VA Rating for Sciatica: Getting VA Disability Benefits for Sciatica

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recognizes sciatic nerve conditions as eligible for VA disability compensation. Studies show that military veterans are 12.2% more likely to suffer from sciatic nerve pain than civilians. And vets aged 18-39 were more than 3x more likely to report severe pain compared to the general public. But how does the VA rate sciatica for monthly payments? And how much money could you get for constant nerve pain issues? The VA rating for sciatica can range anywhere from 10% to 80%, depending on your symptoms and how they affect you.

Keep reading to learn the most common VA disability rating for your specific sciatic nerve condition in our guide below.

How Your VA Rating for Sciatica Affects Your Disability Benefits Amount: Key Takeaways

• Sciatica is common among veterans, and one complication is the third-most prevalent service-connected condition for VA disability benefits.
• You’ll need a current diagnosis, medical documentation that supports your claim, and proof of a military service connection to qualify for payments.
• Vets with a previously denied claim can benefit from working with a veterans disability lawyer on their appeals.
• The most common sciatica VA disability rating is likely 10% or 20%, depending on your specific diagnosis and symptoms.
• A C&P exam is also required for most veterans to receive a VA disability rating for monthly income.

What is Sciatica? Common Symptoms and Risk Factors

The sciatic nerve is the human body’s longest nerve, traveling from your lower back down each leg and into your feet. Sciatica is a word that describes the symptoms that affect people with irritation or compression on their sciatic nerve. It’s also sometimes called “lumbar radiculopathy,” meaning there’s something pinching or pressing down on your sciatic nerve.

Common Sciatica Symptoms

Symptoms radiating from your lower back through your buttocks and down one leg may include:

• Muscle weakness
• Tingling or burning sensations that radiate downward
• Difficulty standing or walking for long periods of time
• Numbness
• Mild pain after coughing or sneezing
• Severe pain when you sit or stand up
• Your feet and legs become paralyzed so you cannot move them without help

Risk Factors for Veterans

Military service members are at higher risk than the general population for certain injuries and illnesses causing sciatica pain. Many of these also count as service-connected disabilities for VA benefits, including:

• Diabetes
• Spinal injuries
• Herniated disk
• Degenerative disc disease
• Spinal stenosis
• Obesity
• Knee, ankle, or hip injuries, including partial limb amputations
• Bone spur or multiple spurs growing on your spine or hip

How the VA Rates Sciatic Nerve Conditions for Disability Compensation

As we mentioned above, the VA rates sciatica on a scale of 10%-80%, depending on your symptom severity. Which VA disability rating you’ll likely receive depends mostly only which diagnostic code applies to your condition.

Diagnostic Code 8520, Sciatic Nerve Paralysis

This diagnosis is the most severe you can have for this condition, meaning it severely impacts or prevents your mobility. The VA rates sciatica due to paralysis of the sciatic nerve under Diagnostic Code 8520, Sciatic Nerve Paralysis as follows:

Diagnostic Code 8620, Sciatic Nerve Neuritis

Neuritis is another word for nerve inflammation. It commonly causes pain, numbness, tingling, muscle atrophy, and poor reflexes in the affected body part.

The VA rates sciatic pain and other symptoms from neuritis under Diagnostic Code 8620, Sciatic Nerve Neuritis as follows:

Diagnostic Code 8720, Sciatic Nerve Neuralgia

Neuralgia is how doctors describe sharp, severe, or burning pain that travels down an irritated, inflamed, or damaged nerve.

The VA rates sciatic neuralgia under Diagnostic Code 8720, Sciatic Nerve Neuralgia as follows:

What a Bilateral Sciatica VA Rating Means for Your Claim

Since sciatic nerve damage can affect one or both sides of your body, the VA will check for this in your C&P exam. If you feel sciatica symptoms in both legs, then the VA will apply what’s called a “bilateral factor” to your claim.

This simply means they’ll combine the VA disability rating in your right leg with your left leg, then add 10%. If each leg is rated at 40%, then your combined VA disability rating with the bilateral factor will be 50%.

