Fact · Accessibility and health
The VA schedule for complete median nerve paralysis lists an ape hand as one of its signs, described as the thumb lying in the plane of the hand.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“the thumb in the plane of the hand (ape hand)”
38 CFR 4.124a: Schedule of ratings for peripheral nerve conditions, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, n.d., Table under Diagnostic Code 8515, median nerve, Complete.
Open the original- What it measures
- The complete paralysis entry lists several signs together, including the hand inclined to the ulnar side and the inability to make a fist. The 70 and 60 percent ratings are given for these signs.
- What it does not show
- The ape hand is one sign in a longer list. A rating depends on the signs taken together and on medical evidence, not on one sign.