A common type of lumbar radiculopathy, sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve becomes compressed or irritated, causing pain, numbness, and weakness that radiates from the lower back through the buttocks and down one leg, following the path of the sciatic nerve. According to the VA Annual Benefits Report, sciatic nerve conditions impact veterans of all ages, including those who sustained spinal injuries or who were exposed to repetitive physical strain during their military service.
How To Service Connect Sciatic Nerve Conditions
Veterans may qualify for monthly VA disability benefits if they suffered direct trauma to the sciatic nerve (from combat injuries, back injuries during training, falls or accidents during service) or if the nerve damage was caused or aggravated (made worse) by a service-connected condition.
Secondary Service Connection for Sciatic Nerve Conditions
Veterans who suffer from sciatic nerve pain can often link their current condition and the symptoms they are experiencing to a prior lower back injury that occurred during military service, but also to long periods of standing or sitting, or carrying heavy equipment.
Sciatica can also be a secondary condition to another medical issue, such as a herniated disc or bone growth that puts pressure on the lower spine and the nerve roots found there.
Common Conditions That Cause or Aggravate Sciatic Nerve Problems
- Lumbar Spine Conditions: Service-connected degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, or spinal stenosis often lead to sciatic nerve compression.
- Hip Injuries: Hip conditions that alter gait and posture place additional stress on the lower back and sciatic nerve.
- Knee or Ankle Disabilities: Lower extremity injuries force veterans to compensate with movements that cause back strain.
- Limited Mobility and Obesity: Limited mobility required by the military service and service-connected obesity affect the spine and the sciatic nerve.
Example of Secondary Service Connection
If a veteran has a service-connected back injury that later develops into a herniated disc which compresses the sciatic nerve causing sciatica, the sciatica would be eligible for secondary service connection even though the sciatica itself didn’t begin during service.
How the VA Rates Sciatica
Sciatic is rated from 10% to 80% in three different categories based on the degree of severity of the symptoms: paralysis of the sciatic nerve (diagnostic code 8520), neuritis (8620) and neuralgia (8720).
Also, the symptoms of sciatica can sometimes affect one side of the body while other times veterans can experience bilateral symptoms that can justify significant disability benefits. VA calculates bilateral ratings for sciatica by adding the rating of each individual condition together, plus an additional 10% to compensate for both sides being affected.
VA Disability Ratings for Paralysis of the Sciatic Nerve
Paralysis is the most severe category of the medical condition, followed by neuritis, and then neuralgia. Each of these categories of sciatic nerve conditions also has sub-categories such as mild, moderate, and severe symptoms.
Depending on the type of symptoms an individual is experiencing, steroid injections and anti-inflammatory procedures could be required to solve the debilitating pain.
A sciatic nerve condition that involves complete paralysis of the sciatic nerve, which causes all of the muscles in the leg and below the knee to fail to work, and causes serious difficulty in bending the knee, could result in an 80% disability benefits rating.
A 60% disability rating is given to incomplete but severe paralysis of the sciatic nerve – shown by muscular atrophy, poor blood circulation, and limited functionality of the affected body part.
Neuritis VA Ratings
Symptoms of severe loss of reflexes, loss of sensation, muscle atrophy, and severely limited functionality fall under severe neuritis. This could entitle a veteran to a 60 percent disability rating while symptoms of moderately severe or mild sciatic neuritis (sciatica pain) can be given ratings of 40, 20, or 10 percent.
Neuralgia VA Ratings
Symptoms of tingling, numbness, and moderate to severe pain with interference with the affected limb’s functionality, would fall under moderate neuralgia with a 20 percent disability rating.
Mild neuralgia is assigned a 10 percent disability rating for symptoms of only mild pain or with mild interference with the limb’s functionality. There is no VA rating for symptoms of severe neuralgia.
Case Example
A veteran has radiculopathy in his lower back, affecting the sciatic nerve. The veteran has constant, severe pain affecting his ability to function on a daily basis.
First, the VA will rate the veteran’s condition under the neuralgia category. Next, because of the constant and severe pain which significantly interferes with the veteran’s ability to function, the condition should be rated as moderate. Last, the VA will look at the rating criteria for neuralgia associated with the sciatic nerve (diagnostic code 8720) and assign a 20% rating for moderate neuralgia of the sciatic nerve.
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Content Reviewed by
Attorney Stacey Clark
Attorney Stacey Clark is a native Floridian and has represented veterans before the VA, BVA, CAVC, and other federal courts with over 10 years of hands-on experience. She is the only attorney practicing veterans law who has been recognized as a Florida Rising Star by Florida Super Lawyer Magazine; an award that only 2.5% of Florida attorneys have received.