Proving Your Sciatica Service Connection

Unless you can show evidence of a service connection, you won’t receive either a sciatica VA disability rating or compensation. Here’s how that process typically works:

1. Show you have a current sciatica diagnosis from an acceptable medical provider. Without an official medical diagnosis, you can’t get VA disability benefits; pain alone is not enough. And your diagnosis should come from someone like an orthopedic physician, for example, not a physical therapist.
2. Submit evidence that you suffered an in-service event that likely either caused or aggravated your condition. This event can be an injury (such as a broken hip), disease (like arthritis), or something else (like carrying heavy gear on long marches).
3. Medical nexus letter linking the event to your disabling condition. Your doctor can give you this document to include with your claim when filing for benefits.

Your C&P Exam for Sciatica: Success Tips and What to Expect

After you apply for sciatica VA benefits, the agency will schedule a compensation and pension (C&P) exam. This exam provides vital information for your VA disability claim:

1. Confirmation of your sciatic nerve condition diagnosis through a physical exam.
2. Whether a direct connection exists between your prior military service and your sciatica pain.
3. How much your sciatica symptoms affect your daily life, personal relationships, and ability to work.

What to Expect

First, know that not every veteran receives an invitation to a C&P exam. But if you do, you must attend since skipping it will likely result in the VA denying you benefits.

Second, your exam probably won’t take very long. Expect to spend anywhere from 15 minutes to more than an hour at your appointment. If you have a mental health condition, you’ll likely spend more time there (i.e., a couple of hours) than for a physical issue.

Finally, you won’t pay anything for your C&P exam; it’s always free for veterans.

Success Tips

Here are some helpful C&P exam tips to make your experience go smoothly:

1. Practice your answers before you go. The examiner will almost certainly ask about your symptoms, when they started, and how they affect your daily life. So, practice talking about those things with a friend or loved one until you feel confident with your responses.
2. Keep your answers brief, to the point, and factual. Give only the information you’re asked to provide, and don’t downplay or exaggerate your symptoms.
3. Arrive on time (or, even better, a few minutes early). Showing up late is both disrespectful and potentially puts you in a bad light to the doctor you’ll see.

How Much Money is My VA Rating for Sciatica Worth?

The VA assigns a specific dollar amount for each condition you have based on its disability rating percentage. While your sciatica VA rating depends on how the condition affects your daily life, dependents can also affect your monthly pay amount.

If you have no dependents, then you can expect the following pay amounts in 2025 based on your VA disability rating:

• 0% disability rating: $0.00 per month
• 10% disability rating: $175.51 per month
• 20% disability rating: $346.95 per month
• 30% disability rating: $537.42 per month
• 40% disability rating: $774.16 per month
• 50% disability rating: $1,102.04 per month
• 60% disability rating: $1,395.93 per month
• 70% disability rating: $1,759.19 per month
• 80% disability rating: $2,044.89 per month
• 90% disability rating: $2,297.96 per month
• 100% disability rating: $3,831.30 per month

Related Secondary Conditions That Can Increase Your VA Disability Benefits

Secondary conditions are health issues that either develop or worsen as a direct result of an approved primary service-connected disability. So if your doctor diagnosed you with sciatica first and then you developed any of the following, you may qualify for additional income:

• Degenerative disc disease
• Mental health issues that can arise in chronic pain sufferers, like anxiety or depression
• Muscle atrophy
• Radiculopathy (i.e., spinal column nerve irritation or compression that triggers pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness along a specific pathway)
• Urinary or bowel incontinence

In addition, sciatica itself can be a secondary disability if you have, say, a herniated disc that causes chronic back pain.

Want the Highest VA Rating for Sciatica Possible? Consult an Attorney for Free

If you have sciatic nerve pain and were denied VA disability compensation, an attorney can help you appeal. And working with a VA-accredited lawyer gives you the strongest possible chance to win benefits. The most recent Board of Veterans’ Appeals Annual Report shows attorneys have a 43% win rate for appealed claims.

Appealing on your own gives you a 30% chance for a successful appeal. Why not get a free consultation about your VA disability claim to learn where you went wrong?

Let DisabilityApprovalGuide connect you with a VA-trained attorney near you for a free claim review. Click the button below now to check your eligibility for free professional VA claim help:

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