal) — VA Diagnostic Code 8723

Peripheral nerves

Diagnostic code

8723

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38 CFR § 4.124a lists “Anterior tibial nerve (deep peroneal)” and then Diagnostic Code 8723 as “Neuralgia.” The row prints no percentage. Section 4.124 says cranial or peripheral neuralgia is rated on the same scale as the nerve involved, with a maximum equal to moderate incomplete paralysis. The paralysis scale for this nerve is DC 8523. That scale has one Rating column. Mild on that scale is 0. Appendix B to Part 4 indexes “Neuralgia, anterior tibial nerve (deep peroneal).”

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 rating criteria at each level

8723 Neuralgia — the row under the anterior tibial nerve

Rating %: —

Criteria (verbatim). Neuralgia.

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
—	Neuralgia.

8523 Paralysis of the anterior tibial nerve — the scale § 4.124 names

Rating %: 30

Criteria (verbatim). Complete; dorsal flexion of foot lost

Rating %: —

Criteria (verbatim). Incomplete:

Rating %: 20

Criteria (verbatim). Severe

Rating %: 10

Criteria (verbatim). Moderate

Rating %: 0

Criteria (verbatim). Mild

Rating %	Criteria (verbatim)
30	Complete; dorsal flexion of foot lost
—	Incomplete:
20	Severe
10	Moderate
0	Mild

DC 8723 prints “Neuralgia.” and then a line break. DC 8623 prints “Neuritis.” with the period at the end of the text. Neither row prints a percentage. There is no Major or Minor column.

The complete cell does not end with a period. It says “dorsal flexion of foot lost.” It does not say “foot drop.”

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 § 4.124 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.” On the DC 8523 scale, moderate is 10. Severe is 20. Complete is 30. Those two lines are above the neuralgia maximum. Mild is a printed 0. The tic douloureux sentence is not this 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 § 4.123 caps neuritis at severe, incomplete, paralysis when the organic changes it names are present, and otherwise at moderate unless the sciatic clause applies. This nerve is not the sciatic nerve. On this scale severe is 20 and moderate is 10. DC 8623 is neuritis of the anterior tibial nerve. DC 8523 is the paralysis row. DC 8521 is the external popliteal nerve (common peroneal). Its complete cell is the foot-drop sentence, at 40. That sentence is not the dorsal-flexion sentence.

Appendix B indexes DC 8523 as “Anterior tibial nerve (deep peroneal), paralysis.” It indexes DC 8623 as “Neuritis, anterior tibial (deep peroneal) nerve,” with the parenthetical before the word “nerve.” It indexes DC 8723 as “Neuralgia, anterior tibial nerve (deep peroneal),” with “nerve” before the parenthetical. The table heading matches the 8723 word order. 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 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “peroneal” or “anterior tibial.” Section 3.309(a) lists “Other organic diseases of the nervous system.” That family name is not assigned to DC 8723. 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 § 4.124, Diagnostic Code 8723, eCFR full-text XML for 2026-10-01.

What the words mean in your records

Moderate is 10

Section 4.124’s neuralgia maximum is moderate incomplete paralysis. DC 8523 prints “Moderate” at 10. Mild is a printed 0.

Dorsal flexion of foot lost

Those are the complete-cell words, at 30. The external popliteal complete cell is a longer sentence, at 40, and it says “foot drop.”

Where the parenthetical sits

The DC 8723 index line puts “nerve” before “(deep peroneal).” The DC 8623 index line puts “(deep peroneal)” before “nerve.”

Evidence that speaks to each level

The DC 8723 row

What the rater needs to see. Neuralgia of the anterior tibial nerve (deep peroneal), of the dull and intermittent pain § 4.124 describes.

Where that usually lives. The neurological examination that identifies this nerve.

Moderate — 10, or mild — 0

What the rater needs to see. The moderate line, which is the § 4.124 maximum, or the printed mild line at 0.

Where that usually lives. The same examination. Severe, 20, and complete, 30, are DC 8523 paralysis lines and are above the neuralgia maximum.

Level	What the rater needs to see	Where that usually lives
The DC 8723 row	Neuralgia of the anterior tibial nerve (deep peroneal), of the dull and intermittent pain § 4.124 describes.	The neurological examination that identifies this nerve.
Moderate — 10, or mild — 0	The moderate line, which is the § 4.124 maximum, or the printed mild line at 0.	The same examination. Severe, 20, and complete, 30, are DC 8523 paralysis lines and are above the neuralgia maximum.

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

The exam form

DC 8723 prints no percentage. Section 4.124 and DC 8523 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 8523.

That row prints 30, 20, 10, and 0. The common peroneal nerve is DC 8521. Its complete sentence is not “dorsal flexion of foot lost.”

Secondary conditions and presumptions

The 2026-10-01 text of 38 CFR § 3.309 does not contain “anterior tibial.” DC 8723 is a rating-schedule line. 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 neuralgia of the anterior tibial nerve?

Under 38 CFR § 4.124a, Diagnostic Code 8723 prints “Neuralgia.” and no percentage. Section 4.124 caps that neuralgia at moderate incomplete paralysis. On Diagnostic Code 8523, moderate is 10 percent and mild is 0 percent. Education only. VA decides on the evidence.

Which complete sentence belongs to this nerve?

DC 8523 says “Complete; dorsal flexion of foot lost,” at 30. DC 8521, the external popliteal nerve, uses the foot-drop sentence, at 40.

FAQ

How does VA rate deep-peroneal neuralgia under DC 8723?

The DC 8723 row prints no percentage. Section 4.124 caps neuralgia at moderate incomplete paralysis. On DC 8523, moderate is 10 percent. Mild is 0 percent. Education only.

Is the 30 percent complete line a neuralgia rating?

That 30 percent line is the complete paralysis cell on DC 8523. It says dorsal flexion of the foot is lost. Section 4.124 sets the neuralgia maximum at moderate incomplete paralysis. Complete is above that maximum.

Is mild a printed zero?

Yes. The incomplete mild cell on DC 8523 is 0. The schedule prints that zero. Moderate, the neuralgia maximum, is 10.

Next steps

Read the decision for DC 8723 or DC 8523, and whether the evaluation stopped at moderate or at 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.

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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 8723 • va.gov

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